Eataly Taps Mercato for Delivery

Mercato, the online grocery e-commerce platform for independently owned grocery and specialty food stores, has announced a new partnership with Eataly that will allow the specialty Italian market to offer same-day delivery of food and grocery products to customers living in and around four U.S. locations: downtown New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The partnership provides Eataly with another avenue to get its products to customers when fewer are shopping in-store.

"While fewer people may be shopping in the markets themselves, Eataly continues to import and prepare an exceptional variety of high-quality Italian foods and culinary products. Mercato is thrilled to partner with this organization and to add Eataly's offerings to our online marketplace," said Bobby Brannigan, founder and CEO of San Diego-based Mercato.

Founded in 2007 and known for its specialty products and experience, Eataly operates Italian markets in 11 countries around the world. It has U.S. locations in New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas. 

"We are happy to partner up with Mercato and make all of our high-quality grocery products available to a wider customer base," said Raffaele Piarulli, EVP of Eataly North America. "During the pandemic, we have seen our grocery customer base expand. Also, thanks to the delivery business, we are thrilled to see that the interest for high-quality Italian and local ingredients is ever growing."

Mercato started in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2015 and currently operates in 45 states nationwide. It has added more than 400 specialty food stores, grocery stores and market halls to its platform in 2020. This September, Mercato was selected by the city of New York to connect the city’s underserved communities to local grocery stores.