Food Delivery

Forward Fooding defines Food Delivery as direct-to-consumer food delivery services on-demand. This category includes delivery from groceries and restaurants, and delivery of meal kits and specialty food and drinks from local producers. It also includes dark kitchens, delivery technologies, and B2B delivery services.

The Role of Food Delivery in Shaping the Agrifood System

Food Delivery technologies have made ordering food easier and more enjoyable. They offer a diverse range of cuisine options at our fingertips, offer personalized customization, and streamline the ordering process through mobile apps. For consumers, this provides unparalleled convenience and an easier dining experience. For businesses, it boosts sales and revenue by tapping into a broader customer base and enhancing brand visibility.

Food delivery benefits the system in various ways: 

• Increased revenue: It provides an additional income stream for restaurants or business owners, reaching customers who prefer at-home delivery service.
• Expanded market reach: Delivery services enable businesses to serve customers beyond their physical location, enhancing market reach.
• Customer loyalty: Convenient delivery options can foster customer loyalty and retention.
• Data insights: Delivery platforms offer valuable data on customer preferences, aiding in informed decision-making.
• Adaptation to trends: Food delivery caters to evolving consumer preferences for convenience, personalisation, and on-demand services.

Capital raised from 2014 – February 2024: €105.2 Billion (Source: FoodTech Data Navigator)

Trends in Food Delivery

Food delivery has emerged as a pivotal component of modern society, driven by a confluence of factors that have reshaped how we access and enjoy food. With the advent of appealing, user-friendly apps and tech-enabled driver networks, coupled with changing consumer expectations, online food delivery has evolved into a global market forecasted to reach US$1.22tn in 2024.

The Food Delivery industry is evolving rapidly with several key trends shaping its landscape. 

• The impact of e-commerce giants like Amazon, particularly through services like Amazon Fresh, has raised the bar for efficiency and customer service in the food delivery industry. This influence is prompting food delivery services to rethink their business models, emphasizing shorter delivery times, improved supply chain management, and personalized recommendations to meet consumer expectations shaped by Amazon’s practices. 
• Additionally, the convenience and reach offered by online platforms and third-party delivery services have led to significant growth in the restaurant industry, allowing restaurants to cater to a larger and more diverse customer base. 
• The creation of ghost kitchens and cloud kitchens has further expanded opportunities for restaurants to thrive in the evolving landscape of food delivery.
• Advancements in delivery logistics, such as drone deliveries, smart lockers, and electric bikes, have revolutionised the last-mile delivery process, making it faster, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.  
• As sustainability concerns grow among consumers, there is a push for more eco-friendly practices in the food delivery sector, from sustainable packaging alternatives to more efficient delivery routes. This push is not only driven by potential legislative changes but also by consumers’ preference for brands that align with their values, enhancing brand perception and customer loyalty.

Food Delivery Domains and Companies Shaping the Industry

The Food Tech Data Navigator shows 1621 actors in Food Delivery (Source: FoodTech Data Navigator)

Food Delivery encompasses various domains, each contributing to the transformation of the AgriFood system. Below are the key domains and a few companies under each domain within our proprietary taxonomy.

B2B Marketplaces

Refers to digital platforms connecting food suppliers, manufacturers, and wholesalers with restaurants, retailers, and other food service businesses.

• Franklin Junction (United States) #326 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Developed a platform that enables restaurant brands to expand into new markets as virtual restaurants.
• FoxCrop (Bulgaria) #473 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Streamlines trading processes for direct sales order management and client connections
• 1-2-Taste (Netherlands) #288 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Provides digital access to a limitless selection of flavors and specialty food ingredients for use in dairy products, chocolate, and many other applications
• SupplyNote (India) #309 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Transforms food industry logistics with a cloud-based B2B platform
• Unfia (United Kingdom) #488 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Streamlines global trade for small and medium producers in the craft wine industry
• Chari (Morroco) | B2B e-commerce and fintech app in Africa, providing retailers with free next-day delivery and microloans.

Catering/Office Services & Vending Machines

Focuses on providing food solutions to workplaces, including traditional catering, smart vending machines, office pantry services, and corporate meal programs.

• Alberts (Belgium) #105 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Make healthy food accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time through food robotics & AI recommenders, and by connecting food service providers.
• Wada Bento (Japan) #165 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Its platform enables restaurants to make fresh, hot meals accessible to consumers’ doorsteps in just 17 seconds, overcoming traditional constraints of location, labor, and food safety.
• Hungerhub (Canada) #170 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Allows office employees to place orders individually from their favorite local restaurants to provide customized, individually packaged and sealed meals delivered to their desks.
• Nora Real Food (Spain) #257 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Pioneers office food delivery and catering with healthy, seasonal menus served in eco-friendly packaging.
• Nu! (France)  #272 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Transforms company catering with connected, zero-waste fridges.

Dark Kitchens

Also known as ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens, these are commercial cooking facilities that produce food only for delivery.

• Brito Cloud Kitchens (Egypt) #240 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Leverages advanced technology to operate commercial food production facilities in Egypt.
• Growth Kitchen (United Kingdom) | Helps restaurants scale their delivery network by offering smart satellite kitchens and digital tools.
• Huuva (Finland) | Provides a plug-n-play solution for restaurateurs to expand their brands to new markets while maintaining healthy unit economics.
• Salted (United States) | Helps scale healthier quick-service restaurant brands with virtual cooking classes.
• Shef (United States) | Connects local, food safety-certified cooks with customers, allowing them to earn income by selling authentic, homemade dishes.

Delivery & Fulfillment Technology

Companies providing the technological infrastructure and solutions that power food delivery operations, including routing algorithms, delivery management software, tracking systems, and last-mile logistics optimization tools.

• AppJusto (Brazil) #317 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Transforms food delivery with an open-source platform fostering fairness, transparency, and prosperity for restaurants, delivery drivers, and customers alike. 
• DeliverZero (United States) #181 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | A sustainability company that provides reusable and returnable food containers to restaurants for home delivery.
• Gatik (United States) | Develops technology for autonomous light and medium-duty trucks for B2B short-haul logistics.
• Neubility (South Korea) | Developed self-driving robots with vision-based localization, and provides reliable and affordable robot delivery services. 
• Serve Robotics (United States) | Develops self-driving robotic carriers to deliver and serve food.

Delivery from Restaurants

Services that partner with existing restaurants to offer food delivery to consumers.

• Coco (United States) | A last-mile delivery service that uses human-operated sidewalk robots to transport goods from merchants to customers. 
• Fantuan (Canada) | Specialises in delivering Asian food from local restaurants to customers.
• Halal Eat (United Kingdom) | The UK’s first halal online takeaway ordering portal, allowing customers to order halal food from a range of restaurants and takeaways.
• Skip-Q (Belgium) | Allows users to pre-order and pre-pay for their meals, eliminating the need to wait in line
• Vegery (Italy) | Allows customers to order vegan and vegetarian dishes from their favorite restaurants.

eGrocers

Online grocery platforms that allow consumers to order groceries, fresh produce, and household items for delivery.

• Farmy (Switzerland)  #17 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Switzerland’s premier online marketplace for local and organic food.
• Foraged (United States)  #189 in the 2023 FoodTech 500 | Empowers sustainable food sourcing through a marketplace connecting specialty vendors with consumers.
• Picnic (Netherlands) #294 in the 2021 FoodTech 500 | Modernises the milkman service with a mass-market home delivery system for groceries.
• 4P Foods (United States) | Delivers locally-sourced and sustainably-produced good food to neighborhoods and businesses in Washington D.C., Virginia, and Southern Maryland.
• Getir (United Kingdom) | Ultrafast delivery for groceries and restaurants via mobile app with live order tracking.
• Hungryroot (United States) | Transforms personalized grocery services with AI-powered meal planning, recipe finding, and doorstep delivery.
• Instacart (United States) | Offers grocery delivery and pickup services from over 300 retailers in the US and Canada.
• Jokr (Germany) | Offers hyper-local, sustainable last-mile delivery in Brazil. 
• Misfits Market (United States) | Provides a subscription box service for fresh and organic fruits and vegetables that farms and stores are unable to sell.
• SIMPLi (United States) | Works directly with farmers in Peru, Greece, and other countries to bring nutrient-dense ingredients straight to consumers’ kitchens.
• Surplus (United States) | Creates an ecosystem of solutions and dark stores to enable rapid delivery.

Meal Kits & Subscription Services

Companies that deliver pre-portioned ingredients and recipes for home cooking, or ready-to-eat meals on a subscription basis.

• Vita Meals (Italy) #235 in the 2022 FoodTech 500 | Uses machine learning to create customized ready meals and deliver them within 48 hours of purchase throughout Italy
• Bottomless (United States) | Coffee subscriptions with a WiFi-enabled scale that tracks usage and reorders automatically.
• Butternut Box (United Kingdom) | Offers personalized, human-grade dog food tailored to individual needs delivered at home.
• Nourished RX (United States) | Provides personalized food solutions for individuals facing diet-sensitive chronic health conditions and nutrition insecurity
• ZestyKits (Canada) | Offers dietary plans, healthy recipes, handmade meal kits, online ordering, delivery, and consultation services.

Our Blogs on Food Delivery

• Office catering, vending machines and beyond: new ways of eating at work
• Food delivery consolidation: who’s really behind the wheel?
• Meal Kits: The Global Market
• Food delivery robots for pandemic-proof delivery

Explore Our Proprietary Taxonomy

Navigate the market dynamics of the AgriFoodTech sector with our proprietary taxonomy that covers the entire food supply chain, categorized into verticals (‘Activities’) and further divided into subcategories (‘Domains’). Click below the activity you want to explore.