French startup Foodles brings connected smart fridges to UK

Foodles, a French startup that provides “fresh, chef prepared, affordable food” for employees at any time of the day through its connected smart fridges, has entered the UK market.

The venture currently provides 40,000 meals per week to its French customer base, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, ODDO BHF, Ubisoft and Veepee and has served more than one million meals to date, with over 300 fridges installed at sites across France.

Pitched as ideal for medium - to large-sized companies looking for an alternative to canteens or ‘grab and go’ solutions, Foodles’ connected smart fridges can be installed and maintained for a monthly fee.

Its proprietary technology platform tracks usage in real-time and analyses consumer preferences so that fridges can be restocked accordingly.

Renaud Barnoin, General Manager UK, Foodles, comments: “We’re all about offering people access to better quality and more sustainable meal options while at work.”

“As we all adapt to new hybrid working environments, businesses need to offer employees meaningful incentives to return to offices. With over half of UK workers reported to never take their full lunch break and the average worker allocating just 27 minutes for lunch, a change in mindset and behaviour is needed.”

“By providing fresh, tasty and affordable meal options at any time of the day, businesses can encourage a communal atmosphere around meal and break times, contributing to a more cohesive and friendly company culture – something that is high on the priority list for every business leader today.”

The company’s UK launch marks its first venture outside of France with a wider European expansion set to follow.

It has raised over €42 million in funding since 2015, with backing by InfraVia Growth Partners, Bpifrance Large Venture, Creadev, DN Capital and Adelie.