My Food Bag heads to the regions

My Food Bag co-founder Cecilia Robinson. Photo/Jason Oxenham

Queenstown, Blenheim, Gisborne and Whanganui will be able to order meals from My Food Bag this month as the company continues its New Zealand expansion.

The food delivery business, which has more than 65,000 customers, said it was the right time to add the four new destinations.

Co-founder Cecilia Robinson said My Food Bag had responded to demand for the service, which included petitions to the company.

"These areas were really vocal and they got a lot of momentum - people started talking about it and emailing us and it was coming up on social media so our decision really was customer led," Robinson said.

"We're thrilled to grow our footprint. With their petition, the residents of Blenheim have made clear that they want deliveries in their town, and we are very happy to oblige."

All of the company's offerings would be available to order.

Since it launched in 2013, My Food Bag has delivered more than 35 million meals to Kiwis.

It was averaging 1.6 million meals a month and expected to deliver an additional 50,000 meals to the four new towns in the coming month.

The barriers for expanding previously had been quality-based, Robinson said, adding the company had conducted robust trials to ensure the food kits would arrive in prime condition.

The company already delivers to the Waikato region, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Dunedin, Mosgiel, Invercargill, Whangarei, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson and Taupo.

Expanding into more regional areas was a logical move for the company, with its long-term aim to reach as many people as possible, Robinson said.

The company was working on options to enable delivery to remote areas, although this was further down the track.

"Demand is strong, but we are approaching expansion with some rigour to be sure we meet customer expectations without fail with a bullet-proof supply chain."

A significant pipeline of new innovations was planned for the coming six months.

The My Food Bag concept was developed by Robinson, celebrity cook Nadia Lim and businesswoman Theresa Gattung. The goal since it began was to teach people to cook rather than just provide pre-made meals, Robinson said.

The company has also introduced Fresh Start with Nadia, an option which offers portion control, healthy cooking techniques and nutritionally-balanced meals that are 450 calories or less, something Lim had used in her meal creation for My Food Bag previously.

"Good eating habits play a crucial role in a healthier lifestyle. Every meal is designed for ease of preparation, nutritional value and to taste great," Lim said.

In October last year, My Food Bag announced it had secured investment from Waterman Capital, a partnership it said would support the company in achieving its IPO ambitions within the next three years.