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Snap Kitchen launches direct shipping of meals from its Fort Worth facility 

Snap Kitchen's 33 stores, including 10 in D-FW, aren't closing, CEO Jon Carter said.

Austin-based Snap Kitchen said Monday it's expanding from storefronts into e-commerce with direct overnight shipping of its fresh, ready-to-eat, portion-controlled meals.

The new business starts this week from its Fort Worth kitchen, where the company said it can reach 80 million households within two days in 15 states in the South and East. The online expansion includes major markets such as New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., as well as cities closer to home, including San Antonio and Oklahoma City.

Up until now, Snap Kitchen's meals were available from its stores and via on-demand services such as Postmates in the four markets where it has stores: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Philadelphia.

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And the company's 33 stores, including 10 in D-FW, will remain open, Snap Kitchen CEO Jon Carter said.

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"The goal with direct ship is to broaden Snap Kitchen's reach outside of its four current markets in addition to the existing retail stores, not to replace our retail presence," he said in an email.

New start 

Snap Kitchen closed stores in Chicago in 2017 after expanding too fast, and early last year, it ended a pilot program in which its meals were sold inside some Whole Foods Markets. Two years ago, the company also closed kitchens in Austin and Houston and consolidated to Fort Worth. Snap Kitchen has about has 240 employees in Dallas-Fort Worth, most of them at the Fort Worth kitchen on Trinity Boulevard.

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The Fort Worth kitchen has enough capacity to handle the online orders for now, Carter said, but as demand grows, the company expects to open kitchens in other regions. The new business could create future jobs in kitchens, distribution, marketing and technology in Texas and elsewhere, he said.

Carter is positioning the company as a healthy and convenient alternative, saying it's using the "highest quality and simple ingredients." Recipes are created by chefs with input from dietitians. Meal plans cover various diets, including paleo, keto, Whole30, low carb and high protein.

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Customers make their own choices for orders that come in six- or 12-meal boxes.

Snap Kitchen, which was founded in 2010, has had four rounds of venture capital funding totaling $154.2 million, according to Crunchbase. The company doesn't disclose revenue.

Food fight 

Storefronts selling fresh single meals to health-conscious customers started popping up in neighborhood shopping centers a decade ago, but many have gone out of business.

Competition also came from a proliferation of meal-kit subscription services, a concept that has also struggled. In January, Blue Apron transferred much of its production work from its Arlington fulfillment center to the company's larger operation in New Jersey, cutting 200 jobs in Arlington.

Grocery stores also quickly picked up on the trend and devoted refrigerated space to prepared single meals and family-size meal kits.

Twitter: @MariaHalkias