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Nestlé has divested British recipe-kit brand SimplyCook to UK-based ingredient and flavour manufacturer Jardox, marking the latest disposal in the Swiss food group's overarching drive to streamline its operating portfolio.
Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. The sale transfers ownership of the London-based meal-kit platform, which specialises in subscription-based, pre-portioned flavour blends, herb pastes, and recipe kits designed to assist home cooks in preparing mid-week meals.
Nestlé confirmed the divestment aligns directly with corporate efforts to sharpen strategic focus across core product categories and simplify operations to support long-term profitable volume growth.
"SimplyCook is a unique business with a strong brand and a differentiated proposition in the UK meal kit market," Nestlé stated. "Since joining Nestlé, the business has continued to build a loyal customer base and develop its offering. Jardox has a long-standing partnership with SimplyCook, making it a natural fit to take the business to its next chapter."
SimplyCook Brand
Founded in 2014 by entrepreneur Oli Ashness, SimplyCook operates a differentiated hybrid model within the broader meal-kit landscape:
📦 Flavour-Led Box Format: Rather than distributing bulky, perishable chilled grocery boxes containing fresh meat and vegetables, SimplyCook delivers letterbox-friendly kits containing four recipe cards and pre-measured flavour pots, including stocks, marinades, herb pastes, and spice rubs.
🛒 Store-Bought Fresh Additions: The format requires consumers to supply four to six fresh household ingredients per dish, lowering transport overheads, cold-chain logistics friction, and packaging waste relative to full-provision recipe box services.
🏭 Jardox Technical Partnership: The acquiring business, Kent-based culinary supplier Jardox, has acted as SimplyCook's primary development and manufacturing partner for multiple years, producing savoury food bases, dehydrated stocks, seasoning pastes, and functional savoury extracts.
Transitioning ownership to Jardox vertically integrates SimplyCook with its primary contract manufacturer, consolidating supply chain operations, blending facilities, and raw-material procurement under direct manufacturing ownership.
Nestlé Portfolio Rebalancing
Nestlé originally acquired SimplyCook in February 2021 for an undisclosed sum, expanding its direct-to-consumer (DTC) footprint during a period of elevated pandemic-era domestic grocery delivery demand. The acquisition closely followed Nestlé's purchase of a majority stake in UK fresh recipe-box business Mindful Chef in late 2020.
However, over recent trading windows, multinational food manufacturers have systematically re-evaluated digital direct-to-consumer meal platforms as post-pandemic grocery footfall returned to physical supermarkets and customer acquisition costs via digital channels accelerated.
The sale of SimplyCook forms part of a wider structural realignment across Nestlé's global brand estate:
Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements: In September, the group agreed to divest mainstream nutritional supplement assets—including Nature's Bounty and Nuun—to US private-equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for CHF 800 million, while initiating a formal review of New Zealand entity The Better Health Company.
Water and Premium Beverages: In July, Nestlé established the Peranel joint venture with private-equity firm Platinum Equity, offloading a 50% stake in its water and premium beverage operations.
Spices and Seasonings: The group sold its majority holding in German seasoning and spice brand Ankerkraut back to its original founders earlier in the year.
Charcuterie and Deli: In December 2025, Nestlé concluded the sale of its remaining minority stake in European charcuterie processor Herta to Spanish food manufacturer Casa Tarradellas.
By offloading capital-intensive or non-core regional businesses, executive leadership is concentrating capital expenditure, innovation pipelines, and marketing resources on high-volume, enterprise categories including coffee, pet care, infant nutrition, confectionery, and health sciences.
