World’s Largest Meal Kit Company Will Lay Off Hundreds of Bay Area Workers

HelloFresh, the food delivery company made rich off the millennial fascination with meal prepping and convenience, will not renew the lease at its Richmond plant. As of December 11, the factory located at 2041 Factory Street will close and terminate 611 positions including 389 production associates. According to the San Francisco Business Times, Grocery Delivery E-Services USA Inc., which conducts business as HelloFresh, filed the closure notice on October 10. The company leased the building in 2015 for $13 million.

It’s not been a comfortable year for the German company. Its profits soared in 2020 for obvious reasons but suffered a 70 percent stock loss in 2022. Unsafe work allegations surfaced at the Richmond and Aurora, Colorado plants, followed by an unsuccessful union vote at both locations. A company representative wrote to the Business Times about the closure news and said in a statement, “Richmond is one of the oldest buildings in the U.S. network and has one of the smallest footprints, an inefficient layout and outdated refrigeration systems. Given the outdated state of the facility, HelloFresh will focus its efforts on its newer, more efficient sites and shift the production of EveryPlate to our other distribution centers.”

Why these San Francisco restaurants will close, but couldn’t tell you when

The building at 300 De Haro in Potrero Hill was bought by DM Development in 2022, but the deal was in progress since 2019 to purchase the land. There is no concrete date set for when developers plan to break ground on a new housing complex, but, when they do, it could mean lights out for the remaining businesses. SFGATE reports a few of those businesses include My Good Pie (which closed on September 30), Torraku Ramen, and El Sur.

This vegan kimchi maker is a San Francisco gem

Aruna Lee’s Volcano Kimchi business is well-loved throughout San Francisco farmers markets for her kimchi pancakes and jars of vegan kimchi. The San Francisco Chronicle writes about her upbringing, her time as a nun, and why her contribution to the Korean dining scene in the Bay is crucial.

Fruit coffee shop opens location in San Jose

Not Latte, with its original location on Irving Street and another on Clement Street, just opened a third outpost at 3245 Sierra Road in San Jose, serving up fresh fruit, such as durian, blended with coffee and milk. According to the mango and pineapple coffee business’ Instagram, the soft opening was October 15 with a grand opening yet to come.