Home Chef Adds Another Meal Service

Kroger-owned brand debuts portfolio of microwaveable meals for home delivery
Lynn Petrak, Progressive Grocer
Tempo microwaveable meal
Tempo meals, rich in nutrients and containing up to 30 grams of protein per serving, are ready in four minutes or less.

A Kroger-owned business is picking up the pace of product development with a new launch. Kroger’s Home Chef group has introduced a service called Tempo, the first new brand in the meal kit company’s 10-year history and its first stand-alone ready-to-heat single-serve offering.

Convenience and nutrition are hallmarks of the new collection. Tempo microwaveable meals are ready in four minutes and  made with such nutrient-rich ingredients as proteins, whole grains and vegetables. Examples include Garlic Sesame Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice and Green Beans; Green Chili Pork with Quinoa, Fire Roasted Corn and Peppers; Harissa Beef Meatball and Couscous Bowl; Basil Pesto White Bean Primavera; Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Bowl; and Teriyaki Beef and Edamame with Broccoli and Quinoa.

[Read more: “Kroger Adds Hispanic-Inspired Store Brand”]

As with other Home Chef items, Tempo meals are available online for home delivery. More than 12 options are offered each week, and price points range from $10.99 to $13.49 per serving.

“The Home Chef team is constantly looking for new ways to make mealtime achievable for more people,” said Erik Jensen, Home Chef’s CEO. “Tempo allows us to serve easy meals to households that prioritize convenience and balanced eating in their routines.”

Added Scott Payne, chief product officer: “With all of the demands on our customers’ time, convenience is a top mealtime priority – but no one wants to sacrifice great taste or nutritional benefit for ease. With Tempo, customers don’t have to choose between a wholesome, flavorful meal and how much time they need to spend in the kitchen.”

The rollout is accompanied by a new promotion. Customers who sign up for Tempo with the code TRYTEMPO50 will get 50% off their first Tempo box, plus 20% off their next four boxes. The fledgling band is also offering a prize package of a $100 Tempo gift card, Bluetooth headphones, cooler lunch tote, daily planner and reusable cutlery; consumers can enter the contest by following Tempo on the Instagram and Facebook social media platforms and sharing how Tempo “will help bring balance to the day-to-day.”

According to Home Chef, Tempo meals can be shipped to destinations within 98% of the United States. The brand provides users with details on how to recycle the packaging and what components can be reused.

Tempo is available online, while Home Chef is available both online and at retail in more than 2,400 Kroger-operated stores. 

Serving more than 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, with which Kroger intends to merge, is No. 9 on The PG 100. PG also named both companies to its Retailers of the Century list.

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