KitchenMate is a Canadian startup with the goal of providing “healthy meals at an affordable cost.”

The solution combines refrigerated, tamper-proof “smart meal-pods” containing fresh, prepared meals that are then heated in a “smart cooker.”

KitchenMate’s founder and CEO Yang Yu acknowledged that some of KitchenMate’s most likely customers don’t need the product right now because they are still working at home due to the pandemic. But he also said that with many restaurants and other businesses shuttered by the pandemic, KitchenMate has emerged for some employers as “the only option.” And it’s being used by hospitals as an efficient way to prepare healthy meals for patients.

Yu showed how he prepared a meal with the KitchenMate cooker. He opened the refrigerator, removed a smart meal-pod and scanned it with his phone, then loaded the meal-pod into the cooker. A few minutes later, a tasty-looking lunch of rice, curry, vegetables and tofu was ready for him.

KitchenMate offers the equipment for sale or rent to employers. The meals are then purchased by employees via smartphone app at an average cost of US$9, usually with employees paying US$7 and employers subsidizing the rest.

KitchenMate delivers new meal-pods once or twice a week, and teams can influence what gets delivered by voting on the dishes that they want. The startup also offers an option where staff members can prepare the meals for employees, rather than having everyone raid the refrigerator and making meals for themselves.(SD-Agencies)