If you have an Instagram account (or any form of social media, really) chances are you’ve seen one of the six different Daily Harvest products. The direct-to-consumer meal-delivery business serves up the oh-so-Instagrammable products that have changed not only the frozen food industry but America’s perspective on such foods.
Founded only a little under five years ago, the former startup is one of the most rapidly growing companies in the food and beverage industry. Read on for Ladders’ breakdown of company facts, investors, office life, and even tips on how to get hired there.
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Daily Harvest quick bits
Size: 135
Industry: Food & Beverages
Locations: The Daily Harvest HQ is in Manhattan, N.Y. The west coast customer experience team has a satellite office in Salt Lake City, UT, and the company also has a team of software engineers based in Princeton, NJ.
Founded: Jan. 1, 2015
CEO: Rachel Drori
Mission: Daily Harvest is committed to solving the age-old dilemma of wanting to eat healthy but having no time to do so. Daily Harvest cuts out the shopping and prepping portion that comes with fueling yourself and leaves only the heating or blending steps in the customer’s hands. The company is also determined to redefine the connotations behind frozen foods.
“Our food is what frozen should be rather than a leftover relic from a point in time 70 years ago.”
The farm-frozen fruits and vegetables that Daily Harvest uses are better than what you’ll get at the grocery store because the latter products are harvested before they reach peak nutrition and also use chemicals to help them remain “fresh”, Drori told Ladders.
“If you source the best organic fruits and vegetables, allow them to reach their nutritional peak by ripening on the vine, and then freeze within hours of harvest, you don’t need these things,” Drori said.
Daily Harvest Jobs
Daily Harvest is currently hiring for 25 open positions, including Controller in the Finance department and Lifecycle Marketing Manager to work in the New York office. Find a full list of open roles on Ladders’ Daily Harvest Jobs page.
What the Daily Harvest CEO Rachel Drori says it takes to get hired
When deciding to bring on a new team member, CEO Rachel Drori gives the most weight to three specific attributes.
“The three A’s: authenticity, ambition, and adaptability,” Drori told Ladders. “Having a team that is just as passionate about your mission as you are is the key to growing a brand that solves the right problems and stays nimble.”
Additionally, Drori looks for team members that will the reins and stay afloat during “the rapid changes of a startup,” which is probably why “adaptability” in a candidate is so important to her.
When it comes to nailing an interview at Daily Harvest, Drori says that expressing your passion and hunger are imperative. “Also, do your research and come with a POV,” she said.
What Daily Harvest says it takes to get hired
Daily Harvest employees describe the team as “collaborative, driven, and future-thinking” and one that’s constantly learning, experimenting, and iterating. We take risks, try new things, and we get things done. Though the team loves adaptogens and cruciferous vegetables, they also never say no to cake.
The Daily Harvest team wants “hustlers who can take initiative” and, again, someone who can thrive during the many changes that happen while working at a startup.
Passion is extremely important to communicate during the interview process. That being said, the Daily Harvest team doesn’t want to see passion about just anything. More specifically, you’ll stand out if you show passion about the company mission: “to take care of food, so food can take care of all of us.”
Daily Harvest investors
With 14 investors, the private company has raised $43 million over three rounds of funding. The Seed Round was announced on May 1, 2016, and involved five investors. The Series A round, which was announced on June 8, 2017, included five investors. The latest funding was the Series B round, announced on Dec. 19, 2017, which included six investors. Lightspeed Venture Partners and VMG Partners were the lead investors in the Series B funding.
The future is frozen! So proud to announce @DlyHarvest series B with our dream team @lightspeedvp @vmgpartners leading the round https://t.co/4mvWwFZvi1
— RachelDrori (@RachelDrori) December 19, 2017
While the numbers are impressive themselves, some of the names behind all this funding are even more so.
Here’s the complete list of celebrities that have invested in Daily Harvest
Shaun White (Series B)
Haylie Duff (Series B)
Bobby Flay (Series B)
Serena Williams via Serena Ventures (Series A)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Series A)
Each celebrity probably had a different reason to back the company, but celebrity chef Bobby Flay was more excited about the product than one would ever think.
“I’m so impressed with Daily Harvest’s quality and approach to good living and healthful eating that I literally begged the founders to let me invest,” Flay told Fortune at the time of the announcement. “The word vegan is now inclusive of everyone interested in living a better lifestyle and Daily Harvest is no exception.”
And in case you’re curious, here’s a complete list of all Daily Harvest investors, broken down by funding round.
Daily Harvest Office Life
Benefits
- Impressive healthcare options (health, dental, vision)
- Health savings account
- No 401K match
- Life insurance
- Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
Perks
- Flexible time off policy
- Free Daily Harvest product in the office
- Employee discount
- Company social events
- Pet-friendly workplace
Company Retreat
In the spirit of the “all natural” that the company offers to customers, it also makes sure to provide that to its employees. Of course, employees get access to free products in the office, but this company goes even further to make sure employees connect with nature. Each summer the entire team attends “Harfest”, a two-day company-wide camping trip. The event involves some friendly competition, team bonding, bonfires and custom swag. Sounds like summer camp all over again. Each year the experience is a little different (Drori “loves surprises”, according to a Daily Harvest employee) and the 2019 fest included “a country-themed hoe down complete with a mechanical bull, live band, line dance instructor, and plenty of BBQ.”
But the retreat isn’t all fun and games. One of the two days is spent at a “local, organic farm to take part in chores, tour the fields, and gain a more holistic understanding of farm operations.”
Daily Harvest employee reviews 2019
Reviews on Glassdoor range from one-star reviews titled “Daily Heartbreak” to five-star reviews warning searchers about the false representation of company. “Don’t believe the negative reviews” one post is titled. Another encourages that the office has a “positive work environment” and “awesome people.”
The reviews, whether negative or positive, all agree that the environment at the company is fast-paced, which isn’t surprising, given that the company was created for people who barely even have time to eat. Additionally, the company promotes that it’s looking for a candidate that “thrives in a fast-paced, consumer-centric organization” in each of its job postings.
What makes Daily Harvest different from other meal-delivery services?
- Daily Harvest products are completely vegan-based. The meal delivery service is getting more and more crowded, but Daily Harvest sticks out for being one of the most popular and time-saving plant-based options.
- Daily Harvest freezes produce hours after harvest (on the actual farm where it’s picked) to ensure that foods maintain peak flavor and nutrients.
- Daily Harvest delivers foods virtually made for you. While many companies deliver the ingredients for a specific meal, Daily Harvest meals require minimal effort. Depending on which product you choose to eat, all you need is a blender and a heating tool.
Daily Harvest product rundown
While Daily Harvest started as a smoothie subscription service, the company has grown to also offer soups, harvest bowls, lattes, oat bowls, and chia bowls. Each product comes in a variety of flavors. While each one doesn’t come completely ready to eat, Daily Harvest has done as much of the work for you as possible. The smoothies come as frozen products in a cup. When you’re ready to drink the smoothie you add the liquid of your choice, toss everything in a blender, and blend until it’s your desired consistency.
Each product comes with simple (and we mean simple) instructions for how to prepare each one. For example, here’s Daily Harvest’s explanation for the Harvest bowl:
Can’t get much easier than that.
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