Top of page

Welcome to the family

Welcome to the family

Cook it: Let us take care of the planning so you can take care of yourself.

Cook it was created in 2014 by three friends with big dreams: Judith, Patrick and Thomas, in an effort to reduce food waste and relieve the mental load associated with meal planning. Cook it was Canada’s first ready-to-cook company, and the first company to come up with an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional meal kit.

Today, Cook it is a true pioneer in the Canadian ready-to-cook industry. The company now offers ready-to-eat meals as well as local products in its Pantry and reaches thousands of customers all around Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes.

Cook it’s story

2014

2014

The creation of Cook it

Our story begins here. It’s the story of three crazy friends, Judith, Patrick and Thomas, with big plans to change the way people eat.

2014

The beginnings

At the launch of Cook it, they did everything themselves: recipes, purchasing, prep, advertising, social media, customer service, deliveries, EVERYTHING. They operated out of a small 200-square-foot space on Saint-Viateur, in Montreal, and that was enough.

2014

Our first employee

Nine months after launching Cook it, sales began to go down, and so did my mood. One day, Paul, a finance graduate from HEC Montréal, came in for an interview in front of a very pregnant. With surprise, he accepted to become Cook it’s first employee, and Judith’s right-hand man and associate.

2014

The appearance on Dans l’œil du dragon

June 1st, 2014: Cook it starts recovering thanks to its appearance on Dans l’œil du dragon. The show introduces the company to over a million Quebec viewers and generates exceptional results. The team is overwhelmed, but excited.

2015

The first acquisition

Cook it continues to grow. Judith meet Alexandre Caron, founder of Kuisto. The company catches our attention and becomes our first acquisition.

2016

The appearance on Dragon’s Den (Canadian version)

Cook it team is back on TV, but this time on the English version of Dragon’s Den. Judith shows up on set with no other intention than to make a publicity stunt, but leave with a new business partner: Arlene Dickinson. Around the same time, she gets “adopted” by one of Canada’s biggest entrepreneurs, Mr. Alain Bouchard from Couche-Tard through the Adopte Inc. program. With the help of these partners, we launch our biggest awareness campaign ever.

2018

The introduction of the sustainable kit and the Pantry

In November 2018, the whole team want to revolutionize the ready-to-cook industry by launching the first eco-friendly version of meal kits—the sustainable kit— a pilot project that we’ll test for two years. We’re also launching our Pantry, an online grocery store of 100% local products.

2019

The acquisition of MissFresh

The following year, we take on our second acquisition and purchase MissFresh, one of the five major industry companies operating in Quebec.

2020

The pandemic

A few months after this acquisition, COVID-19 comes knocking on our door. The company goes from 200 to 500 employees in just a month and has its orders triple. Everyone jumps in to help, even the office stafflend a hand to the production team. The sustainable kit is put on hold.

2020

The evolution of the menu

In April, we add variety to the menu with brunches and happy hour options. Cook it becomes the first Quebec ready-to-cook company to offer these options on a weekly basis.

2021

“Le Fonds” invests in Cook it!

Cook it welcomes the Fonds de solidarité FTQ as its new financial partner with an investment of $10M. A collaboration made possible by our shared love of local producers and businesses!

2021

Cook it acquires a new factory for its ready-to-eat meals

In December, we proudly announce the acquisition of a top-of-the-line facility to prepare our new ready-to-eat meals, a 10,000 square feet area with a chef’s kitchen for our R&D team. On the menu, are homemade meals, that are tasty, fresh and free of chemicals–that can be warmed up in 2 minutes.

2022

A new reusable cooler

Two years after the arrival of the industry’s first sustainable kit was put on hold, we’re bouncing back with a reusable cooler: a new version of the sustainable kit that addresses the issues presented by the first version and integrates seamlessly into our subscribers’ daily lives. We’re proudly launching meal kits into the future!

200 clients from the Montreal area are contacted to participate in this pilot project, which is to be fine tuned and presented to the public.

2022

The acquisition of Menu Extra

In December 2022, we become the majority shareholder of Menu Extra, a business that is cherished by Montreal foodies, whose mission is to make fine dining accessible at home. Founded in 2020 by chefs Francis Blais and Camilo Lapointe-Nascimento and sommelier and maître d’hôtel Alexis Demers, Menu Extra proposes ready-to-eat gourmet meals, food and wine pairings and complete dining experiences at home.

Menu Extra allows us to offer high-end dishes to our clients for special occasions, and supports our vision to transform everyday meals into curated experiences.

This acquisition makes us the best way to eat… for all occasions!

2023

Cook it, member of the program Aliments du Québec au menu

Cook it becomes the first meal kit company to offer recipes recognized by Aliments du Québec au menu. Cook it has been supporting local producers since its very beginning, by offering more than 50% local products in every box and a 100% local Pantry. This new recognition is in line with our values and our desire to become a reference in local sourcing. Spot recipes recognized by Aliments du Québec au menu on our menu

2023

Cook it is back on Dans l’oeil du dragon

After appearing on Dans l’oeil du dragon in 2015, Judith is back on the Quebec show, Dans l’oeil du dragon, to invest in local start-ups as a guest dragon!

2024

Acquisition by Fresh Prep

February 6, 2024 marks the official date of Cook it’s acquisition by the Western Canadian company Fresh Prep. This acquisition aims to bring together two customer-focused companies providing convenient, healthy, and delicious meal solutions. Cook it will continue its operations under its own brand identity, preserving its quality and authenticity while benefiting from Fresh Prep’s expertise in sustainability.

It’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Cook it, where we will continue to raise our quality and sustainability standards to deliver the best meal kits to our customers.