Factor, America’s leading ready-to-eat (RTE) meal delivery service, announced the opening of a new production center in Goodyear, Arizona to further scale the rapidly growing ready-to-eat brand. The 300,100 square foot facility will serve as one of the largest industrial kitchens in the US, enabling Factor to provide more customers with healthy, premium, and convenient ready-to-eat meals right to their doorsteps.
Factor was born in 2013 out of Chicago, IL with a singular focus to provide delicious, RTE meals that fuel active lifestyles. The brand has been on a strong growth trajectory ever since, working to perfect its supply chain and service, including how it sources ingredients, cooks meals, packages and ships them. Since its acquisition in 2020 by the HelloFresh Group, Factor has been leveraging HelloFresh’s world-class direct-to-consumer capabilities and technology infrastructure, and achieved stellar growth, becoming the market leader within the US ready-to-eat segment. Additionally, Factor has increased its menu offering by 75 percent, enabling consumers to choose among a wider selection of meals, including more keto, calorie smart, protein-plus, vegetarian, and vegan dishes.
“Ready-to-eat meals continue to be one of the fastest growing segments in the US, and I’m proud that Factor has become the market leader in this space, providing customers across the US with convenient, high-quality meals,” said Uwe Voss, CEO, HelloFresh North America. “The addition of the Goodyear facility will allow us to increase capacity, serve more customers, and drive further significant growth to our business, all while offering a first class service. We’re grateful for the partnership with the city of Goodyear and look forward to continuing to support the local community.”
Factor has recently expanded outside of the US as well to markets where there is a high adoption rate of direct-to-consumer ready-to-eat services. With its international expansion, Factor is now available in Canada (having launched early 2023), Belgium, and the Netherlands, where it launched last month.
New Factor facility brings more than 800 new jobs to Goodyear, Arizona
With the opening of the new 300,100 sq. ft. facility in Goodyear, AZ, Factor will employ more than 800 team members who will, amongst other things, cook, prepare and fulfill customer orders once the site is fully operational. The chef-prepared, dietitian-approved Factor meals will be cooked from scratch on premise using only fresh, natural ingredients, premium proteins raised without antibiotics, and without the use of refined sugar and oils.
State-of-the-art automated technology will also be incorporated in the Goodyear facility to fulfill the increasing complexity of options offered to customers, and to streamline and accelerate production. The site also features sustainable operations, such as CO2 refrigeration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to serving Factor customers across the country, Factor will also partner with local food rescue organizations like St. Mary’s Food Bank to distribute fresh, surplus ingredients to community members facing food insecurity. To help fuel the next generation of culinary arts professionals, Factor is also partnering with the Buckeye Union School District in Goodyear to launch a mentorship program, which will offer students hands-on experience, career guidance and culinary skills coaching around topics such as kitchen management, food preparation techniques, food safety, and more.
“The city of Goodyear is happy to provide a home for Factor’s expansion in the West Valley,” said Goodyear Mayor Joe Pizzillo. “The added workforce opportunities are great, but we also truly appreciate that Factor prioritizes community service and is partnering with local non-profit organizations and schools to give back to the community.”
“This grand opening marks an exciting expansion for Factor and HelloFresh,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “We are proud that an industry leader like Factor has selected Goodyear for its new food production facility, bolstering Goodyear’s growing manufacturing ecosystem while creating hundreds of quality jobs.”
“The expansion of Factor into Goodyear is yet another milestone showcasing the region’s continued growth as a critical western logistics hub,” said GPEC President & CEO Chris Camacho. “We’re pleased to welcome the company’s environmentally responsible facility to Greater Phoenix and applaud their commitment to supporting the community.”
