Culinary brand Tastemade bought by delivery service Wonder in $90m deal
Tastemade’s original content includes Kitchen Glow Up
Tastemade, the lifestyle and content brand focused on food and travel, has been acquired by food-delivery service Wonder in a deal worth around US$90m.
Wonder, led by founder and CEO Marc Lore, said the transaction would allow it to create a “first-of-its-kind media network” by merging Tastemade’s digital audience and video production capabilities with Wonder’s delivery services, retail capabilities and first-party data.
Tastemade claims to have around 160 million followers across social media platforms. Wonder said the addition of Tastemade’s content studio would create new opportunities to produce branded content, from feature-length docs to 10-second shorts.
Tastemade owns and operates four lifestyle-focused FAST channels – Tastemade, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel and Tastemade en Español – and has a content library of over 1,000 hours, featuring chefs such as Andrew Zimmern, Alison Roman, Jamie Oliver and Frankie Celenza.
Its line-up of originals includes Kitchen Glow Up, hosted by Ellen Bennett; Broken Bread with Roy Choi; Struggle Meals; The Kitchen Cook-Off; Mad Good Food; and All Up in My Grill.
Tastemade co-founders Larry Fitzibbon and Steven Kydd will stay with the company beyond the acquisition. Fitzibbon will remain as co-founder and CEO of Tastemade, in addition to becoming exec VP of Wonder’s media, advertising and content. Kydd’s new role is co-founder, president, head of business development and international at Tastemade.
The Tastemade team will report to Wonder chief growth and marketing officer Daniel Shlossman.
Lore said: “Wonder’s acquisition of Tastemade is the next step in our vision to create the super app for mealtime. We’re excited to inspire consumers through world-class video storytelling across the Wonder family of brands, while enhancing our ability to deliver innovative, end-to-end advertising opportunities for brand partners.
Fitzibbon added that the deal “represents an incredible opportunity for both Tastemade and Wonder to leverage our strengths and elevate our storytelling and retail capabilities to new heights. Together, we will build a platform that seamlessly merges the joy of watching with the convenience of having dinner delivered right to the door.”
