CookUnity, a chef-powered meal delivery platform, has acquired Fraîche, a smart fridge start-up that places healthy, chef-prepared food in offices across New York City.

The acquisition supports CookUnity’s effort to make its meals more accessible throughout the day – beyond home delivery and into the workplace.

Fraîche operates a network of app-enabled fridges that offer 24/7 access to fresh meals, snacks and drinks. With over 10,000 users and installations in more than 20 NYC office buildings – including sites for companies such as PayPal, Coty and Boston Consulting Group – Fraîche has served more than half a million meals since launch. Its fridge in the Empire State Building dispenses over 200 meals daily.

Through the acquisition, CookUnity will integrate its chef-prepared meals into Fraîche’s platform, giving office workers immediate, on-demand access to meals just steps from their desks. Users can browse the daily selection via the Fraîche app, unlock the fridge and grab their food, no pre-ordering required.

CookUnity partners directly with chefs to create meals that are delivered fresh to customers. By pairing its culinary infrastructure with Fraîche’s smart-fridge technology, the company aims to change office dining while collecting data on employee food preferences and habits.

Txim Lizarazu, Fraîche co-founder and CEO, said: “With CookUnity’s infrastructure and culinary excellence, and our smart-fridge technology platform, we now have the foundation needed to continue improving the food system at scale. This partnership unlocks the ability to serve millions – from corporate towers to underserved communities, from NYC to every city in America – and keep improving how people eat at work.”

Mateo Marietti, founder and CEO of CookUnity, added: “At CookUnity, our goal has always been to make great food from celebrated chefs a daily reality for more consumers. The addition of Fraîche allows us to do that in an exciting new way. Weekly meal subscription is our core business today but our full ambition is to create the world’s leading food platform.”