Matthew Wadiak

It was a tornado, I've got to tell you. So, yeah, we built our first center in Queens. We very quickly moved to a fulfillment center in Brooklyn. And we were packing 20,000 boxes a week on Mounder Street in East Williamsburg. Just like we had boxes lined up on the curb. We had trucks pulling up to this little one-way street, like big semis, like on an hourly basis. And then shortly after...

It was a tornado, I've got to tell you. So, yeah, we built our first center in Queens. We very quickly moved to a fulfillment center in Brooklyn. And we were packing 20,000 boxes a week on Mounder Street in East Williamsburg. Just like we had boxes lined up on the curb. We had trucks pulling up to this little one-way street, like big semis, like on an hourly basis. And then shortly after...

It was a tornado, I've got to tell you. So, yeah, we built our first center in Queens. We very quickly moved to a fulfillment center in Brooklyn. And we were packing 20,000 boxes a week on Mounder Street in East Williamsburg. Just like we had boxes lined up on the curb. We had trucks pulling up to this little one-way street, like big semis, like on an hourly basis. And then shortly after...

We filled that up. I got on a plane and I flew out to California and opened up our... In year one, our first fulfillment center in Richmond, California. And then very shortly after that, a fulfillment center in Grand Prairie near Dallas, Texas. So on a weekly basis, I was chief operating officer of the company. So I was flying...

We filled that up. I got on a plane and I flew out to California and opened up our... In year one, our first fulfillment center in Richmond, California. And then very shortly after that, a fulfillment center in Grand Prairie near Dallas, Texas. So on a weekly basis, I was chief operating officer of the company. So I was flying...

We filled that up. I got on a plane and I flew out to California and opened up our... In year one, our first fulfillment center in Richmond, California. And then very shortly after that, a fulfillment center in Grand Prairie near Dallas, Texas. So on a weekly basis, I was chief operating officer of the company. So I was flying...

to California and Texas every single week as we were hiring thousands of people to run fulfillment. And the challenge was beyond just building lots of stuff that had never been built before, packing food in a way that had never been packed before. So if you go to a grocery store today, anywhere in the world, you'll find fish that's vacuum skin packed. You'll find an individual steak.

to California and Texas every single week as we were hiring thousands of people to run fulfillment. And the challenge was beyond just building lots of stuff that had never been built before, packing food in a way that had never been packed before. So if you go to a grocery store today, anywhere in the world, you'll find fish that's vacuum skin packed. You'll find an individual steak.

to California and Texas every single week as we were hiring thousands of people to run fulfillment. And the challenge was beyond just building lots of stuff that had never been built before, packing food in a way that had never been packed before. So if you go to a grocery store today, anywhere in the world, you'll find fish that's vacuum skin packed. You'll find an individual steak.

You'll find individual chicken breasts. None of that existed. 15 years ago. So it was pretty much foam overwrapped trays. But if you put something like that in a box and you send it in the mail, it's going to leak everywhere. So we had to really like, you know, do a lot of innovation around packaging around little sauces and little, um, Small portions of spice packets, things like that.

You'll find individual chicken breasts. None of that existed. 15 years ago. So it was pretty much foam overwrapped trays. But if you put something like that in a box and you send it in the mail, it's going to leak everywhere. So we had to really like, you know, do a lot of innovation around packaging around little sauces and little, um, Small portions of spice packets, things like that.

You'll find individual chicken breasts. None of that existed. 15 years ago. So it was pretty much foam overwrapped trays. But if you put something like that in a box and you send it in the mail, it's going to leak everywhere. So we had to really like, you know, do a lot of innovation around packaging around little sauces and little, um, Small portions of spice packets, things like that.

And in many cases had to build engineering around machines to pack those items are now used commercially. So actually, a lot of people don't know this, but much of the work that Blue Apron did in lean packaging is now used in grocery stores that you can see it in the grocery store of it in.

And in many cases had to build engineering around machines to pack those items are now used commercially. So actually, a lot of people don't know this, but much of the work that Blue Apron did in lean packaging is now used in grocery stores that you can see it in the grocery store of it in.

And in many cases had to build engineering around machines to pack those items are now used commercially. So actually, a lot of people don't know this, but much of the work that Blue Apron did in lean packaging is now used in grocery stores that you can see it in the grocery store of it in.

We tried to. We looked at a lot of 3PLs to try to manage fulfillment for us. At the end of the day, so I'm actually, my history is in food and cooking, and I started my career as a chef before I started my first business, and that migrated into Blue Apron over the years. So for me, being a food person, the quality of ingredients was really important.

We tried to. We looked at a lot of 3PLs to try to manage fulfillment for us. At the end of the day, so I'm actually, my history is in food and cooking, and I started my career as a chef before I started my first business, and that migrated into Blue Apron over the years. So for me, being a food person, the quality of ingredients was really important.

We tried to. We looked at a lot of 3PLs to try to manage fulfillment for us. At the end of the day, so I'm actually, my history is in food and cooking, and I started my career as a chef before I started my first business, and that migrated into Blue Apron over the years. So for me, being a food person, the quality of ingredients was really important.

And part of the problem with the food system is that you can buy really commoditized food and have it packed for you in scale. But the kind of ingredients that you can use in a recipe is highly, highly limiting. So that wasn't an option. If we wanted to use really great ingredients,

And part of the problem with the food system is that you can buy really commoditized food and have it packed for you in scale. But the kind of ingredients that you can use in a recipe is highly, highly limiting. So that wasn't an option. If we wanted to use really great ingredients,