Home delivery services had an incredible boost during the pandemic last year, especially when it came to food. This, in turn, paved the way for new business models that have emerged to support this boom, such as ghost kitchens for example, and that exploits the pull of food delivery, following the spirit of the dark stores for which companies are betting in other areas, such as or in… almost anything.
In fact, Glovo has already tested this model in the field of food, with its Cook Roomsjust like the Editions of Deliveroo. In the same way we have also witnessed the birth of several independent solutions such as cooklane, FoodCraft Y . This market is showing quite a lot of promise, so much so that Cuyna has recently closed one for 1.5 million euros.
This round was led by Unidata, who in 2020 also led a seed capital investment of 1 million euros. With this new injection of capital, Cuyna intends to expand its business, reaching 7 operational kitchens in different cities in Spain.
Cuyna, a specific kitchen service for delivery
Although the pandemic offered a huge boost for home delivery services, this change in business model also brought its setbacks. For restaurants, the change to a full home delivery format means a restructuring of its processes, both kitchen as in logistics. This is where ghost kitchens come in, whose primary focus is food for home delivery.
Cuyna may be young, but she has the experience of Jaime Martinez de Velasco, one of its co-founders. Martínez previously worked with Deliveroo on the implementation of their ghost kitchen strategy in Spain. What has allowed him to give a strong and stable start to this new project. Cuyna offers a more specialized and fresh service, unlike Glovo’s Cook Rooms or Deliveroo’s Editions.
This is based on a double business model: kitchen rental and the digital franchise service. The first, as we can imagine, is the space rental service for restaurants or businesses. With this they offer a work environment equipped and ready for the manufacture of food to go directly to delivery.
Among the services offered are:
- Turnkey kitchen. A turnkey kitchen with equipment and supplies included, ready to cook and deliver to your home.
- Optimized logistics. Kitchens located in central areas with high home delivery demand and reduced delivery times.
- Order software. Software with everything you need, adapted to delivery rules and 100% compatible with the tools used by the client.
On the other hand, the digital franchise, more than a rental, offers an experience to the client, since not only the spaces are hired, but also the entire workforce. This model has been quite well received by Cuyna’s member companies, since it implies a stronger commitment, as Martínez explains to .
«We signed a very strong contract of their knowledge and their recipes, and we take care of the cooking. We have a well-trained team specialized in delivery, because cooking in the dining room changes a lot compared to home delivery»
Cuyna seeks to continue growing together with its clients
Currently the company has two operating centers, one in Valencia and the other in Madrid which has just opened with 20 kitchens in operation. To these it plans to add two new centers in Madrid, one in Las Tablas and another in Paseo Imperial. In addition to another in Barcelona, specifically in San Gervasi, arranged for the month of July. Finally, to complete its goal of 7 establishments by the end of the year, it is in talks to open one in Malaga and another in Murcia.
With this, Cuyna not only seeks to strengthen its position in the different Spanish cities, but also to offer an expansion channel for local businesses. For this reason, the company follows a rigorous selection process for the restaurants with which they work, in order to offer more assertive support.
Also, Jaime stated that Cuyna intends to grow even more and hopes to achieve a next round of investment for 8 million euros. For this, their priority is a partner that not only contributes capital, but also experience within the sector: “The ideal would be an industrial partner, who has a lot to contribute on a day-to-day basis, probably a restaurant or real estate partner.”
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