My Take on HELLOFRESH: Your Home Delivered Meal Kits

Who hasn't dreamed of never having to go grocery shopping again? Although this seemed impossible a few years ago, we can now rely on meal kit delivery services. Unlike ready-made meals, you receive the ingredients and recipes at home, while still enjoying the pleasure of cooking!

This is especially what HelloFresh offers, one of the leaders in the field. But is this type of service really worth all the hype? I personally had the chance to test this box and I will share my thoughts on it with you.

HelloFresh, in a nutshell

Hellofresh review

💰 From R63.00 per plate
✅ No commitment required!

👍 I Loved It

  • The quality of the ingredients,
  • Transparency regarding the source of the food,
  • The recipes offered,
  • Various types of dietary plans considered: vegetarian, flexitarian, low-calorie, fish and vegetables...
  • Fast delivery and careful packaging,
  • The fact that we no longer waste food.

What I Liked Less

  • The ergonomics of the site: it's challenging to find certain information before placing an order!
  • The preparation and cooking times are slightly underestimated,
  • Delivery does not always arrive within the expected half-day timeframe.

How Does HelloFresh Work?

Voted meal kit of the year, Hellofresh offers you the convenience of receiving a meal kit directly at your doorstep, containing recipes and all the necessary ingredients to prepare them. There is no commitment and the subscription is flexible: you can order only for the weeks you need, with options for up to 5 meals for 2 to 6 people.

Hellofresh meal box

When you order from HelloFresh, you have a wide selection of recipes to choose from. The options available change every week, allowing you to discover new flavours each time. The inspiration is varied, including traditional French cuisine, as well as Italian, Asian, and Tex-Mex recipes.

Once you've selected your meals on the website or app, you will receive the ingredients and step-by-step recipes quite quickly, packaged neatly in a box. The meats and fish are vacuum-sealed, and the fruits and vegetables are well protected, ensuring they arrive in perfect condition at your home.

Now it’s your turn! Get into the kitchen and prepare the recipe that catches your fancy. The ingredients are pre-measured based on the number of servings you've selected.

Hellofresh offers a complete meal kit service that is easy to use, making your daily life simpler by allowing you to cook delicious meals without even needing to go shopping!

Hellofresh France

Where do HelloFresh products come from?

HelloFresh places great importance on the quality and origin of the ingredients that are delivered in their boxes. The company is committed to supporting the local economy and ensuring fair compensation for producers. Each package includes the location where the ingredient was sourced.

Unless there is a supply issue, the brand is committed to providing its customers with 100% French origin meats, as well as cheeses and dairy products sourced from within the country.

Fruits and vegetables are also French, and the breads are made using traditional artisanal methods, respecting the age-old craftsmanship.

HelloFresh does its best to source from certified producers:

HelloFresh Labels

🐑 Ultimately, the brand champions animal welfare and meticulously checks the living conditions of the animals from the farms it sources from. If you don’t eat meat, it offers a variety of vegetarian meals.

Who are HelloFresh meal kits for?

The Hellofresh meal box offers portions for 2 to 6 people, with a maximum of 5 meals per week. This makes it quite convenient for families or couples, especially for those who may not have the time to shop for groceries or plan meals.

Since this is a cooking box and not a ready-made meal, it will be perfect for those who:

  • want to know what goes into their meals,
  • would like to learn how to cook, but don’t know where to start,
  • are curious to try new flavours to spice up their daily routine!

Hellofresh caters to various dietary preferences by allowing its customers to select and combine options that suit their dietary needs, such as:

  • Classic,
  • Family,
  • Vegetarian,
  • Quick,
  • Calorie Smart,
  • Fish and Vegetables,
  • Flexitarian.

HelloFresh, how much does it cost?

Hellofresh offers you quality meals starting from R63.00 per portion. The price decreases based on the number of meals ordered and the number of servings. This way, you can adjust according to your budget.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For example, for a family of four who would have four meals a week, the suggested price is R1,500.

🤑 For your first three boxes ordered, HelloFresh has a very attractive welcome offer that allows you to try out the concept without breaking the bank:

HelloFresh Promotion

👉 With this offer, you can get a discount of up to R1,600!

What does a HelloFresh box look like? Find out in the video!

You'd like to order HelloFresh, but you want to see what your delivery looks like first. In this video, you'll discover:

📦 How the various ingredients are packaged,
🍏 The quality of the delivered products,
👨‍🍳 How to cook a HelloFresh meal,
🥘 And here’s the result on your plate!

How to Gift a HelloFresh Subscription?

Would you like to share the HelloFresh service with someone you know? Currently, the South African site does not yet offer gift cards. However, if you have the contact details of the person you'd like to treat, you can absolutely surprise them by ordering on their behalf. Just keep in mind that you'll need to be familiar with their tastes, as you'll be selecting the meals for them.

👉 Another tip is simply to give them a sum of money in an envelope, specifying that it’s an advance to treat themselves to meals from HelloFresh! 😉

➡️ Who can you gift HelloFresh meal boxes to?

It's a fantastic gift idea for someone who:

  • Wants to eat healthily but doesn't know where to start (someone on a diet or with health concerns),
  • Would like to learn how to cook (young person, student...)
  • Is very busy (young parents, someone in training...)

We wish HelloFresh offered gift cards, as it would make an excellent gift idea for introducing someone to new flavours.

What do those who have tried it think? Check out customer reviews on HelloFresh!

Checking customer reviews before buying a box can be very helpful in understanding its strengths and weaknesses. To assist you, I’ve summarised the major trends that can be found online regarding the HelloFresh brand.

On the Hellofresh Site

On its homepage, HelloFresh features glowing reviews from customers who have already ordered several boxes:

Hellofresh customer reviews👉 These provide valuable insights about the boxes, but it's clear that the brand won't showcase negative reviews on their homepage. To access a full range of opinions, it's better to visit independent verified review sites, such as Trustpilot or Igraal.

About Trustpilot

Thanks to the verified reviews system, Trustpilot ensures that people who have left a review about HelloFresh have genuinely ordered and experienced the service. As I write this article, the brand has nearly 5000 reviews, which speaks to its credibility. The overall rating is 4.1 out of 5, which is positive and makes you want to learn more.

Hellofresh trustpilot

💚 Trustpilot Customers Loved

  • The quality of the ingredients and their freshness,
  • The customer service via phone is very efficient,
  • The quality of the packaging, which is recyclable,
  • The ability to discover new recipes,
  • The delicious taste of the cooked recipes.

Hellofresh positive review

Example of a positive review from the Truspilot website

They Liked It Less

  • The meat-free recipes are quite limited,
  • The quality of the tomatoes (especially out-of-season),
  • The subscription pause system, which requires you to plan week by week instead of all at once,
  • Delivery can sometimes be a day late,
  • The maximum of 5 meals per week: competitors offer up to 9 meals!

Hellofresh negative customer review
Example of a mixed review from the site Trustpilot

About Igraal

👉 The Igraal site also allows users to collect reviews on HelloFresh meal boxes. The rating is 4.5 out of 5, which aligns with the ratings on Trustpilot. Igraal also offers a nice cashback incentive, with €3 credited to your account upon registration and €4.50 refunded on your order.

HelloFresh Igraal

HelloFresh on social media

You can find the company at:

  • Instagram, featuring information about your meal box, tips, and recipes from their meal kits,

Instagram Hellofresh

Customer feedback on Instagram

  • Facebook, with over 2 million followers and plenty of interesting posts.

💬 If you subscribe to Hellofresh, feel free to follow the brand on social media to connect with the community. You'll discover new tips and can share your recipe results!

Can we trust the Hellofresh brand or is it a scam?

Hellofresh is part of the international group of the same name, which has experienced significant success globally, with in 2021:

🍴 over a billion meals delivered,

💲 6 billion euros in revenue,

👨‍💼 and over 20,000 employees!

The group was founded in 2011 by Dominik Richter and Thomas Griesel. It is based in Germany, in Berlin. It is currently the largest meal kit provider in the United States. The kits are distributed in France, of course, but also in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and many countries in Europe.

HelloFresh CEO Direction The creators of HelloFresh

Hellofresh is certainly far from going bankrupt, as the quality of its service is evidenced by its success worldwide.

The brand places a particular emphasis on communication with its customers, as it is active on social media, responds to online reviews, and has a high-quality customer service that is available by phone and chat seven days a week!

It's easy to see why the brand was voted Meal Kit of the Year 2022, given its international success and the professionalism of its customer service.

My Verdict on Hellofresh

💛 There are certain times in life when it can be tricky to find the time to cook. I’ve experienced this recently, with lots of changes in my personal and professional life. So, testing this Hellofresh box came at just the right time! I want to rediscover the joy of cooking and take care of myself and my family by enjoying balanced meals.

💙 When placing my orders, I consistently chose a set of family-friendly and balanced recipes, some of which were vegetarian, as I'm trying to make an effort in that area. The delivery always arrived on the scheduled day or the next day, and my products were fresh.

HelloFresh Dishes

💜 Although the meals often took me a bit longer to prepare than what the recipe suggested, I still saved a lot of time by not having to go shopping and not having to figure out what to cook. HelloFresh allows me to make 5 great meals each week while discovering new recipes. In fact, I think I’ll easily recreate some of them later on without needing to order the box again.

🧡 Personally, I believe I will continue ordering the Hellofresh box from time to time, especially during busy periods (back to school, festive season, etc.), to ease my mental load while still enjoying good meals!

Overall, I was really pleased with the quality of service provided by Hellofresh. I highly recommend these meal kits to anyone who wants to cook but doesn't have the time or the know-how. 😉

FAQ about HelloFresh: I’m answering YOUR questions!

👉 In this final section, I will directly address the questions you might have about the service provided by Hellofresh. If you can’t find the answer to your question, feel free to leave a comment at the end of this article! I’ll be more than happy to assist you. 😊

How to choose your meals on HelloFresh?

Every week, HelloFresh offers you the choice of 21 different recipes. You can select your meals individually from your "My Account" section by clicking on "My Deliveries" and choosing the dishes that appeal to you the most.

However, the site also offers you ready-made selections, based on certain criteria:

🔸 Quick and easy recipes to prepare,
🔸 Vegetarian, with recipes that do not include meat or fish,
🔸 Family meals, which I often opt for, featuring a variety of flavours to please everyone...

👉 There are also other selections available, so feel free to choose what appeals to you most and aligns with your diet.

Hellofresh menus

Examples of HelloFresh Menus

How to get a Hellofresh Promo Code? 💲

HelloFresh often offers promo codes that provide significant discounts. The code HELLOPROMO80 gives you access to R1,600 off spread across your first three boxes.

How to pay less for HelloFresh? 🤑

To save a bit on your purchase of HelloFresh meal kits, you can:

  • Take advantage of the welcome discount offer of R80 off your first three boxes using the code HELLOPROMO80,
  • Use a cashback service like Igraal, which credits your account R50 upon registration and R75 with every order, or Poulpeo, which refunds up to R150,
  • Refer your friends and family by sharing your personal referral code (sent via email or available in your account) to earn R500 on a purchase while they enjoy a discount on their first three boxes.

Who delivers HelloFresh? 📦

The Hellofresh delivery is available in mainland France (excluding Corsica and islands not connected by road to the mainland), and it is handled by Chronopost. Hellofresh will send you an email on the day before your delivery with the delivery time from the courier, as well as on the same day with real-time tracking information. You'll also receive two text messages at the same times.

HelloFresh Delivery

How to get in touch with HelloFresh? 💬

HelloFresh offers you several ways to get in touch:

  • By phone, at 📞0 805 22 06 21 (local call rates apply), *
  • By post, to the following address:
    HelloFresh South Africa
    14 Beffroy Street
    92200 NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE
  • Through the virtual assistant on the website.

Where is HelloFresh located? 🌍

In France, HelloFresh is based in Neuilly sur Seine. However, the company operates in many countries around the world: the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and of course, in France!

How to Pause HelloFresh? ⏯

You can pause your subscription up to 12 weeks in advance directly on the website. To do this, simply log in, go to the "My Deliveries" section, and click on the calendar located to the right of the "Menu from ... to ..." indication.

Simply select the date on which you do not want to receive your delivery, and then click on "Skip a week". The date will turn red, and you won't receive your delivery! You can easily reactivate the week if needed.

👉 Changes are typically allowed up to a week before the delivery date. The exact deadline is indicated on your calendar.

HelloFresh recipes

How to Cancel HelloFresh and Unsubscribe? 🛑

Since HelloFresh has no commitments, you can unsubscribe at any time. To do this, simply go to your account and then:

  • Click on "Settings" in the top right menu,
  • Then navigate to the "Subscription Settings" tab,
  • Next, in the "Status" section at the bottom of the page, you'll find "Deactivate my subscription",
  • Once you click on this link, it’s quite straightforward as the website will guide you.

👉 Once you unsubscribe, you will receive a confirmation email. Please note that it is essential to unsubscribe at least a week in advance to avoid receiving your next box.

I hope this article has answered the questions you had about the Hellofresh offering and helped you learn more about it. I'm looking forward to reading your comments to hear your thoughts or any questions you might have! 😉