General Mills, Golden Valley, Minnesota-based packaged foods giant, has teamed up with a regional grocery chain, Coborns of nearby St. Cloud, to launch a frozen food delivery service and a new brand -- Betty Crocker Kitchens.
The service is a pilot, but if it works in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul), General Mills could take it to other markets. The new Betty Crocker Kitchens frozen meals include 25 "homestyle favorites" such as beef stew with cheddar mashed potatoes, pot roast, meatloaf, chicken dishes and pasta. They will be distributed by CobornsDelivers, which covers the Twin Cities area.
Customers can order through a website, BettyCrockerKitchens.com, a General Mills 800 phone number, or through CobornsDelivers website using the search term "bck." Orders are to be filled within 24 hours, General Mills says. The minimum order is seven meals for $55, including delivery. General Mills is launching the service with local television ads later this month. Marketing will also be done through hospitals and other health care providers, as well as through Google Search.
