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FreshDirect Launches 1-Hour Delivery in Brooklyn and Long Island City

By Camille Bautista | January 21, 2016 2:34pm
 FreshDirect launched FoodKick this month, a new same-day food delivery service for Brooklyn and Long Island City.
FreshDirect launched FoodKick this month, a new same-day food delivery service for Brooklyn and Long Island City.
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DNAinfo/Camille Bautista

BED-STUY — Online grocer FreshDirect is launching a new one-hour delivery service providing Brooklynites with curated meals, suggestions, ingredients and drinks through a phone app.

The company introduced FoodKick this month, unveiling its new facility on the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg on Thursday. The app, which is only currently available on iPhones, offers pre-prepared meals, as well as curated ingredients for users to make their own.

Operating out of 630 Flushing Ave., the on-demand delivery service caters to those looking for a quick-fix, whether it’s weekend brunch meals or a bottle of wine for a dinner party.

“What FoodKick is all about is giving you that instant satisfaction,” said FreshDirect CEO and co-founder Jason Ackerman.

“It’s very much about the moment, so we’ve curated the products and designed a user experience to help inspire you and make it easier for you.”

The service provides fresh products along with meal hacks that are updated daily, and its app gives recommendations for food and drink pairings.

Compared to FreshDirect’s traditional service, which operates much like a weekly grocery trip and delivers in 24 hours, FoodKick is more of an inspiration for those “last-minute fill-ins,” Ackerman said, matching the moments with the food.

The company will start off delivering to Long Island City and the central Brooklyn area including Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, and Williamsburg, extending to Park Slope.  The company hopes to soon expand throughout the city, representatives said.

Suggestions can be based on the day or weather, with winter recommendations including Spiked Hot Chocolate and ingredients to make the drink, ready-to-eat soups and more.

Customers can also order cocktail sets, snacks, and basic household items like paper towels and kitchen bags.

FoodKick’s curated options aren’t as vast as FreshDirect’s selections because it’s meant to put an emphasis on the “focused and quick” experience with the same fresh products, according to company representatives.

The company’s new hub on Flushing Avenue looks to employ neighborhood residents, and will make for one-hour delivery within a four-mile radius, according to Ackerman.

FreshDirect is also partnering with City Harvest to ensure that daily leftover and extra ingredients get distributed through the city’s food banks, and will collaborate with community vendors to provide their goods.

New FoodKick users get free delivery for the first 30 days, and standard rates are $3.99 for delivery within a two-hour or longer window and $5.99 for one-hour delivery.

Customers can check online to see if they’re within FoodKick’s delivery range.