HelloFresh expands chilled fulfillment with warehouse robots
A leading meal kit provider is fulfilling 500 SKUs of chilled items with help from specially modified robots.
HelloFresh is leveraging 39 Locus Origin robots from Locus Robotics to support approximately 12,000 square feet of chilled fulfillment space, including two high-speed meal kit picking lines. In some workflows, Locus Origin robots move orders directly from induction to drop-off, helping HelloFresh move products faster while maintaining order tracking.
Factor, a HelloFresh brand, first deployed 13 Locus Origin robots in July 2025 as part of an initial pilot where Locus Origin robots averaged three minutes and 36 seconds from order induction through box drop-off. Following the pilot, HelloFresh expanded the deployment within three months with another 26 Locus Origin robots and plans to use the robots to support fulfillment for its EveryPlate brand later in 2026.
“Our customers expect more choice, more flexibility, and a consistently great experience,” said Brad Mesloh, associate director, strategic design at HelloFresh. “Delivering that in a chilled fulfillment environment requires precision, speed, and technology that can adapt to the complexity of our operations. Locus Robotics gave our teams a simple, easy-to-use autonomous mobile robot platform that was faster, safer, and required less space than other options we evaluated. Once the robots were on the floor, final validation took only a few days, making the deployment much quicker and simpler than our legacy systems.”
Cold temperatures can reduce battery efficiency over time and use, and HelloFresh’s operating model requires Locus Origin robots to remain inside chilled conditions for both work and charging. To meet that challenge, Locus Robotics developed a heated motor enhancement and related charging modifications that support operation in cold storage environments.
“HelloFresh is scaling one of the most demanding fulfillment models in the market: high volume, high variety, and temperature-controlled from start to finish,” said Jasmine Lombardi, chief customer office, Locus Robotics. “By increasing capacity and expanding automation across HelloFresh’s portfolio of brands, Locus Robotics is enabling greater meal choice for its customers while maintaining the speed and precision its fulfillment model demands.”
This deployment has also helped HelloFresh gain a more flexible automation model supported by compact robots, a simple picking interface, and a smart autonomous mobile robot platform designed to fit within existing operations.
Grocery giant Kroger has been deploying a leading-edge automated warehouse concept known as the customer fulfillment center (CFC) since 2018 in partnership with U.K.-based online grocer Ocado Group. The CFC model combines vertical integration, machine learning and robotics with affordable and fast-delivery service for fresh food, although Kroger has been reducing its use of CFCs since December 2025.
[READ MORE: Kroger to pay $350 million to automation partner as it scales back robotic warehouses]
Founded in Germany in 2011, The HelloFresh Group operates eight brands in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, France, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Ireland and Spain.
