Lots of salmon

"A lot of salmon" is a foodtech startup that develops a network of "dark kitchens" (dark kitchen - restaurants without halls, working only for delivery) under the brands "A lot of salmon," "Rolls No. 1," "10 perfect pizzas" and "500 calories." "A lot of salmon" works through the Delivery Club aggregator, as well as through its website and app. The project was founded by former Uber and Yandex.Taxi manager Yakov Mendeleev and Head of Corporate Strategy at Norilsk Nickel Alexander Mutovin in 2018.

History

2023: Appearance of couriers on stilts

In March 2023, the Many Salmon service launched delivery by stilts to the "flooded" areas of Moscow. The pilot project is being implemented in the Dynamo and Kuzminki metro areas, as well as in Reutov and Balashikha.

Now, residents of those Moscow corners where the snow melts the most will be delivered sushi, rolls and pizza from "Many Salmon" more quickly, the company "Many Salmon" said. They noted that couriers in ordinary equipment there need more time for delivery. This became clear when the network analyzed feedback from its employees and found that deep puddles and slippery tracks on the shadow side of residential buildings were the most pressing problem. Therefore, they decided to cope with it in such an unusual way.

Couriers of the service "Many Salmon" on stilts

We analyzed the feedback from the couriers of the service and found out in which areas of Moscow it is most difficult for foot couriers to move during the melting of snow and rains. The most common urgent problem that one highlighted is deep puddles and slippery paths in courtyards on the shadow side of residential buildings. To preserve the delivery time of orders for our users, we temporarily allocated a detachment of couriers capable of professionally riding stilts in the most impassable areas of Moscow, "said Mikhail Katelevsky, brand manager of Many Salmon.

As noted by Moskvich Mag, it's great that the company takes care that customer orders are fulfilled without delay. But unwittingly it becomes a pity for the delivery workers, who will be hurt to fall if they suddenly slip. In the end, they could simply give them wellies, according to portal reviewers.

In the winter of 2023, the SberMarket team also came up with an unusual delivery format - on deer sleds. During the New Year holidays, they took goods to the hard-to-reach Saami village in the Murmansk region.^[1]

2021: X5 Retail Group bought A Lot of Salmon

On April 12, 2021, X5 Retail Group announced the purchase of the Many Salmon food tech project. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Under the terms of the agreement, X5 Retail Group received the entire Many Salmon business, as well as the team that founded and developed the project. Kh5 Chief Executive Officer Igor Shekhterman said that synergy with Many Salmon will allow the retailer to close the need for customers to quickly deliver freshly prepared ready-made food, as well as open up the possibility of a unique combined delivery of food and ready-made meals through Kh5 delivery services.

We intend to continue active development in this direction and are open to new proposals to strengthen our position in the food market, he added.

X5 Retail Group Acquires "Lots of Salmon"

In a conversation with RBC, one of the founders of Many Salmon, Alexander Mutovin, noted that the deal with X5 Retail Group will give the company access to suppliers, a number of the retailer's IT developments, its infrastructure, logistics and a significant audience. This will help the project continue to grow and improve the economy multiple times.

By April 12, 2021, the startup "A Lot of Salmon" combines 25 kitchens, four brands ("A Lot of Salmon," "Ten Perfect Pizzas," "Rolls N1" and "YAJI"), its own mobile application and a set of software products to ensure key business processes, including food preparation and delivery. The company fulfills more than 60 thousand orders per month. Its delivery partners are Delivery Club and Yandex. Food, "there is also a courier service.

Until the end of 2021, the service will mainly develop in Moscow, but the company plans to open kitchens in St. Petersburg, writes RBC. By the end of 2021, as Alexander Mutovin predicts, the network of "dark kitchens" will grow to 45 points.^[2]

2020: Attracting 100 million rubles of investments

On August 10, 2020, it became known about the attraction of about 100 million rubles by the Many Salmon company. Private investors have invested in the food tech project, including Alexander Sysoev (Sysoev FM project), as well as shareholders of the Brayne fund, including the sons of ex-head of VEB Vladimir Dmitriev Stepan and Pavel.

Foodtech startup "A lot of salmon" attracted 100 million rubles

As the co-founder of "Many Salmon" Alexander Mutovin told Kommersant, the investment was made in exchange for a share of 14%. The company intends to spend the funds received on the development of the network in Moscow, the launch of new restaurant brands, as well as on the development of foreign markets, Mutovin said.

"A lot of salmon," as reported in the company, every month fulfills about 30 thousand orders. The average check is 1400-1500 rubles (data for August 2020).

The overall strategy of the project is to reach a monthly turnover of more than 40 million rubles by the end of 2020 and open points throughout Moscow.

2019: Attracting 30 million rubles of investments

In September 2019, Many Salmon raised 30 million rubles from Vladimir Khristenko and partners at the United Investors site.

We believe in the foodtech market. People will never stop eating every day. Russia is a relatively poor country, products are the main item of expenditure of the population, according to statistics from 2018 - already 30% of all spending, and this number does not include cafes, canteens and alcohol, - said then the co-founder of United Investors Alexander Gorny, on the site of which the investment took place.[3]

Notes