Edinburgh meal delivery business aimed at over-60s looks to become household name

An Edinburgh-based meal delivery business, run by food industry entrepreneur Kevin Dorren, has raised £5.2 million to fuel its appetite for growth.

Edinburgh-based Parsley Box has been highlighted as one of firms to watch. Picture, taken pre-restrictions: Neil Hanna Photography

Parsley Box has seen the cash injection come from existing and new investors including some “local Scottish entrepreneurs” as it looks to grab a bigger slice of the “under-served baby boomer-plus demographic”. According to the Office for National Statistics, 27 per cent of the population will be aged over 60 by 2029.

The latest funds come in addition to the £4.6m raised last year, led by Mobeus Equity Partners.

Dorren, who is the firm’s chief executive, said: “Our customers, who are primarily over 60, are enjoying freedom from responsibilities, they increasingly want convenience, don’t want to be tied to a cooker and are very much part of the behavioural revolution buying food online for home delivery.”

The firm was founded in 2017 by Gordon and Adrienne MacAulay with serial entrepreneur Dorren, who was brought in as chief executive last year to continue to grow the business and “help it become a household name”.

Parsley Box has been highlighted as one of firms to watch in this year’s Sunday Times Fast Track 100. Revenue more than tripled last year with more than one million meals delivered each month.

The meals are said to be “nutritious, quick, simple to cook and enable customers to retain a high level of independence”.

Best-selling dishes include cottage pie, lamb hotpot, lasagne and sweet and sour chicken, alongside a range of desserts, cakes, wines and spirits.

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