FOUNDERS, CO-CEOS, FRESH N LEAN, ANAHEIM
Ready-to-eat meal delivery service has been one of Orange County’s breakout businesses the past few years.
THEN: Privately held company, founded in 2010 by Laureen Asseo when she was 18 years old, saw revenue surge to about $119M last year, up 35% from roughly $88M in 2020, and nearly triple the $40M it earned in 2019.
The company ranked No. 4 among the fastest-growing private large businesses in OC this year, based on two-year revenue growth, according to Business Journal data.
NOW: Asseo siblings tell the Business Journal they forecast a nearly 40% bump in business this year, with projections for $170M in revenue for 2022. Projected growth is due to a sizeable new production facility scheduled to come online this summer in Las Vegas, which will more than double the company’s headcount to over 1,000, and eventually allow for a quadrupling in output.
FUTURE: Fresh N Lean has its eyes on expanding beyond the western U.S., with an aim to become a household name across the country. It’s a “very lofty” goal, but achievable, according to Thomas Asseo. “We’re in a space that’s objectively underpenetrated and the players in it are spending lots of marketing dollars and giving lots and lots of discounts to a narrow audience,” he said of the company’s competitors.
IN THEIR WORDS:When asked if the company is currently hiring, Laureen Asseo said, “always. We’re always trying to find good people for our creative and manufacturing teams.”
