LAYTON — A fast-growing frozen meal delivery service based in northern Utah says it has already delivered more than 2.5 million meals to customers across the Intermountain West since its founding five years ago, but the company is now looking to expand to a wider audience.

Beehive Meals announced Thursday that it plans to expand its operations in its existing service area, offering nationwide service in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada starting next month. Once that phase is complete — and it’s unclear when that will be — the company will begin expanding to California, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Further extensions will be reviewed and announced subsequently.

Allyse Jackson, the company’s founder, said the expansion will involve a change in delivery processes. The company plans to abandon an internal logistics system it has been using and manage its own shipping, making it easier to ship beyond its service area and potentially speeding up the delivery process.

“Better customer experience”

Jackson founded the company in 2019, focusing on slow-cooker freezer meals to make dinner prep easier for families. On the company’s website, she explained that it was originally a way to pay the mortgage while her husband looked for a new job.

She started by promoting about a dozen meal kits on social media that could be purchased with direct mobile payment. It wasn’t intended to be a long-term venture, but her kits were so popular that she eventually entered a meal kit delivery industry that is now valued at $8.7 billion, according to business magazine Inc.

Despite operating in a crowded market, Beehive Meals has taken off regionally. Inc. featured Beehive Meals because it debuted at No. 399 on the magazine’s annual “Inc. 5000” list released Tuesday. The magazine reported that the Utah company’s sales have increased 1,103% over the past three years.

In addition, the company now employs over 100 people across its entire service division, the outlet says.

The list includes the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country, measured by percentage growth, provided they generated revenue through March 2020 and meet other conditions. Only companies that were based in the United States, privately held, for-profit and independent through the end of 2023 will be considered for the list.

Nearly 100 Utah companies made it to Inc.’s 2024 rankings. Beehive Meals ranked 13th in growth among Utah companies and 18th among U.S. food and beverage companies.