After 6 months, Mark Bittman leaves meal-kit company Purple Carrot
The former New York Times journalist is exiting the Needham-based vegan startup.
About six months ago, Mark Bittman, a food journalist and author of the best-selling How to Cook Everything and its follow-up, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, announced that he was joining the Needham-based vegan meal kit company Purple Carrot.
Now, he’s setting out on his next venture.
“I did everything I could do to help [its recent West Coast expansion], and now I’m ready for something new,” Bittman told Mother Jones.
Bittman is officially leaving Purple Carrot but will keep some ownership stake in the company, Purple Carrot Founder and CEO Andy Levitt said in a statement.
“Having helped Purple Carrot launch successfully, and reflecting Mark’s desire to pursue a broad range of activities, we’ve mutually agreed to end his employment relationship,” Levitt said. “Mark remains a strong proponent of our brand and the role Purple Carrot can play for those who want to eat more plant-based meals. He remains a friend and equity holder in the company, and we are most grateful for his contributions to our growth.”
Bittman previously lived in Worcester, both during and after his time as a student at Clark University, as well as in Somerville, where he became an active community organizer, fighting for rent control, women’s rights, and fair welfare benefits, according to a story on Bittman from Clark’s University blog. He was with The New York Times from 1997 to September 2015; he announced his role with Purple Carrot two months later.
Though Bittman is not himself a vegan, he adamantly wrote about the plant-based meal-kit company’s mission in his welcome essay, saying, “I want to be part of a force that works for a better food system, for one that provides food that is fair, green, affordable, nutritious, and tasty.”
On Tuesday, Purple Carrot announced that it received $5 million in funding from Windsail Capital, a Boston-based investment firm focused on energy innovation and sustainability. The company will also release an upcoming guest chef series for their meal kits this summer.
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