Direct Eats announced today that it has acquired the business and brands of Wholeshare, a competitor in the online direct-to-consumer marketplace for the natural and organic grocery space. This further advances Direct Eats' position as the standout leader, engine and hub in the e-commerce arena for organic, natural and specialty food products. In addition, this will fold in a wide audience of actively engaged natural and organic food buyers to Direct Eats.

"Our customers are passionate about feeding their families with the best natural and organic products available. We've always worked to provide those products at a price they could afford," says Wholeshare's Co-Founder Peter Woo. "Direct Eats' values of making healthy products widely accessible are similar to ours, which is why we decided to become a part of the Direct Eats brand."

This is the second major acquisition for Direct Eats this year, having acquired another competitor, Abe's Market, in May. It's a sure sign of upward movement; Direct Eats is gaining momentum and increasing its sphere of influence in the e-commerce space. As of Aug. 29, the Wholeshare website will be redirected to DirectEats.com.

"We're excited to welcome Wholeshare's customers to the Direct Eats' community and feel it will be a seamless transition, since we offer much of the same product selection at significantly lower prices," says Direct Eats CEO and Founder David Hack. "In addition, the Wholeshare customer will now get the added benefits of free shipping direct to their house as well as being able to shop from our local, small-batch food purveyors from across the U.S., in our continued dedication to making local, national."

Direct Eats' business model is intended to help consumers get access healthy, non-perishable products at wholesale prices, a value that will only be enriched by this deal. The site will continue to provide free shipping on every order, with no membership fees and the added convenience of being able to stock your pantry without having to leave your house. This is a big win for both Wholeshare and Direct Eats but more importantly for consumers as Direct Eats continues to scale this segment of the marketplace.

Since DirectEats.com launched to the public in 2015, the site's success has been evidenced by an increase in the average order by more than 50 percent. Consumer interest, as measured in site visitation, has seen an increase of nearly 138 percent. The addition of the business and brands of Wholeshare is expected to contribute a significant amount of fiscal growth to Direct Eats.

Source: Direct Eats press release