Age: 34
Vending machines probably are not the first place most consumers would look for a healthy, high-quality meal—unless they happen to be near a Farmer’s Fridge.
“In the beginning, no one believed people would want to order a salad from a vending machine,” says Luke Saunders, founder and CEO of Farmer’s Fridge, the fast-growing company that operates vending machines that dispense elevated fare. “It was an unproven, slightly radical concept, and we had to shift behavioral norms around what a vending machine experience could provide.”
Saunders launched the company in 2013 after he grew frustrated with the lack of availability of healthy food options for business travelers. The concept now includes hundreds of refrigerated machines that dispense salads, bowls, snacks, and sandwiches made with fresh, local, high-quality ingredients in six cities in the Midwest and Northeast. It also operates a made-to-order food stand in Chicago’s Revival Food Hall.
“Once customers tried our food and saw that fresh, healthy meals could be distributed through smart Fridges … our business gained momentum,” says Saunders.
Last year the company expanded into a new, 50,000-square-foot production facility in Chicago that has the capacity to support ongoing expansion. That expansion has recently focused on new airport locations, as well as healthcare facilities, where the Fridges have supported healthcare workers during the pandemic.
The company has refocused on new areas of the business, including home delivery and largescale catering, and accelerated its rollout, as a result of pandemic-driven changes in dining habits. “Our ultimate goal is to make it simple to eat well,” says Saunders. “Now we’re creating new points of access to fresh, healthy food that reaches people where they need us most.”
Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food and SFA News Daily.
Photo credit: Farmer's Fridge
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