The Trend in Healthy Vending Machines: A Franchise Fad That’s Here to Stay
Written on February 10, 2011 – 4:58 am | by admin |Well, well, well. Strange days are upon us when vending machines disperse healthy snacks instead of the fat-and-calorie laden fare we’ve all come to know and love! Interested in capitalizing on a healthy trend? Vending is a $30 million per year industry! And, guess what? The healthy vending machine segment is so new that (as of this writing) sales have yet to be tracked! The early indicators, however, are darned impressive. A San Diego company, Fresh Healthy Vending, generated $3.8 million just 4 months after its start by selling franchises! Which franchise is the best fit for you? This bandwagon is growing bigger by the minute and your choices are varied. I’ll list several:
• There’s the aforementioned Fresh Healthy Vending,
• Healthy U Vending, (a young McHenry, IL start-up),
• Healthy You Vending (a very innovative company out of Kaysville, UT),
• Vend Natural (Ventura, CA and Annapolis, MD), and
• H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending (one of the industry’s first).
By no means are these the only franchise companies worth investigating, but they’re good places to start.
Why are healthy vending machines so popular? It seems a natural progression. I remember the days when, if you wanted anything organic, you had to drive to a Health Food Store. That is, if you could fine one! Then, bowing to a few consumers, our local grocery store acquiesced a lonely portion of shelf space near the Diet Section. Health Foods gradually spread to encompass the whole aisle. Now, stores like Sprouts, Trader Joe’s and Fresh & Easy focus on health and give the standard supermarkets a competitive run for their money. Obviously, there’s a market for it. “Healthy” is definitely “IN!”
Is it any wonder that Vending Machines are following the trend?
Buoyed by a congress in a hurry to pass as much lame-duck legislation as possible, a law was enacted in December 2010 that requires officials (whoever that may be) to set nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools. ALL foods. Including vending machines. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 could be your ticket to a winning franchise opportunity.
This is the beginning of a major change in the vending business. Not just because of the government push, but because Americans, generally, are sick and tired of being sick and tired! (Light bulb moment: “Gee, do you think our diets may have something to do with how we feel?”) At our local public pool this summer, the manager stocked his machines with the usual sodas and high-fat snacks as well as healthier alternatives like water, yogurt, fresh fruit and granola bars. He was surprised to find he needed to restock the “good stuff” more often than its “evil counterpart.” According to several school principals whose schools are using the healthy vending option, they create more revenue than the old junk-food machines. Amazing. Maybe we ARE “getting it.”
Once your decision is made and you’ve determined which company is the best fit for you, it’s up to you how you’ll want to market your new venture. How do you want your customers to perceive you? How will you “brand” yourself to them? What types of advertising will you consider? No one can answer these questions any better than YOU! Yep, you’ve got more decisions to make and, again, a lot of alternatives from which to choose. I hope you will check out our company and allow us to be one of the options you consider. Let us show you how you can learn to market yourself! After all, no one cares more about your success than you!
