Fresh Healthy Vending, the company that revolutionized the vending machine sector, announces a new franchisee Rachel Savage, who has just launched her business in top locations throughout the Las Vegas area.
“We are happy to bring fresh vending to Clark County in Nevada. People are ready to embrace this as a way to obtain healthy food on the run,” explains Jolly Backer, chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending.
Locations where the Fresh Healthy Vending machines can be found include:
• Las Vegas Sports Park – Las Vegas, NV • Calvary Chapel Christian School (HS) – Las Vegas, NV • Las Vegas High School – Las Vegas, NV • Durango High School – Las Vegas, NV • East Career and Technical Academy – Las Vegas, NV • Northwest Career and Technical Academy – Las Vegas, NV • Sierra Vista High School – Las Vegas, NV • Legacy High School – N. Las Vegas, NV • Canyon Springs High School – N. Las Vegas, NV
The Fresh Healthy Vending placement in Nevada joins over 1100 other machines that have been established throughout the country. The machines will be offering a vending selection that is completely stocked with all-healthy foods and beverages.
Aside from the monetary benefits of hosting a vending machine, it also provides access to healthy snack and drink options, which will help keep minds and bodies in better shape. This in turn helps to eliminate the junk food, which is associated with causing obesity, higher absenteeism, and higher medical insurance rates. New workplace wellness programs are now in place all across the U.S in companies to promote healthier lifestyles.
“This is a great way to offer people some healthy food,” added Backer. “Increasingly people are becoming aware of the importance of eating healthy, prompting them to make more nutritious food choices, even on the run.”
The vending machines are stocked with such items as soymilk, yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a variety of other nutritious options. For many, this comes as a much-needed tool in helping to combat the obesity epidemic. It provides people with healthy options, without having to the time to shop or prepare them, which is often a complaint people have about eating healthy.
The vending machines make a good fit for such places as middle schools, high schools, office buildings, hospitals, college campuses, health clubs, shopping malls, and a variety of other public venues.
Join the Fresh Healthy Vending Revolution! Be the first in your area!
For more information on becoming a Fresh Franchisee in your area please call (858) 210-4200
A new law letting the USDA set standards for vending machine fare sold in schools could boost demand for healthy offerings
Jeff Lowell, an assistant principal at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash., normally dismisses the e-mails he gets from businesses trying to sell to his 1,500 students. He was intrigued, however, by the pitch he received in September from Fresh Healthy Vending, a San Diego franchise operation that offers vending machines stocked with snacks and drinks it touts as alternatives to junk food. “Everybody [understands] what eating right does for you and how much it ends up affecting your ability to think,” Lowell says. “We decided we wanted to try it.”
Lowell signed a one-year contract allowing Fresh Healthy to park its machines near Interlake’s gym in exchange for 15 percent of profits. In late November, Fresh Healthy installed three machines, featuring goodies such as Kashi granola bars and Stonyfield Farm fruit smoothies, next to older machines that sell Powerade and Dasani water—though no soda—through a long-standing agreement with Coca-Cola Enterprises (KO). The top seller in the new machines so far: Pirate’s Booty cheese puffs.
Fresh Healthy is one of more than a dozen small companies that aim to bring healthier fare to school vending machines. To do so they must navigate a tangle of rules created in the wake of a 2004 federal law that required school districts to establish local policies aimed at improving student nutrition and reducing childhood obesity. Those rules prompted the bulk of the 10,500 U.S. vending machine companies to avoid schools. “There were fewer and fewer operators handling school accounts because it was a tough process to find products that met the patchwork of school guidelines,” says Ned Monroe, senior vice-president for government affairs for the National Automatic Merchandising Assn. The trade group estimates that just 10 percent of its vending operator members sell in schools now, down from about 25 percent a decade ago.
The hodgepodge of local policies will soon be replaced. Under a law that regulates schools participating in the federal school lunch program, which President Barack Obama signed on Dec. 13, the U.S. Agriculture Dept. now can impose nutritional standards on all snacks and refreshments sold in schools. The national guidelines will make it easier for vending companies to sell to many local districts. Producers are likely to be more willing to make foods suitable for vending machines if they know what requirements they must meet. “Food companies [are] trying to be ahead of the game and have products in the marketplace available to meet those standards as soon as they’re published,” says Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Assn., a trade group of food companies and school cafeteria managers.
Small vending machine operators that specialize in healthy snacks are confident the new law will boost their business. “I can’t even tell you the response we’re getting since this latest piece of legislation passed,” says Fresh Healthy founder Jolly Backer, who launched the company in May to sell and supply franchises. He charges franchisees about $11,000 per machine, which they then manage, ordering from Fresh Healthy online and restocking once or twice a week. Fresh Healthy has machines in more than 2,000 locations, about three-quarters of them schools. “Our race is to get space,” says Backer, 55. “A lot of schools would just as soon get rid of vending programs because they haven’t found out about healthy options yet.” He expects revenue at the 22-employee company to at least double this year, to more than $10 million.
The bottom line: Clearer legislative standards have been a boon to companies that provide schools with vending machines selling healthier fare.
Because she has several relatives with high blood pressure and diabetes, Ashlyn Pinkins is determined to eat healthful food. That’s why the high school junior has no problem with — and actually advocated for — the newest vending machines at Thomas Jefferson Academy for Advanced Studies.
Just outside the Gretna school’s cafeteria, the Fresh Healthy Vending machines dispense such fare as baked pita chips, soy milk, apple sauce, low-fat granola bars and organic iced teas. Adjacent to it is a Pepsi machine that carries only water and flavored water. Gone are the chocolate bars and soft drinks to which students once flocked.
Thomas Jefferson is among 17 public and private schools that have welcomed the machines on campuses in Jefferson and Orleans parishes amid a national obesity epidemic.
“I see what obesity does to people,” said Ashlyn, who serves on the group’s national youth advisory board and Thomas Jefferson Academy’s wellness committee. “I don’t think youth are really informed about the dangers of obesity.”
She said the healthful-snack vending machines are part of an overall wellness program that includes healthier lunches and breakfasts at Jefferson, along with such movement classes as Zumba, circuit training and tae kwon do. That program and a similar one at Bissonet Plaza Elementary School in Metairie were recently recognized with Bronze Awards by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
“I was really excited to see all the options” in the vending machines,” Ashlyn said. “At first students were surprised, but they seem to be adjusting well.”
Thomas Jefferson Principal Gerard LeBlanc credits his wellness committee and physical education teacher Robert Gilchrist with encouraging him to test the machines.
“He has us all eating healthy,” LeBlanc said. “He just came to me and said, ‘We need healthier choices for our kids.’ We started with one, and as the need increases we’ll probably get another one before the end of the school year.”
Fresh Healthy Vending opened in 2010 in San Diego and is now franchised in dozens of cities across the country. They have become popular additions not only to schools but at fitness centers and country clubs.
“We’re doing really well in some locations and not so well in other locations,” said Nick Bruce, a partner with Joe Brady in the franchise for Orleans, Jefferson, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. “High schools are especially doing well with them. It gives the kids an opportunity to make healthier choices for themselves.”
Offerings range in price from $1.25 to $2 and include everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to yogurt and smoothies. Bruce said his franchise lets students do taste tests to decide preferences for their schools.
Sites that agree to house the machines receive a percentage of sales revenue.
David Lewis, principal of L.W. Higgins High School in Marrero, said the machines have proved to be good teaching tools in his school’s wellness program. Although some students initially panned the idea of healthful snacks, many are now buying it.
“They understand that this is something that will benefit all of us in the future,” he said. “My staff loves it.”
Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, said she has worked more than 10 years to influence change in vending machine snacks.
“We’ve been concerned about obesity for a long time, and as we were thinking about ways to address the issue, we thought it was important to address the foods that kids eat during the school day,” Wootan said.
“It’s all about education,” she said. “In addition to math and science, we want our kids to learn how protect their own health. When you have vending machines filled with candy and other unhealthy foods, that teaches them the wrong thing.”
Soon, she said, all schools must switch to more healthful fare. Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the federal government is setting nutritional standards for food sold in schools, including vending machine snacks.
Nancy Tigert, a nurse practioner at Ochsner Medical Center and Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School’s school-based health clinic, said Bonnabel is well on its way to becoming a healthier campus. Plans include smoothie sales and a kiosk stocked with grab-and-go breakfast items such as whole wheat waffles, yogurt, bagels, juices and milk. She said the school does not have a healthy-snack vending machine but is considering it.
“In surveying students, we found that many kids do not eat breakfast,” she said. “The cafeteria serves breakfast, but it’s not popular. The kiosk will be located outside where students can just hang out and grab something healthy to eat.”
Bonnabel students Francisco Pazo and Cory Scavo are among the students helping launch the new programs. They also are planning the school’s annual wellness week featuring healthful-cooking demonstrations, relay races and activities with the New Orleans Hornets.
“We want to see a healthier generation within our own community,” Pazo said. “And I think we’re on our way.”
A couple of years ago, Bruce Wyrwitzke began a health kick that resulted in the loss of 30 pounds.
His key to success? The choices he made, especially in food.
“Little changes make a big difference,” he said.
Now the IT sales rep from Rancho Palos Verdes is bringing that mindset to the schools and businesses throughout Greater Long Beach, equipping them with new vending machines offering more nutritious fare.
Wyrwitzke is the latest Los Angeles County franchisee with Fresh Healthy Vending, a company offering vending machines stocked with healthy, organic products in more than 1,100 locations nationwide and in Canada.
The healthy vending machines are now making their way to locations in Los Angeles County, including Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, the Los Cerritos YMCA in Bellflower and Los Altos YMCA, Powerhouse Fitness in Long Beach and Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Los Angeles.
“This is a great way to offer people some healthy food,” said Jolly Backer, the chief executive officer of San Diego-based Fresh Healthy Vending.
“Increasingly people are becoming aware of the importance of eating healthy, prompting them to make more nutritious food choices, even on the run,” she said.
Offerings include Fiji Water, Hansen’s Natural soda, Clif bars, Kettle Chips and multigrain snacks.
“Everything is natural and organic,” Wyrwitzke said. “They’re all products that people would befamiliar with if they shopped at Whole Foods or Sprouts.”
These vending machines have become more prevalent as businesses focus more on workplace wellness programs as a way to curb rising employee health and productivity-released costs.
More than 81 percent of businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of health promotion program, according to the Wellness Councils of America.
Programs range from fitness regimes and health education to health risk assessments.
According to a 2008 study, moderately to extremely obese employees experienced a 4.2 percent loss in productivity because of weight-related health problems. It equates to $506 in lost productivity per worker annually, the study said.
Also, obese employees spend 77 percent more on medications than non-obese employees, and 72 percent of those medical claims are for conditions that are preventable.
But you don’t even have to look at the statistics, Wyrwitzke said.
“If you look around, you can see the obesity rates on the rise,” he said. “And that costs companies money, and not just a little bit of money when it comes to healthcare plans.”
Wyrwitzke said he hopes to install 20 to 30 Fresh Healthy Vending machines by summertime.
“I’m not forcing anything down anyone’s throat,” he said. “All I’m doing is providing an option.”
January 13, 2012 Miami FL.- Hankering for a snack or beverage? There’s a new kind of vending machine in South Florida where you won’t find any candy or soda.
“I like the fruit products. I think they’re tasty, they’re very healthy, they make me feel good,” said Sophia Binda, who is the community manager at The Laurels in Jacaranda.
The fitness center there has a vending room with machines that sell soda and ice cream – and one called “Fresh Healthy Vending.”
It dispenses gluten-free and high-fiber multigrain tortilla chips, granola, applesauce to go, organic juice drinks and milk, and Pirate’s Booty, a lower fat alternative to regular chips or cheese puffs.
“The nutritional value of the products is so much better, no additives, no colors,” said Pam Santucci, who works with the Florida Department of Health and decided to invest in this franchise.
Fresh Healthy Vending snack machines are also at the Hyatt at Pier 66, the Mardi Gras Casino, the VA Medical Center and three private schools.
“If they want to eat right but they’re at a workplace all day and at 3 o’clock they go up to the vending machine and the only choice is junk food, they’re not going to make good decisions,” Santucci said.
Last September all Miami-Dade public high schools put in vending machines that dispense healthy meals.
Sometimes healthier can be pricier. A 10-ounce can of all natural lemon lime spritzer is $1.50, and a small package of granola is a dollar.
January 16, 2012 Memphis, Tennessee.- In an age when even fast-food restaurants offer fruit and vegetable alternatives, the new owner of Fresh Healthy Vending Memphis says it’s time vending machines do too.
“You’re not going to eat this food and lose weight, but they’re healthier options,” says Nicole McCormack, a full-time pharmaceutical sales rep from Bartlett.
McCormack’s machines offer a range of items aimed at health-conscious consumer, such as fruit and yogurt bars, protein bars, smoothies, energy drinks, and boxes of 100 percent organic grape and apple juice. Also among the selections, her children’s favorite: Applesauce on the Go, a squeezable pouch like a Capri Sun, no spoon needed.
There are also organic potato chips for those who absolutely have to have them.
“In a city like Memphis, we sometimes make the top of the wrong lists, but I think the majority of the people here want to be healthy,” McCormack says. “It’s a matter of ‘show me how.’ “
McCormack began the process of buying the Memphis franchise of Fresh Healthy Vending during the summer of 2011.
Fresh Healthy Vending corporate was founded in 2010, but it’s spreading rapidly, even in diabetes-ridden Dixie, where two franchises have sold each month for the last 12 months.
“Fresh Vending machines are filled with products with all of the top-selling drinks and snacks that are found in Whole Foods and Fresh Markets,” says company CEO Jolly Backer. “These stores are the fastest-growing specialty stores in the country by a wide margin. People are seeking out healthy alternatives to junk foods.”
McCormack was already used to considering the types of food she buys because one of her children has severe food allergies. Vending machines were always off-limits to her family before now.
A close friend of hers in Nashville opened a franchise six months before McCormack did. She became interested soon after.
By the terms of the franchise, McCormack bought 10 refrigerated machines, the minimum for starting out, with the option of adding more as demand increases. Fresh Healthy Vending execs helped her locate sites for the machines and set up contracts.
Eight machines were set up before the end of the year. A ninth was recently placed and negotiations are under way for the 10th.
Four of them are in Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis locations where, perhaps, they stand the greatest challenge. They sit right next to soda and candy machines.
“When I was making out my wish list of locations, logically I thought about fitness centers and the Y, but where is the real need?” McCormack says.
But McCormack is worried less about whether children will like the healthy snacks than whether they will buy something they don’t already know.
“I went and serviced some of the Boys and Girls Club machines (last week) and the kids were trying them,” McCormack says. “I was filling a machine and they asked what does that taste like? I grabbed a bag and popped it open and said what do you think?”
She hopes to set up formal tasting events in the future.
McCormack is also preaching to the choir — placing machines in the Bartlett Recreation Center, the Singleton Community Center, and the Church Health Center. One private business, Premier Transportation Services, which has round-the-clock employee shifts, has also taken a machine.
Backer said the company’s target markets are schools, office buildings, YMCAs, colleges, military bases, health clubs and hospitals.
Prices in McCormack’s machines range from 75 cents to $3, and the machines accept $1 bills, $5 bills and credit or debit cards. For sales by plastic, products fall through an infrared scanner before entering the bin below. If the product snags, the cost is automatically refunded.
Daily sales reports are transmitted from each machine to McCormack’s smartphone.
McCormack said she has a lot of leeway in choosing her stock and in the coming months will begin test-marketing single servings of fresh fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots at the Church Health Center. Those products have a short shelf life, but in other franchises have proven profitable.
Premier Transportation will test-market whole meals such as Thai noodle soup bowls.
So far McCormack said she is encouraged — enough to hire her first part-time employee who is training to help fill machines.
Jeff Lowell, an assistant principal at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Wash., normally dismisses the e-mails he gets from businesses trying to sell to his 1,500 students. He was intrigued, however, by the pitch he received in September from Fresh Healthy Vending, a San Diego franchise operation that offers vending machines stocked with snacks and drinks it touts as alternatives to junk food. “Everybody [understands] what eating right does for you and how much it ends up affecting your ability to think,” Lowell says. “We decided we wanted to try it.”
Just outside the Gretna school’s cafeteria, the Fresh Healthy Vending machines dispense such fare as baked pita chips, soy milk, apple sauce, low-fat granola bars and organic iced teas. Adjacent to it is a Pepsi machine that carries only water and flavored water. Gone are the chocolate bars and soft drinks to which students once flocked.
Thomas Jefferson Principal Gerard LeBlanc credits his wellness committee and physical education teacher Robert Gilchrist with encouraging him to test the machines.
January 13, 2012 Miami FL.- Hankering for a snack or beverage? There’s a new kind of vending machine in South Florida where you won’t find any candy or soda.
January 16, 2012 Memphis, Tennessee.- In an age when even fast-food restaurants offer fruit and vegetable alternatives, the new owner of Fresh Healthy Vending Memphis says it’s time vending machines do too.