We have been in the business of nutritional vending long enough to know that people still have a hard time with the idea of gym vending machines dispensing things like energy drinks, power bars, and functional foods. We get the fact that people still equate vending with things like chocolate bars and crisps. But still, it would be nice to know that what we do has become mainstream.
Truth be told, nutritional gym vending machines are not so strange after all. Comparing what we do to some of the other vending options out there makes dispensing healthy snacks by way of vending machines pretty tame. To illustrate the point, here is a list of a few other vending options even more unusual than what we do:
1. Fresh Farm Produce
It used to be that the typical honesty box was a staple of the British farm. To some degree, honesty boxes still are. But a growing number of farmers are having to deal with the reality that honesty boxes aren't as honest as they used to be. Farmers are gradually switching over to vending machines as a replacement.
There is no arguing that vending machines do not have the same kind of charm as the honesty box. But the reality of modern times dictates that farmers can't continue taking losses on their produce. If vending machines offer a solution, so be it.
2. Meat and Cheese
Locals near Cardiff's city centre now have access to meat and cheese vending thanks to a local company that believes people want more than just chocolate and crisps. The company sources all their meats, cheeses, eggs, and produce from within the UK, much of it coming from Wales. Care for a little organic cheese or some fresh honey?
3. Reverse Vending – Bottles and Cans
A new plan is under way to determine whether 'reverse vending' machines can be installed in Scotland to encourage people to recycle plastic bottles and metal cans. This concept is not so unusual in principle – it's actually very popular in Scandinavia and the States. However, it is something new to the UK.
4. HIV Testing
Perhaps the most unusual vending opportunity to be introduced thus far is the HIV vending machine recently installed at a sauna in Brighton. The machine provides convenient, conventional, and discrete testing involving a finger prick that leads to analysis and results in about 15 minutes.
As you can see, vending is not limited to unhealthy snacks. In fact, the limits of vending pertain only to the kinds of machines we can build and the types of products people are willing to purchase. That is why gym vending machines filled with nutritional foods work so well. People want the products, and vending offers a way to supply those products at just the right time.
Do you operate a gym or leisure centre? If so, nutritional vending should be part of your business plan. Contact us for more information.
Sources:
1.The Times – https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/farmers-switch-from-honesty-boxes-to-vending-machines-for-fruit-and-veg-5l00hdnxh
2.Wales Online – http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/theres-meat-cheese-vending-machine-13525565
3.BBC – http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-41108764
4.The Argus – http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/15459830.State_of_the_art_HIV_testing_machine_installed_at_gay_sauna/
