As sports nutrition distributors with a focus on vending, we are fully in favour of replacing junk food with healthier alternatives. We're all about protein bars, energy drinks, and even fresh fruits and vegetables. Believe it or not, we're also proponents of vegan vending machines. But we wonder if the world is ready for them.
A Few Early Attempts
We ran across a story from 2018 describing how a Bristol company was making plans to install vending machines selling vegan sandwiches, wraps, and desserts. The company behind the machines was in the process of raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign. We aren't sure if they raised the money or are even still in business.
Across the Pond, a Canadian company that first launched its vegan vending machines in British Columbia is now trying to work out a deal with hospitals in Vancouver. Their goal is to eventually be a primary café vendor to Canada's public health system. They are attempting to get their foot in the door by installing their vending machines first, hoping they will create a demand for cafés.
We applaud both companies for their efforts. If there's one thing we've learned after all these years in the vending business is the fact that you can sell just about anything in a vending machine if you choose the right audience and find the right location. It's obvious that the Canadian company has found some success in British Columbia as evidenced by the fact that they are expanding their vending into Vancouver.
Vegan vs Sports Nutrition
Our only concern about vegan vending machines here is the potentially limited size of the target audience. We know that sports nutrition products do extremely well in vending machines because we've built an entire business around that model. We know that sports nutrition sells. We're not so sure about vegan products.
Is the audience for vegan sandwiches, wraps, etc. large enough to support a complete vending solution? Would it be cost-effective for the vending company given that maintaining product freshness would require a lot more effort? These are things we don't know. And until a company steps up and proves it can be done, there really is no way for us to know.
In the Meantime...
It will be interesting to see what happens in Vancouver. If Canada's healthcare system agrees to vegan vending machines across the country, they could lead to the company behind them achieving their goal of establishing a nationwide chain of hospital cafés. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on things in the UK as well. Perhaps someone will step up and make vegan vending work here on a large scale.
We will also continue what we have been doing for decades: providing our customers with vending machines dispensing popular sports nutrition products. As one of the UK's most well-known sports nutrition distributors, we know what your guests want. We provide it in an efficient and cost-effective way.
Sources:
1.Vegan Food & Living – https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/vegan-vending-machine-selling-sandwiches-wraps-and-desserts-to-be-installed-in-bristol/
2.Live Kindly – https://www.livekindly.co/canada-hospitals-vegan-vending-machines/
