VENDING TRACK / WEDNESDAY / DECEMBER 9, 2020 / 12:30 PM ET
Why Fresh-Food Vending is the Industry’s New Darling
Thanks to remote-machine monitoring and improved temperature-control technology, vending companies are finally making money on what has historically been the least profitable but most important vending product categories — fresh food. The tech improvements have inspired several fresh-food vending concepts to emerge, and consumers are more willing than ever to give them a try.
A panel of operators who have used these new concepts share their experiences.
PANELISTS
Sam Hale | Founder & Co-Owner | Nutrimeals
Sam Hale is the one of two founders of Nutrimeals. Since September of 2017 Nutrimeals has created a space where healthy meals and convenience co-exist. Nutrimeals delivers their fresh and prepared food product directly to the consumer via their ecommerce store and sell it in their app-enabled automated kiosks. Using the Nutrimeals app the users can view the kiosks inventory, purchase the product, and vend their meals using their smart phone.
Todd Madlener | President & COO | Coolgreens
Todd Madlener is an industry veteran with over 25 years of leadership experience building passionate teams and brand culture that drives quality and growth. At Coolgreens, Todd is leading the brand into its next phase of growth with culture-first programs like “coolstories” and an enhanced training program. He’s also leading key initiatives for the brand including a new prototype, catering program, and updated technologies all aimed at enabling restaurant teams to elevate the guest experience. Todd previously served as Vice President of Operations at MAD Greens and Senior Director of Operations for Red Robin where he spent over 20 years.
Drew Munro | Co-Founder & CEO | Upmeals
Drew Munro is the co-founder and CEO of UpMeals, a Vancouver food tech start-up on a mission to make healthy food accessible 24/7 through technology. Prior to starting UpMeals, Drew founded an award-winning catering company based in Vancouver. He has 12 years of experience curating custom corporate event experiences and has worked with organizations such as Facebook, Ferrari, and Amazon to execute custom food experiences and launches. Drew is passionate about the intersection of wellness and technology, food waste reduction, and sustainability.
Arne Saupe | Director of Engineering | Farmer’s Fridge
Arne Saupe is the Director of Engineering at Farmer’s Fridge, where he is currently focused on having the team create scalable systems and the foundational architecture to allow Farmer’s Fridge to grow to the next level. Arne has over 25 years of experience as a leader and an engineer working in a wide variety of industries including Commodities, Retail and Insurance. He is passionate about removing the technical barriers and giving the business freedom to thrive. He has learned how to strike the balance between delivering solutions that scale without over engineering the solutions and maintaining the company’s ability to pivot.
MODERATOR
Cherryh Cansler | VP of Editorial | Networld Media Group
Before joining Networld Media Group as Vice President of Editorial, where she oversees Networld Media Group’s nine B2B publications, Cherryh Cansler served as Content Specialist at Barkley ad agency in Kansas City. Throughout her 17-year career as a journalist, she’s written about a variety of topics, ranging from the restaurant industry and technology to health and fitness news. Her byline has appeared in a plethora of newspapers, magazines and websites, including Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine. She also serves as the managing editor for FastCasual.com.
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