HealthyYOU Vending and its owner-operators are flourishing in the current retail vending machine market. According to a KCRA article, “Eating habits have changed, and people are increasingly snacking instead of eating traditional meals.” The article explained that almost 64% of global consumers prefer smaller meals instead of a few large ones. By Nancy E. Williams
SPECIAL SECTION: FOOD + DRINKS
HealthyYOU Vending and its owner-operators are flourishing in the current retail vending machine market. According to a KCRA article, “Eating habits have changed, and people are increasingly snacking instead of eating traditional meals.” The article explained that almost 64% of global consumers prefer smaller meals instead of a few large ones.
Recent studies also have shown that snacking can have health benefits. On its website, Life Extension stated, “One study found that through a diet with the proper total calorie consumption, grazing (which they tested with six meals a day) can help to promote healthy glucose metabolism compared to three meals a day.”
Whether culture or health concerns are driving the change, consumers will always want to eat and drink, which makes the food and beverage sector both recession- and pandemic-resistant. Being able to provide food and beverage options anywhere and anytime without the burden of a large investment is what makes the vending business attractive.
“Most franchises in food and beverage are very labor intensive, and many people do not want to spend all of their time finding, training and managing employees,” explained Founder Jeff Marsh. “That’s the No. 1 advantage HealthyYOU’s opportunity has over food franchises. You have high-quality, high-tech vending machines instead of employees.”
Marsh maintains one key benefit to the HealthyYOU Vending model is not needing employees to run a successful business, but there are other great features, such as:
- Owners don’t have to leave a job and benefits. They can start part time and scale to full time on a schedule they set.
- The model provides a much more flexible schedule. Remote machine monitoring allows owners to know when they need to be restocked, and they can decide when to stock them.
- Owners receive franchise-level support without royalties or ongoing fees.
- They get to be true entrepreneurs, not just franchisees.
According to its website, HealthyYOU Vending sold the first healthy vending machine in the nation and started a vending revolution by replacing old junk food machines with high-tech machines filled with healthier snacking options.
The brand has tapped into a niche market with its easy-to-grab, in-demand health and wellness items. As stated on its website, HealthyYOU Vending machines offer “single-serve or trial size quantities of popular supplements, essential oils, powdered drink mixes and over-the-counter treatments for colds and flu, indigestion and more.”
For those who may have had poor experiences with vending machines in the past or are concerned with technical complexity, Marsh wants to reassure prospective owners of the quality of machines they are getting.
“HealthyYOU sells a high-quality machine made in the U.S. Our machines are made for the vending novice, meaning they are high tech and low maintenance,” said Marsh. “Lastly, we have the industry’s only proprietary software that helps ensure each machine is filled with the products people in that location will buy the most of.”
Nancy E. Williams