Farmer Fridge-Healthy Meals To Go

Healthy Food are used Farmer Fridge entrees: Image Source ZHot/Giphy

Fridge a Chicago based food business wants consumer to eat healthy. They provide healthy meals in vending machines that workers or busy people can purchase and eat. Their automated vending machines can track customer preferences, behavior, and provide a safe way to purchase healthy food on the go.

Farmer Fridge vending machines are popular in airports. Consumer can get a healthy salads, entrees, snacks, and beverages. The Green Goddess Salad has quinoa, lettuce, beans, pickled onions, feta, and pecans. Their vending machines are located in office buildings, hospitals, and universities.

The salad bowls and wraps come in recyclable containers. The CEO of the company Luke Saunders spent many hours working in corporations. He found it challenging to find healthy meals when he worked He started Farmer Fridge in 2013 because he wanted to provide busy people with healthy meals.

His vending machine technology provides food safety, delivery, forecasts consumer info, and reduces waste. They own all vending machines and make the food to control the quality.

Luke Saunder's Philosophy

Luke Saunders: Owner and Founder of Farmer Fridge Photo Source: Exp Bravo

When Luke worked as a traveling salesman he found it hard to find healthy food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. That is where his idea for Farmer Fridge began. He found one of the challenges was to convince consumers and investors they could buy a healthy meal from a vending machine.

To overcome these obstacle his company cooked the entrees from scratch, cut vegetable and fruits, and prepared the food seven days a week. He worked on the brand image, listened to customers, and constantly revised his products. He has a culinary background that helped him design the menu.

Luke Saunders main goal is to make healthy food more accessible to consumers. He focuses on taste, price, and convenience. Each vending machine is temperature controlled with 25 items to choose from. Entress include salads, Thai noodle bowls, chicken cobb salad, guacamole and chips, and breakfast items. Waste is composted and leftover meals donated to charity.

Farmer Fridge focuses on areas known as food deserts. These are areas that lack healthy food due to location and income. They want to have their vending machines set up in low-income areas about 15% by 2030.

During the pandemic he sold food to consumers for a few years when vending sales went down. He often donates left over entrees to community soup kitchens and pantries.

Farmer Fridge Vending Machine. Photo Source: Hambrientos CL

Types of Meals Served by Farmer Fridge Vending Machines

Healthy Meals from Farmer Fridge Photo Source: Hambrientos CL

Salads

Healthy Salads Animation Source: Giphy

Farmer Fridge offers for a healthy salads for lunch or dinner. They have filling salads like Steakhouse Chopped Salad, High Protein Chicken Cobb Salad, Turkey Cobb Salad, Greek Salad, Southwest Salad with Chili Lime Chicken, and Green Goddess Salad. Salads have fresh vegetables, protein, beans, and tasty dressings. These are good choices for those with busy schedules and working. These choices are a great addition to any office, school, or business.

Breakfast

Healthy Breakfast Animation source Zhot/Giphy

For those that want a healthy breakfast Farmer Fridge has a great menu. Some choices are Berries and Granola Greek Yogurt, Fresh Fruit Cup, Chicken Sausage, Breakfast Burrito, Potato Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bowl, or Chicken Sausage Breakfast Bowl.

Its morning and your dying for a breakfast bowl or sandwich. Farmer Fridge can save the day at the office or when traveling.

Sandwiches And Bowls

Healthy Sandwiches Animation Source: Get The Recipe/Giphy

The vending machines have many different sandwiches. Some selections are Smoked Turkey and White Cheddar Sandwich, Chicken Pesto Salad Wrap, Italian Turkey Wrap, and Grilled Chicken and Bacon Sandwiches. Bowls with protein are High Protein Chimichurri Steak Bowl, or High Protein Pesto Bowl.

The Farmer Fridge Staff cooks and assembles the meals daily which guarantees they are always fresh. and that they are deliver them on time.

Even Healthy Snacks

Almonds a Healthy Snack Photo Source Wix Media

Farmer Fridge even provides healthy snacks in their vending machines. Some of the snacks are Fresh Fruit Cup, Dark Chocolate Trail Mix, Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips, Veggies and Hummus, and White Cheddar Cheese. With these healthy selections they are good choice for the company cafeteria or break room.

In a world of unhealthy entrees and snacks that vending machines are associated with Farmer Fridge has changed the image.

Farmer Fridge Vending Machines Photo Source: Exp. Bravo

References :

Farmer Fridge, by Luke Saunders, Fast Company, 12-14-2020

UTSA Dining Introduces Farmer Fridge For Healthy Convenient Meal Options, University of Texas at San Antonio, January 23, 2025

This Company Has Built A Healthier Vending Machine, by Naomi Waxman, Eater/Chicago/ July 17 2023

Luke Saunders, He Was on the Road and Hungry: His Idea Became A Brand with 1,500 Locations by Nick Hawkins, Inc., Newsletter . April 24, 2024,

Farmer Fridge Brings Innovation and Sustainability to Vending Services, Stony Brook University News, December 5 2019

Farmer Fridge: Meet the Vending Machines the Provide Farm To Fridge Freshness With Waste Reducing Technology, by Melody Bru, Forbes, September 7, 2022