Healthy Snack Machines Are Making Big Bucks

The healthy snack trend isn’t going away anytime soon. The vending machine market has seen significant growth just in the last few years alone. This is because people are more conscious than ever before about what they’re eating, and because people need fast, portable snacks now more than ever!

Let’s take a look at a real-world example of how well healthy vending machines are doing — Chicago’s parks system — and discuss what you as an entrepreneur can do to capitalize on this trend in your home city.

Chicago’s Park System

The Chicago Park District is the largest municipal park system in the U.S., with 580 parks spread across more than 8,100 acres. In August of 2010, the district signed a five-year contract with a large national snack vendor for healthy vending machines as a part of the city’s 100% Healthier Snack Vending Initiative. According to the Center for Disease Control’s study on the subject, the snacks inside these machines were subject to certain criteria, like:

- - No more than 42g of added sweetener per 20 oz.
  - No trans fats
  - No more than 400mg of sodium per serving

The initiative worked. The healthy vending machines were very popular, especially with children, and it made for a good investment in the community and serious business boost to the snack vendor. Average monthly per-machine sales increased over 15 months from $84.00 to $371.00 — that’s more than a 350% increase! On the whole, Chicago’s healthy vending machines are raking in almost $40,000 a month.

If the Chicago parks example tells us anything, it’s that healthy snack machines are a booming business. So, what does that mean for you?

What You Can Do in Your City

Are you an entrepreneur who’s ready to capitalize on the booming market of healthy vending? Partnering with Naturals2Go will help you succeed and become the business owner you were meant to be. Allow us to help you find your market, secure appointments, and place your machines. Then, you’re set up to do what you do best: Run your business venture on the front lines and capture your city’s niche market for healthy snacking.