3 North American Companies Showing Us the Future of Healthy Eating

What is the secret of companies that succeeded in pivoting and having explosive growth even during the COVID pandemic?

Many good examples around the world can be made into a study case, but I would like to introduce three North American companies showing us the future of healthy eating.?

1. Farmer's Fridge

The idea of eating a fresh and healthy salad right out of the refrigerator isn't much special. But what if the fridge is an unmanned vending machine??

Based in Chicago, Farmer's Fridge started to make healthy food easy to get for everyone to consume and now works in school campuses, airports, hospitals, office buildings, apartments, etc.

The company operates more than 400 'refrigerators' across the U.S. We can buy many varieties of food from vending machines in Asian countries like Korea and Japan. However, the concept alone is already intriguing in North America, where vending machines are mostly for junk food such as candy, chocolate, and potato chips.?

Menus are quite simple such as overnight oats, salads, pasta, and burrito bowls. However, for busy American consumers, easy access to healthy food made with local fresh ingredients can be appealing. Farmer's Fridge has also been funded with $75 million (about 88 billion won) from former McDonald's CEO Don Thompson's investment firm, Cleveland Avenue, to recognize its growth potential.

Currently, Farmer's Fridge delivers its products directly to consumers' homes after the COVID pandemic. It has signed contracts with large U.S. supermarket chains such as Target and Jewel Osco to make it easier for consumers to access products.

The most exciting part of Farmer's Fridge is that they have many real fans who love the brand. Farmer's Fridge's Instagram account is full of photos sent by customers and comments asking them to expand into their area. Shared pictures of adorable kids and puppies with their products, recycling the container by putting crayons and flowers in leftover containers. It has a neighborhood community kind of vibes. For marketers, this is a great example of brand loyalty.?

Images ? Farmer's Fridge

2. Chowbotics by DoorDash

Salad is not a dish that requires a special set of skills, but it is a dish that anyone can easily make as long as they prepare fresh ingredients. Chowbotics is a company that makes good use of this point. As the name suggests, DoorDash, which has 48% of the U.S. delivery business, has become a hot topic after acquiring the salad maker robot 'Sally'. From the standpoint of DoorDash, it was a good opportunity for them to expand from a limited portfolio which was a big part of investors' concerns. For Chowbotics, it made the company possible to expand across America using Door Dash's network.

Sally uses different ingredients, proportions, and combinations of menus entered into the software to create salads, pocket balls, parfait, cereal balls, etc. As long as there is room for a vending machine, Sally can be installed anywhere like in hospitals, university campuses, grocery stores, etc.

When Columbus broke the corners of the egg to balance it on the table, everyone said, "I can do that as well." The idea is simple, but Chowbotics made the vision come to life. Since the machine can operate 24 hours without needing any part-time workers, it seems like the demand for Sally will increase over time.

Images ? Chowbotics by DoorDash

3. UpMeals?

Last but not least, Vancouver-based FoodTech Startup UpMeals has an interesting story as well. For more than ten years, the co-founder and CEO Drew Munro ran one of the most established catering companies in town. As the company provides catering for big organizations, he realized the increased difficulty and importance of customizing menus for employees’ various dietary preferences. He saw it as an opportunity and thought of using AI-driven software that would automatically suggest the customized menu configuration according to the customer's profile, and his idea written on a napkin in a restaurant provided the basis for developing the program. Isn't this story so startup-ish? ;)?

Now, UpMeals offers branded ready-to-eat meals tailored to customers such as Canada's major telecommunications company Telus, online grocery delivery provider SPUD, America's largest plant-based eCommerce, PlantX, and prestigious universities: University of British Columbia, (UBC), and SFU.?

The UpMeals proprietary?software works with their SmartVending kiosks?to track the performance of each program and ensure customer satisfaction, making sure all products are properly stocked to meet demands and kept safe and fresh. Clients save up to 50% compared to traditional catering or meal delivery services by installing SmartVending and they can also use it as a new revenue stream.?

Above all, since the CEO is a professional chef, the quality and taste of the food are one of the biggest driving forces of its success. Because of customers asking where else they can buy the meals, UpMeals is launching its own e-commerce service this month. It plans to expand the service area starting in Canada to the United States soon.?

Actually, as you can see from my profile, I am working for UpMeals and it’s been a great experience observing the company grow so quickly and learning from amazing colleagues who are all problem solvers. We have exciting news almost every day in the company and I can’t wait to share with you more soon. I sometimes wonder what it feels like when riding a rocket as I experience the company growing at a tremendous speed every day. Sheryl Sandberg said, “If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on.” I think I luckily got on this rocket ship.?

In addition to the three companies we have looked through together, companies that have exploded amid a crisis seem to prove the formula, "Successful business = Solving the problem."?

Images ? UpMeals

Please share in the comment what problems your business is solving, I'm curious!