From fresh salads to chia pudding, Farmer’s Fridge vending machines help people find healthy and nutritious food options on the go.
Grabbing a meal is simple: Browse the selection on the machine’s screen or take a look through the glass, and pay via the Farmer’s Fridge app, or with a credit card tap on the fridge.
The machines, commonly located in airports, hospitals, and universities, provide a chef-curated robust food service offering, available at the click of a button, 24/7.
Founder and CEO Luke Saunders started the company after he realized how long the supply chain takes to get food from the producer to the consumer. Unlike traditional industrial methods where machines produced food and people managed the sales, Saunders had a new vision: people make the food, and machines do the selling.
Hence, Farmer’s Fridge was born.
Headquartered in Chicago, Farmer’s Fridge operates as an automated restaurant via food vending machines. In addition to 1,700+ machines across the country, Farmer’s Fridge meals retail in stores including Jewel Osco and Target. To date, the company estimates serving around 17 million meals.
Northwestern fourth-year student Johanna Tam (left) is among one of the many Northwestern students who’s tried Farmer’s Fridge. “It’s really good. I like that it had healthy ingredients but was tasty at the same time,” she said.
Farmer’s Fridge meals stand out because of the careful curation by the team’s chefs. New recipes are tested in their headquarters’ test kitchen, which are then sampled and voted on by the team before making it to market.
This year, Farmer’s Fridge plans to increase their selection of meals to include up to 50 items.
Farmer’s Fridge Sustainability
To keep food waste low, the team analyzes individual machine data to track sales and inventory.
“We have a patented algorithm designed to help us optimize demand at each Fridge location,” PR and Events Manager Natalie Kozloff said. “Our food waste is currently in the low single digits and our goal is to get to zero food waste.”
Farmer’s Fridge supports sustainability with recyclable food containers. After your meal, you can recycle your plastic jar directly back into the machine or at any standard recycling bin.
Farmer’s Fridge vending machines are located on the Northwestern campus in Norris University Center, Mudd Library and University Library. New customers can get their first meal free through the Farmer’s Fridge app.