Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Saunders.
Farmer’s Fridge was founded in 2013 by CEO Luke Saunders. While he was working as a traveling salesman, Luke faced the repeated challenge of finding fresh food on the road. He was inspired to fill the void and developed the concept for Farmer’s Fridge: good health starts with what we eat and eating well shouldn’t be hard. Drawing on his entrepreneurial experience, Luke set out to build a disruptive yet simple way to make fresh, healthy food as accessible as a candy bar.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenge on day one was convincing people that you could get restaurant-quality meals from a vending machine. The idea that customers could purchase a salad in a machine typically reserved for salty, sugary snacks was unconventional, but the idea that you would get a fresh, restaurant quality meal that was better than the competition was completely insane. To overcome this hurdle with did everything we could think of, from live plants on top of the Fridge, to rustic reclaimed wood. We also invested heavily in a product that would completely exceed expectations, so dressings were made from scratch, lettuce cut by hand, and we incorporated ingredients you could not find anywhere else. Luke also stood there and told the story to every customer at the very first Fridge for almost a month. As a result, even though it was at a food court between over a dozen other food options, people were choosing Farmer’s Fridge to buy their lunch and coming back every day!
The second biggest challenge was managing the inventory as we scaled the business. We had no problem keeping track and managing supply with one Fridge and a set of very loyal customers, but as we grew this needed to be automated. It was incredibly difficult, but we were able to reduce waste by 80% over the course of 4 years.
Finally, building a team. We are creating a business model that never existed before, so we must build a team of unique, cross-functional efforts very deliberately and then facilitate them to effectively work together. I (Luke) am extremely proud of the team we have built, but it has not been easy.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Founded in 2013, Farmer’s Fridge is a network of 140+ automated smart Fridges stocked with wholesome, chef-curated salads, sandwiches, bowls, snacks and more in just 14-square feet. We aim to remove the roadblocks to eating well on the go, making convenience and customer satisfaction a top priority. Meals are handcrafted in our kitchen, then delivered fresh to Fridges across Chicagoland and Milwaukee.
Farmer’s Fridge is passionate about making wholesome, delicious food simply accessible, so people can live a little happier.
How Farmer’s Fridge Works
Meals are handcrafted in our kitchen and delivered fresh to Fridges—all with our chef’s tasty touch. Automated smart Fridges offer a fresh, revolving menu of over 25 balanced salads, sandwiches, bowls, snacks and beverages. User-friendly touchscreen technology allows customers to explore the menu with ease, pay with a swipe of a credit card and get back to their day in a snap.
Pricing:
- All items in the Fridge are under $10.
- You can get 50% off your first purchase with the following link: https://try.farmersfridge.com/VoyageChicago
Contact Info:
- Website: www.farmersfridge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmersfridge/
Image Credit:
Farmer’s Fridge
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