Fresh Healthy Vending Catches on in the Dairy State

Eau Claire, WI, December 21, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Fresh Healthy Vending, the San Diego based franchisor, has entered into agreements with local entrepreneurs to place their trademark healthy vending machines in Wisconsin schools and commercial venues.

The firm currently supplies healthy snack foods and beverages through local franchisees to over 1,800 dedicated healthy vending machines in thirty-one states.

Ms. Alex Kennedy, VP of Sales for Fresh Healthy Vending, hails the agreements as fresh evidence that the healthier snacking concept—so natural to the Southern California lifestyle—is making impressive inroads in America’s heartland. “These latest successes show that utilizing happy franchisees to spread the word about healthier snack vending is a winning business strategy,” she says. “And it’s one obvious way to confront the obesity epidemic plaguing our nation.”

Wisconsin franchisee Wade Bergner, an avid outdoorsman who enjoys mountain biking and cross-country skiing, recognizes the positive impact nutrition can have on health, and wanted to do something positive for his community.

“My wife Kelly and I set parameters for our own two sons (ages 9 and 7) early on, so that good nutrition became a natural part of their lives,” says Bergner. “Along with understanding the need for regular exercise, eating balanced meals and avoiding junk foods are concepts we wanted them to embrace.”

Before launching his Fresh Healthy Vending company this past summer, Bergner spent two decades supplying books and other educational materials to school districts. He was therefore familiar with community concerns that schools weren’t always setting the best example by allowing junk food snacks to be sold on school grounds.

A newspaper article about a school district which proactively replaced junk food vending machines with those of Fresh Healthy Vending, sparked his curiosity. Research into the firm’s philosophy and their catalog of healthier snack offerings resulted in a new career direction for Bergner—one which sees him visiting schools, commercial malls and business offices spreading the word that better snack choices really do exist.

Something others in his semi-rural area have come to appreciate.

“Healthier snack foods certainly fit well into our determination to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students,” says Michael Bruning, principal at nearby Mondovi High School. “Students and staff like the new snack choices available; and we look forward to putting to use the profits our machines are generating.” Schools typically get to keep a percentage of sales for each vending machine hosted.

Chippewa Valley Family YMCA coordinator Kelsie Rouleau adds that mothers especially are “quick to spot and appreciate” the healthier snack offerings.

Fresh Healthy Vending’s lengthy assortment of fresher and healthier snacks includes some of the biggest niche food makers in the industry: Odwalla, Vitamin Water, Bolthouse Farms, Stonyfield Farms, Horizon Organic Milks, Clif Bars, and Honest Teas to name a few.