The first Fruitbar fresh fruit vending machine was launched in Australia last week by Fresh Partners and Mackays, offering patients and workers at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital a healthy snack alternative.
“We’re giving the Mars Bar experience to a piece of fruit,” Fresh Partner’s Mike Evans told Fruitnet. 'We consider ourselves in the snack food category, competing with chocolate bars, flavoured milk and pies – the convenient snacks you'll find at service stations.'
Evans says two more Fruitbar vending machines will be running in the next two weeks, with more expected in coming months, targeting offices, schools and hospitals. “We’re focusing on public places where access to fruit and vegetables is limited,” said Evans.
With stock from the machines rotated once or twice a week and left over stock donated to the Foodbank charity, Evans said Fruitbar are working with a team of growers, buyers and packing organisations to ensure quality produce that tastes great makes it into the machines.
Financed by Mackays, who launched the Bananabar vending machines twelve months ago, the Fruitbar vending machines are building on the positive response from the six banana vendors operating across Brisbane, which left consumers wanting more options when it came to convenient fresh fruit snacks.
The vending machines offer locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables including Mackays bananas, Jazz apples and Hass avocados.
