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Luke Saunders was a traveling salesman looking for something healthy to eat. Cruising in his Subaru, he realized something: Most on-the-go food options are unhealthy. In 2013, he launched Farmer's Fridge to make fresh, healthy food as accessible as a candy bar.
He looked toward a classic candy bar delivery method: vending machines. It was a way to put food in places that restaurants couldn't go, available 24 hours a day. Now, CEO Saunders says Farmer's Fridge has over 1,500 locations across the U.S. and more than $10 million in 2023 sales.
But people still don't expect salads from vending machines. When Saunders first started out, he learned about brand strategy from business podcasts. He shared what he's learned and applied in his business over the years in a recent live-stream event on Inc.com.
Great brands are consistent in their message and mission internally and externally, says Saunders. Tell everyone your mission so they can continue to hold you accountable. You want everyone from your customers to your employees to understand the promise you are making as a company. For example, Saunders wants his drivers to know just as much as he does. This way, while restocking a fridge, they can explain to a customer where the food comes from, how it's stored and transported, and why it matters.
Saunders doesn't limit this message to his employees. He says in the early days of Farmer's Fridge, he would walk potential investors through the production environment. As they toured the production facility, he looked out for people trying to cut corners on the product or questioning food safety practices.
These comments indicated that these potential investors were not aligned with what he was trying to build. Being honest about your brand may shrink the pool of available investors, Saunders says. "But ultimately you want to have people who are really aligned," he says.
Nearly all of the marketing Farmer's Fridge does is simply the fridge itself, says Saunders. "We don't have people, that's the entire point. It's just you and the fridge," he says. The brand has only a split second as customers walk by to communicate that they should try out its food offerings.
The Farmer's Fridge machines with their angled shapes and wood panel designs don't look like traditional vending machines. The logo is made of cut-out lettering to evoke a sense of fresh-cut farm-grown food. The display has no spiral holders so the only thing the customer sees is fresh, beautiful food. These features are designed to grab attention and get consumers to slow down and try out Farmer's Fridge.
It's essential to have a brand that not only communicates its core message quickly and efficiently, says Saunders, but also fulfills that core brand message so customers trust your business and return. Today, Farmer's Fridge is trying to reduce the barrier to that first meal purchase even more. It's offering the first meal free, so customers can try it and let the food speak for itself.
What's next for Farmer's Fridge? Saunders and his team are now rethinking the brand strategy for the company's next 10 years of growth.
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The Founder of Farmer's Fridge Shares His Strategy for Building His Startup's Brand Narrative
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01.03.2024
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Luke Saunders was a traveling salesman looking for something healthy to eat. Cruising in his Subaru, he realized something: Most on-the-go food options are unhealthy. In 2013, he launched Farmer's Fridge to make fresh, healthy food as accessible as a candy bar.
He looked toward a classic candy bar delivery method: vending........
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