Root + Vine Vending Healthier Snack Options
When in a time crunch, depend on us for healthier snack alternatives and avoid the junk food pushed by conventional vending.
Project Description
Root & Vine Vending's purpose is to provide delicious, healthier food and drink options that are better fuel for people's bodies than the traditional junk food options pushed by conventional vending. My goal is to have machines in various locations throughout Central FL and improve the health and well-being of people in a time crunch or with no alternative. Think of the mom with 2 kids in the ER with only Snickers and sodas for nutrition. The student running from class to class with no time to slow down. The employee that has back-to-back meetings and cannot break away. Please help me to add value to the community by filing a need that is already existing in the marketplace for years! Our motivation to do this business is to provide a service to the community while also building a partially passive income stream for our future. We personally have been in situations before where only sodas and junk food were available to us to eat and drink at times when we actually required healthy foods to feel better. Our ultimate goal is to be able to quit our full-time jobs to focus more on our non-profit. We would ultimately like to get to 40+ machines in operation and hire an employee or two, which also serves the community by creating jobs!
Funding will be used as described below:
| Item | Purpose | Cost per Unit | # of Units | Total Cost |
| Vending Machine(s) | Purchase price of vending machine(s). | $8,900.00 | 10 | $89,000.00 |
| Shipping and Installation | Estimated tax, shipping, and installation at procured locations for each vending machine. This cost varies, so I am unable to get anything more than an estimation. | $500.00 | 10 | $5,000.00 |
| Inventory (Food & Beverage) | This is the estimated cost to initially stock each machine with food and drink. | $350.00 | 10 | $3,500.00 |
| Brand/Logo Creation | This is the cost to pay a graphic design artist to create a brand and logo for the company. A logo with QR code affixed to the machine will be important for business expansion. | $2,000.00 | 1 | $2,000.00 |
| Company Shirts | Professional company shirts with official logo embriordered to serve as identification for employees at the locations where machines are running. They would be worn on days when route is being run. | $30.00 | 4 | $120.00 |
| Route Vehicle | This is an estimated cost for a business vehicle to transport food/drink to each vending machine. This will be the vehicle used to run the route and it will have a logo affixed to it. If it matters, I prefer a Ford Bronco. I have a Kia Soul now with 135K miles on it. | $55,000.00 | 1 | $55,000.00 |
| Storage Unit | This is the cost to rent storage space for inventory on a monthly basis. The 12 units would be for 12 months. | $100.00 | 12 | $1,200.00 |
| TOTAL: | $155,820.00 |
Our Team
CEO & Owner
Gayle Kuby: An inspiring woman who is pursuing her dreams of owning her own company and providing exceptional products for the well-being of her community. Gayle has spent nearly two decades within the corporate world to discover that there is something more that she is called to do. By providing a healthy vending alternative within Central Florida, Gayle's vision of giving back to her community is made more of a reality. By building her brand within the vending machine industry, it will allow her to obtain passive income so she can continue to serve her community with her nonprofit. Gayle is also married to an amazing man named Carl, and they have been happily married 21 years. They work side-by-side trying to make a difference one city at a time.
We want to thank all of our supporter's family, and friends and helping our dreams come true. The time, effort, and funding contributed to our company has been a bridge that conquers the gap between our dreams and our dreams being a reality. Starting a company is tough work and takes funding, with those who have and will support us we are eternally thankful.
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What products are used in the machines?
- Answer: The healthy products we provide are all national name brand items. These are the same products you can find on the shelves of your local health food grocers such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. Many of these healthier products are now going mainstream and can be found on the shelves of traditional grocery stores and even convenience stores. Not only do the products we offer provide healthier alternatives, but they also taste great and people really love eating them!
- What are the features of the machine?
- Answer: Our machines offer:
- Credit/debit card reader in addition to taking cash and coins
- Daily remote monitoring so we know if a product selection is running low
- Energy-saving mode can be used so no power is wasted keeping drinks cold overnight if no employees are working
- Ability to program machine to provide employee discounts (e.g. to reward employees working on weekends)
- SmartCard technology – we can upload/change machine settings quickly
- Capability to add Entrée/Side Dish Vendor to machine for healthy meal options
- Machines are compliant with the 2012 American’s With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines for vending machines
- Machines are proudly made in the USA
- Answer: Our machines offer:
- How many machines can we provide to a business?
- Answer: This depends on several factors. First we need to evaluate the volume of foot traffic on a daily basis. Next, we need to consider if there is competition from other vending machines located in your business if you have any. If these two factors confirm there’s enough demand for an additional machine, we will be happy to supply one to your business. Some locations such as large schools, businesses, colleges, etc. may have enough demand for multiple machines.
- What training have you received?
- Answer: We have gone through extensive training in several areas – including the operation and maintenance of the machine, nutritional guidelines, product management, inventory control, product sampling, etc. But the main thing is customer service – we are here to serve our customers and the patrons of the machine. We will provide customers with a business card and a label on the machine with our local contact information should it ever be needed.
- Can a company choose the products that go into the machine?
- Answer: Yes – your company can be instrumental in the products that are offered. We believe it is important to provide a good variety of healthy products in order to satisfy everyone. We will initially fill the machine with the most popular healthy products selling in our area. Later, we will meet with you to discuss changes to the selections and your suggestions – and may offer some free product sampling events as well.
- How often is the machine stocked?
- Answer: Typically, about once a week. Each machine is equipped with wireless remote monitoring technology so we know if a product selection is running low. If it is determined that it needs to be serviced more often than once each week, we can set up a more frequent service schedule.
- Who stocks the machines?
- Answer: We do. We will monitor, stock and service the machine as often is necessary. We are well trained to ensure that the quality of service provided is far superior to anything you may have experienced before with other machines. We are local residents of the community and are therefore eager to share our commitment to offering healthy products to your employees/customers.
Just Because I Care
Within this package for each $10,000.00 given to Root & Vine Vending your business logo will be placed on one vending machine. For example, if your company sponsors $10,000.00 your company logo will be on one vending machine, if your company sponsors $20,000.00 your company logo will be on two vending machines. Your logo will stay on that one vending machine for life. If there is a scenario down the road where the vending machines are replaced due to upgrades your logo will remain. We will also provide you with locations that our vending machines will be located and you will be able to choose which location you want your logo to be placed that best suits your business. We will also send you a picture of the vending machine with a thank you card with your support.
Rewards
Just Because I Care
Within this package for each $10,000.00 given to Root & Vine Vending your business logo will be placed on one vending machine. For example, if your company sponsors $10,000.00 your company logo will be on one vending machine, if your company sponsors $20,000.00 your company logo will be on two vending machines. Your logo will stay on that one vending machine for life. If there is a scenario down the road where the vending machines are replaced due to upgrades your logo will remain. We will also provide you with locations that our vending machines will be located and you will be able to choose which location you want your logo to be placed that best suits your business. We will also send you a picture of the vending machine with a thank you card with your support.