Vegan Brand Launches Range of Plant-Based Vending Machine Snacks

Eat Real, a UK-based vegan snack brand, is looking to make healthy snacking more readily available with a new line of vending machine snacks.

Eat Real’s most popular products—Hummus Chips, Lentil Chips, Quinia Chips, Veggie Straws, and Kids Veggie Straws—are now available in individual vending packs at select locations. According to the brand, the distribution will focus primarily on the hospitality, leisure, foodservice, and healthcare sectors in order to “meet the growing consumer demand for plant-based and ‘free-form’ snacking options.”

“The fast-growing interest in health and wellbeing means that healthier eating is no longer a ‘nice to have’ option,” said Debbie King, director of commercial sales and marketing at Eat Real. Healthy eating has been identified as a growing trend among consumers, particularly millennials, a group that has about $1 trillion in buying power.

Featuring options such as crisps made from high-protein, plant-based ingredients like chickpea flour, lentil flour, and quinoa flour, all of Eat Real’s products are vegan, kosher, gluten-free, and lower in fat than traditional chips.

“Millennials are leading the charge by making lifestyle and dietary choices a priority, but consumers generally are increasingly on the look-out for new, healthier snacks that fuel their bodies but don’t compromise on taste,” King continued. Millennials have previously been identified by market experts as having a voracious appetite for snack foods, particularly healthy snack foods.

“The new vending packs not only offer great quality and choice but provide guilt-free snacking that allows people to enjoy great-tasting products while they are on the go. Each product in the range has a different shape, taste and texture and delivers a real alternative to traditional potato crisps.” King concluded.

Eat Real’s focus on offering healthier versions of traditional snacks is similar to the mission of vegan US-based snack company, Hippeas. Last year, the chickpea-based snack brand received an undisclosed investment for a minority stake from Academy-award winner Leonardo DiCaprio. Following that, the company received a $10 million in backing from CAVU Venture Partners. Later that year, the company announced that they were on track to reach $100 million in value after being on the market for just 12 months.

Image source: Eat Real