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New Healthy Vending business


taysha

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Hi!  I bought a healthy vending route (I know, you all think its a bad idea) 3 months ago and I'm looking for help to increase my margins and expand my business.  Here's my story... I worked part-time (10-15 hrs/wk) for a HUMAN franchisee for a year filling machines located in schools and YMCAs.   Boss  was also a realtor and busy mom and decided she wanted out of the business, sold it to me for less than 1 yr gross sales.  Locations are well established,   I know the machines and customers and didn't pay the exorbitant upcharges the healthy vending companies charged their franchisees (boss severed ties with HUMAN before selling business).   

So, I own 8 Jofemar machines, they gross between $2500 and $3500 per month, and I work about 15 hrs/wk.  Its a perfect fit for me as I was a stay-at-mom who can now work while my kids are in school.   I run the business out of my home, buy most of my products from Sam's and Costco (work with 1 distributor), and am making a decent profit from which I have not yet taken a salary.  

I've read that many of you think healthy vending is a bad business, but I would be happy to share my experiences and see what you think.  

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6 hours ago, taysha said:

Hi!  I bought a healthy vending route (I know, you all think its a bad idea) 3 months ago and I'm looking for help to increase my margins and expand my business.  Here's my story... I worked part-time (10-15 hrs/wk) for a HUMAN franchisee for a year filling machines located in schools and YMCAs.   Boss  was also a realtor and busy mom and decided she wanted out of the business, sold it to me for less than 1 yr gross sales.  Locations are well established,   I know the machines and customers and didn't pay the exorbitant upcharges the healthy vending companies charged their franchisees (boss severed ties with HUMAN before selling business).   

So, I own 8 Jofemar machines, they gross between $2500 and $3500 per month, and I work about 15 hrs/wk.  Its a perfect fit for me as I was a stay-at-mom who can now work while my kids are in school.   I run the business out of my home, buy most of my products from Sam's and Costco (work with 1 distributor), and am making a decent profit from which I have not yet taken a salary.  

I've read that many of you think healthy vending is a bad business, but I would be happy to share my experiences and see what you think.  

Doesn't sound like you made too bad a deal, only because you didn't get reamed up front by the Healthy Vending Biz Ops.  While Jofemar is probably the best of the Healthy Vending Herd (which are mostly made in China)  You should keep an eye out for a cheap parts machine (something that has been vandalized would be good as you won't be needing the door anyway).  I say this because you won;t find any local sources for Jofemar parts aside from their dealer in Florida and your lead time could be horrendous.  Aside from that, depending upon your account contracts, you might consider sliding a few of the more less healthy favorites in there to increase your sales.

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1 hour ago, zjtaylor said:

So is there something unique about these machines that makes them better for healthy vending? Or are they just marketed like that?

Not really. they are usually just Combo machines with a fancy wrapper on them but somehow I'd be more comfortable with a machine made in Europe versus one made in China.

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zjtaylor, I don't have any experience with other machines, but the Jofemar vision machines are very reliable, versatile and easy to maintain.  They use conveyor belts and clips instead of coils, so the same row can have 12 bags of chips or 28 fruit snacks or 8 bottles of water, etc.  Width, height and depth can be adjusted very easily.  Price changes and timed lockouts are also easily programmed.  

Misvends are very rare, as there are no coils to get stuck on, and a sensor in the elevator that knows if a product hasn't fallen and will either keep trying or refund money.  I actually watched a 16.9oz water bottle vend today with its spout pointed back towards the trays.  When the elevator tried to rise up, the bottle and elevator got stuck.  So the elevator went back down, the blade knocked the bottle sidways, elevator went back up and delivered the bottle into the bin.  I thought I was going to have to open the machine to fix it, but it self-corrected and my  customer went on his way:)

My machines all have credit card readers and use telemetry/DEX supported by NAYAX, so I know exactly how much product is in the machine at any time.  I prekit all my locations which allows for quick service stops and I just use my minivan, no need for a truck.  Data for commissions is an easy report run from my computer.  And I can update stock levels from an app on my phone.  I really can't fathom not having telemetry!

My machines are approximately 3 yrs old, and to my knowledge the only mechanical issues have been with the card readers.  I have extra extractors, pushers, other miscellaneous parts, plus a card reader and coin mech that prior owner gave to me.  And I did order some rails (to add a tray) from Jofemar that arrived very promptly.  Its a good idea to have a spare parts machine, but since Im running out of my house, I don't really have room to keep one.  I'm hoping to avoid major repairs for a few more years. What kind of preventative maintenance can I do?  

And yes, they did have fancy wraps, but I've had to cover some of it up and they aren't quite as nice looking as they once were.  I'm thinking of having a few of them re-wrapped, perhaps customized with school colors/logos.  

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Keep the cooling decks clean, any vent screens or filters clean and keep them away from the walls for good air flow.  While I'm glad you're having good luck with Jofemar equipment I would still not buy anything built outside the US.  I have too much experience in the business to trust anything from outside the US or even from a few US distributors.  As long as you have good support from your distributor you should be in good shape.

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