In Spain, during the summer, the consumption of salads skyrockets by 13%, increasing the number of opportunities for eating out. "With innovative vending machines, you can eat healthy on the go (at airports, train stations or service stations) and at your destination (hotels, ski resorts, spas or golf clubs)," said a representative of Florette Iberica.
Florette Food Service, leader in packed fresh vegetables in the foodservice industry, with a 50% market share, is proposing healthy options to eat better when not at home and a diversification of its points of sale. One of them is the vending channel.
Although for now it represents only a small share of Florette's business, “vending is on the rise, and will grow by 12% in the next 3 years,” says Fermín Aldaz, commercial and marketing director of Florette. "Consumers demand more and more healthy products, and this applies also to vending, which has been traditionally linked to other types of food. At the moment, there is not a single piece of legislation in our country regulating the inclusion of healthy options in vending machines. However, since 2012, Florette has managed to gain some ground in this area, with fresh vegetables in formats adapted for vending,” he says.
Florette Food Service products are present in more than 13,000 points of sale in Spain. “We reach a high number of customers and 'alternative' points of sale thanks to our network of distributors. This makes it possible to find Florette products not only when arriving at your holiday destination, but also during the journey, with, for example, salads in Renfe trains, Alsa buses or some airlines,” says Fermín Aldaz.
According to NPD Group, this channel has grown by 10.5% in the last 4 years; more than the restaurant market (8.8%). According to the same source, in the last year, foods have been gaining ground in vending, being present in 1 out of every 4 opportunities for consumption.
Florette Food Service will grow by 15% in 2019. It has been a strategic division since its inception which will continue to gain weight in the future. According to the company, the division will grow by another 60% in the next 5 years. In addition, the rising demand for healthy options containing fresh vegetables to eat on the go will allow Florette to sell its products in 20,000 stores in Spain by 2020.
