Photo: Farmer’s Fridge
Inspired by a healthy on-the-go lifestyle, Chicago entrepeneur Luke Saunders combined his business background and love for food to create a company called Farmer’s Fridge. Saunders founded the healthy, user-friendly, kiosks, also known as “veggie machines.”
The kiosks, which are available in locations throughout Chicago, stock up to seven salad varieties as well as breakfast, healthy snacks and proteins. At the end of the day, all unsold food is donated to a local food pantry.
Photo: Farmer’s Fridge
We chatted with Luke Saunders some questions about the creation of Farmer’s Fridge as well as what he always keeps in his kitchen, his go-to meal and how he likes to celebrate with food for a special occasion.
What inspired you to launch Farmer’s Fridge?
I founded Farmer’s Fridge in October 2013 with the philosophy that good health starts with what we eat and that eating healthy shouldn’t be hard.
I actually had the idea earlier in 2013, but we opened for business in October. The idea was promoted by all the travel I was doing for work [at my family business], and the factories I was visiting. I really started to see an opportunity for the centralized preparation and distribution of healthy food through automated, stand-alone kiosks that could be more widely distributed.
Tell us more about your background.
I ran my first business as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. I ran an on-campus bicycle company called Bears’ Bikes. We owned and rented 150 bicycles on a yearly basis, and we provided maintenance and parts to bicycle owners. One of the biggest lessons I learned was to find the most competitive way you can to add value for your customers, and then charge appropriately for it. We charged more to rent the bicycles than it cost to buy one at the cheapest competitor, but we were much more convenient. We included maintenance and had a shop right on campus, so for many customers it was a no-brainer.
After graduating, I worked for two family businesses on the east coast but was eager to get back to my entrepreneurial roots and to return to the Midwest. I chose Chicago because I believe this city is on the leading edge of new trends in the food industry.
What is your goal for Farmer’s Fridge?
I want to be a leading supplier of healthy, convenient, fast food. I would like more people to be closer to a Farmer’s Fridge than the next closest unhealthy option. We’re in the process of opening 19 new locations in Chicago. I am not sure where we will stop, but at this point we have more machines planned to launch in February than I thought would launch in all of 2014.
Photo: Farmer’s Fridge
Where did you get the jar container idea? And the idea of layered salads for on-the-go?
We took this idea from Pinterest. I was having trouble designing bendable packaging that would look good in the case, and my brother in law told me about what he had seen online. I looked it up, bought a dozen mason jars, and the rest is history.
What are three items that you always have in your kitchen?
We always have lots of fruit to snack on, both dried with no sugar added and fresh. We keep coffee on hand because I can’t start my day without it. We also always have extra Farmer’s Fridge salads from the kitchen. It’s what we don’t have in our kitchen is more unusual. We don’t really keep any processed snack food in our apartment. There are only a handful of items in our kitchen that have more than one ingredient.
What is your go-to meal when you come home after a long day?
I love when I get bring home food from another business that works in our shared kitchen space. When I have time to cook from scratch, I love to make baked salmon with a side of rice and mixed vegetables (whatever is in season).
What is the first thing you learned how to cook?
I hate to admit it, but it was probably Kraft Mac and Cheese. It was actually a decent way to get me interested in cooking and eventually my mother helped me seek out and prepare more complicated dishes. The first real meal I really remember cooking was steak au Poivre, ratatouille and a soufflé. I was taking French [in junior high] at the time and I made it with my mom for a school project.
What is your favorite thing to cook for a special occasion?
I actually prefer to make a lot of [small plates] and have a big spread. For any special occasion, my ideal plan would be to go to the farmers’ market and pick up lots of specialty meats, cheeses and other snacks along with some fresh fruits and vegetables. We usually leave the fruits raw and cook the vegetable in the simplest way we can manage.
I find this more fun because you can try lots of things and eat slowly while you talk about all the different food. The entire process is so fun, from talking to the vendors to mixing up all the flavors. It’s also great whether it’s a big group or just me and my wife.
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