Annapolis, MD – Oct. 15, 2014 – The City of Alexandria has made a full commitment to good health for its residents and visitors and awarded its first and only healthy vending contract to Annapolis, MD-based Vend Natural, announced Vend Natural’s CEO William H. Carpenter, Jr. This decision comes on the heels of the City’s bold choice to remove all soda and unhealthy snacks from their buildings throughout Alexandria.
Vend Natural was selected for its successful track record in the healthy vending industry, its environmentally sound, state-of-the-art machines and supporting technologies, and its extensive array of natural and organic snacks and drinks. Vend Natural is the oldest healthy vending company in the industry and specializes in providing municipalities, schools, universities, hospitals and businesses with healthier snacks and drinks to combat skyrocketing rates of obesity for both adults and teenagers.
“We are proud to be on the forefront of initiatives aimed at improving the health of our residents and employees,” said Dr. Stephen Haering, Alexandria’s Health Director. “We believe this commitment to good health is a central part of our duty to the people who live, work and visit our great city.”
The City’s award entails Vend Natural installing its dual-zone machines – that carry both snacks and chilled drinks – in the majority of the City’s municipal buildings, including fire and police stations, recreational centers, the health department and more. The high-tech and brightly colored Vend Natural dual-zone machines will carry a wide selection of both refrigerated drinks and ambient temperature snacks such as all natural chips and popcorn, low fat health bars, natural coconut water and more. The City of Alexandria will receive a full range of gluten-free, sugar free, high protein and lower fat products as well an assortment of Del Monte fresh fruits, yogurt, organic fruit smoothies, cottage cheese and hummus. The machines will be installed in October and an early November ribbon-cutting is scheduled to make this change public.
Commenting on the their selection as healthy vending partner to the City of Alexandria, Vend Natural CEO William Carpenter said, “We are proud to be partnering with Alexandria in its move to eliminate unhealthy snacks and beverages. There is no doubt that the City is setting a strong standard and sending a clear message that will be emulated by others. We commend Alexandria for its vision, and we are committed to a long-lasting and successful partnership,” said Carpenter.
Vend Natural was formed to address the declining health of our nation and skyrocketing teenage and adult obesity rates by providing healthier snacking alternatives to schools, hospitals and businesses. The company’s mission is to support improved eating practices by offering healthy products that are easily accessible and affordable to everyone.
Vend Natural is the only healthy snacking company in the country that not only partners with business owners coast to coast, but also owns and operates its own machines in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. This enables the company to test new equipment and products before full roll-out and provides an experience- honed training and customer service operation for its distributors. “We don’t just ‘sell’ the business; we are in the business, which makes us significantly more knowledgeable about what works and what doesn’t,” said Mr. Carpenter. Vend Natural also enjoys a relationship with Del Monte Fresh Produce to provide customers with fresh cut apples, pineapples, carrots, celery, bananas and more.
About Vend Natural
Vend Natural is America’s oldest and fastest-growing healthy snacking company and is based in Annapolis, Maryland. The company was inspired by the vision of helping to transform eating patterns by providing healthy snacking alternatives in convenient vending locations across America. Specializing in placements in schools, hospitals and businesses, Vend Natural currently operates in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The company’s commitment to growth is based on selecting sound locations, highly motivated distributors who share the vision for a healthier America and attracting, retaining and delighting customers who discover healthier products at exceptional values.
The company is known for its innovative and environmentally-sensitive vending machine design offering state-of-the art, dual temperature-zoned, energy efficient machines that hold a large variety of both natural organic snacks and beverages. Vend Natural is also known for its fresh, bright, signature machine graphics featuring large, appealing illustrations of grapes, raspberries and its tag line, “Snack Better. Live Better.” Vend Natural was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year award in Maryland for 2010. For more information, visit www.vendnatural.com.
