This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 218th installment visiting with Francis O’Hara, Owner/Operator of Big Orange Vending which works with businesses and schools to place vending machines stocked with healthier food options right where they are needed. The machines are 100% free to the business or school and are stocked regularly by myself to ensure the freshest options are always available.
Tell me more about this venture. I am in Healthy Vending to provide Better for You choices that are quick and convenient wherever you are. Healthier foods fuel our bodies in a more sustainable way that help to increase focus and productivity as well as create a healthier school or workplace culture. Customized options and promotions are also available to create a winning solution for everyone.
How did you get started? Vending was something that had always caught my eye. I loved the convenience of getting snacks when I wanted them and a cold drink without having to worry about bringing it myself. One thing that I always saw as an opportunity was the lack of diversity in the snacks offered. They were always Coke or Pepsi and Frito Lays and candy bars. That is why Healthy Vending caught my attention because it provided a focus on better for you products and as a hiker this was the type of food I know that can fuel someone to success,
What is your background? I have been working in the hospitality industry for my entire life starting with restaurants and hotels. Most recently I transitioned to management consulting with a focus on providing clients with plans for healthier campuses of the future. Things like making sure good food was available near employees and students as well as designing campus layouts to promote walkability and community interaction. After hiking the Appalachian Trail twice, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail I wanted to find a way I could still be engaged in this type of work but have the flexibility to explore the outdoors, especially here in East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.
Describe your customers? Anyone! I primarily work directly with businesses to place the machines initially but really anyone that can walk up to the machine is one of my customers. This may be the team at an office or a manufacturing building to students at a local high school.
What impacts your business environment? It is a known trend that people are looking for convenient healthier options to eat every day and at an appropriate price point. This has been helping drive the growth in healthier for you vending. A lot of the products that I can offer are also sustainable and don’t contain harmful additives or GMOs that many people try to avoid every day. The machines are designed to be accessible to everyone and can be programmed to save energy during the night or periods that they are not accessible. Of course pricing is subject to the realities of the larger supply market, inflation, and the sales taxes that are imposed by local government.
What do you enjoy most about this business? Getting to set my own schedule and provide people with products that I truly believe will be a benefit to them and hopefully help them live longer healthier lives.