Prepared-meal startup UpMeals has launched it first SmartVending machine at a residential property in Vancouver.
Devonshire Properties’ Beach Towers in English Bay is now home to a newly installed machine will give the 1,000+ residents access to custom curated healthy meals available in the lobby of the building, 24/7.
The SmartVending hardware is a refrigerated machine installed in the Larch Tower lobby, located at 1600 Beach Avenue, with an interface customized to reflect Devonshire’s branding.
Residents will be able to grab healthy options on their way to work in the morning, have a freshly prepared entrée in the evening and have access to healthy treats and snacks throughout the day. The SmartVending machine will also hold 25 percent of items that are daily necessities, such as laundry cards, detergent, and toothpaste.
SEE ALSO: UpMeals Raises $800K To Expand Its Proprietary Meal Vending Software
The healthy meals are delivered to the machine at a regular cadence to ensure ultimate freshness. Devonshire Properties will have the ability to monitor their SmartVending machine remotely, create plans for meals nearing their expiry date and build menus based on the popularity of food items. Any meals that are not sold within their freshness time frame will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
To curate the menu, residents of the Beach Tower property participated in a survey provided by UpMeals identifying the goals and benefits they want to achieve with the meals and snacks available to them.
“Many residential rental buildings in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland are looking for ways to ensure tenants are looked after, happy, and healthy, especially as we continue to navigate the pandemic,” said Drew Munro, Co-Founder and CEO of UpMeals.
“Devonshire Properties has seized an opportunity to disrupt the rental market by offering this value-add to their tenants. Working on this install has been a collaborative process with the tenants. We saw surprising results from our survey with them that aligned with healthier eating habits, higher energy levels, and increased protein intake. We’re excited to provide them with a menu that helps meet these goals in their day-to-day lives.”
The SmartVending solution is the first of its kind to be offered as an amenity in a residential building. Devonshire has plans to customize and install SmartVending machines in other properties throughout the Lower Mainland.
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