Each year Time Magazine compiles a list of outstanding products, tools, technologies and more in its roundup of the best inventions of the year. And this year, a Chicago startup that makes healthier vending machines cracked the list.
On Thursday, Farmer's Fridge was named as one of Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2019 for its vending machines that dispense healthy meals and snacks. Items include things like a smoked cheddar Cobb salad or an almond butter oats bowl, and cost about $7 each.
The company currently has more than 400 vending machines located throughout the U.S. in places like hospitals, universities, airports and office buildings. The food is prepared in the company’s Chicago-based kitchen, and Farmer’s Fridge uses a predictive algorithm to make sure each location is stocked to optimize demand and minimize waste.
Introducing the Best Inventions of 2019: 100 innovations making the world better, smarter and even a little more fun https://t.co/e2IKoKzC2b pic.twitter.com/8NWOczPWyr
— TIME (@TIME) November 21, 2019
Farmer's Fridge may just now be hitting Time's radar, but the startup has been at this for the last six years. It has raised more than $40 million in venture funding, and its backers include Innovation Endeavors, a venture firm founded by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt; Cleveland Avenue, a food-focused VC firm led by former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson; and Danone Manifesto Ventures, the investment arm of Danone yogurt.
Earlier this year, Farmer's Fridge moved into a new 50,000-square-foot production facility on the South Side after outgrowing its 8,000-square-foot kitchen in the West Loop.
Farmer's Fridge joins products like the Apple AirPods Pro, Oculus Quest and a heated razor from Gillette on Time's list. Last year Time recognized Chicago startups SpotHero and Cameo on its list of "Genius Companies."
