Anora Morton had been waiting on last Friday for months, years, even.
Not for the glorious end to the traditional work week, but because of what the day represented: A milestone for her startup, The Nori Project.
Morton unveiled the first of what should be many Japanese-style vending machines that will be located throughout the Louisville metro area at a launch party on June 7 that also doubled as a Black Founder Exhibition at Story Louisville, located at 828 E. Market St.
I first found out that The Nori Project’s first machine would be installed at the new home of Story, when I went on a tour of the venue with its founder, Natalia Bishop, in April.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Morton told me a few hours before the event.
The first round of machines that were shipped from overseas were scheduled to arrive in Louisville near the beginning of the year, but did not appear until late April (due largely to canals being shut down as a result of the Palestinian-Israel conflict). Morton did not disclose the machine’s origins, but when I initially profiled in March 2023 she had told me that she had been in contact with a manufacturer based in China.
Guests on Friday were afforded the opportunity to sample cuisine that would possibly be available in the machine, which has the ability to warm up a selected dish in approximately 45 seconds for the hungry customer. The machine has the ability to serve both hot dishes (salmon, rice and broccoli, for instance) as well as cold items, such as salads.
The initial offerings in the machine would then be determined largely based on the feedback that the attendees provided.
“Everything that everybody’s going to eat is going to be a version of what they could expect to see in the machine,” said Morton, who is a member of Story Louisville. “We’re using this launch as a party to celebrate getting started, but by the same token, we’re collecting data to see what people like [and] what they don't like.”
The food is being made through a partnership with Zest, the for-profit arm of Feed Louisville, a non-profit entity that provides food to those in need through a number of partnerships with community organizations. Zest includes catering among its services.
Morton added that the goal is to keep everything that is available in the machine — “chef-crafted, artisan healthy meals” in Morton’s words — under $15. The hope is to have the first machine fully stocked by July 1.
Where the next machine will be located is still to be determined, but Morton said she has been in several conversations about this topic.
Although her initial focus was to put the machines in food desert locations in West Louisville, in particular, she wants to have the machines all over the metro area, before expanding into other states. She did mention that machines set up in high need areas would have subsidized prices.
Furthermore, any unsold food would be donated before its expiration.
“I wouldn’t say that my focus has changed, but my focus has matured,” Morton said. “It’s very important to me that I give back, so we do have a social justice component of giving back to those food-insecure communities.”
Since my initial conversation with her, she said that having the machines at her grasp has turned her into a bonafide “hardware tech founder.” She initially had the idea to start would what would become her company after a trip that she took to Japan in 2019 as a student at the University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law in August of that year.
“I was before, but now it’s real. I’ve got this thing in my hand. I’m pulling data. … So I just feel a lot wiser than I did a year ago, and I feel more confident because … everything seems to be going as smoothly as possible, even with the delays,” she said.
The Nori Project has raised $125,500 since its founding with major contributions from Keyhorse Capital via the Wild Accelerator and $100,000 from Render Capital’s Reconstruct Challenge in 2023 under the “Food Justice” category. Feed Louisville was also one of the recipients.
Morton said that in addition to angel investors, her company is seeking out meal, food and produce producers as well.
In addition to the launch, the event provided a platform for several fellow Black founders in Louisville who had displays set up in the building. Those companies were Capsoul, Black UX Labs, JoBe Products, Kentucky Greens Co. and Black Business Boxes — the first two of which were a part of the same Wild Accelerator in 2023 that she attended. That accelerator is chaired by Bishop.
“When I envisioned the Nori launch, I envisioned adding my friends too,” Morton said.
