Local startup Venda Vending, purveyor of asian snacks such as Pocky and Hello Panda, is in the process of expanding from their first vending machine in Factoria.
“I really want to promote diversity and the cool foods that are out there,” said creator Fred Wong, 28. “I grew up on these snacks.”
The vending machines offer an array of asian sweet and savory snacks. Customers can find the popular pre-coated or dip-able thin biscuit sticks Pocky and Yan Yan, snow pea crisps called Saya, or the fruit-flavored fruity candies called Hi-Chew.
Wong says he had had the idea for a few years, and was persuaded to move forward after seeing Pocky being sold at Kirkland-based company Costco. “I just got tired of seeing the same old things in vending machines here,” he said.
After creating a business plan for the vending machines a year ago, Wong launched the first machine at the Marketplace in Factoria in April.
Since the launch, Wong says that sales have surpassed his initial financial forecast. Taking into account a slight fluctuation depending on the shopping season, the Factoria location has raked in around $1,000 per month.
The startup’s second machine at Northgate opened for operations on July 1, and Wong says in the few weeks that the machine has been open for business, the increased foot traffic at the Seattle mall has showed in his sales figures.
With the success of the first two machines, Wong is looking to the future. He says he has two more machines ready to be placed in yet-to-be-determined locations, and hopes to eventually have machines at Sea-Tac airport and some of the local premium outlet malls.
The vending machines have also began gaining social media traffic, with customers and passersby taking and sharing photos on Facebook and Twitter.
Playing into the growing online popularity and his customer base, Wong plans on adding in a social media component to his machine, potentially through emojis or hashtags printed on the side of the machines.
For now, he says he is pleased to see the success of the existing machines and the happiness of his customers.
“I wanted to try to keep the prices affordable, so they could share the joy a little bit,” Wong said. “I’m a bigger fan of growing the business and the brand than making money.”
