From a bag of samples to repeat pallet orders, an NHS rollout and an AVS award, Doughlicious is demonstrating how product innovation can create new opportunities in vending…
When Doughlicious visited Vendex North as a visitor in November 2025, the company was exploring the potential of a new market for its indulgent cookie dough products. Less than a year later, it has established a growing vending presence, secured repeat orders from operators and won Best Snack Product at the 2026 AVS Awards.
The company officially launched into vending at Vendex Midlands in March, marking the start of a rapid progression from newcomer to an increasingly established supplier to the channel.
The award provides welcome recognition, but the commercial progress made in the months since launch offers perhaps the clearest indication of the opportunity Doughlicious sees in vending.
Since entering the vending channel, Doughlicious has secured distribution with established operators including The Vending People and Beyond Meals, alongside wholesale listings such as ARN. Encouraging initial trials have developed into wider distribution and repeat orders, demonstrating growing demand for the brand’s Soft Baked Cookies.
For Doughlicious, the first months in vending have provided valuable evidence of how its products can perform in different operating environments, from conventional vending estates to NHS locations.
‘While expanding our distribution remains important, we see vending as more than another route to market’, said Nitesh Mahtani, Foodservice Sales Director at Doughlicious. ‘In fact, we view the channel as an opportunity to understand changing consumer behaviour and develop products specifically suited to the way people buy and enjoy snacks from machines.’
‘Cookie dough is an increasingly interesting format in this context. Offering an alternative to conventional confectionery and traditional packaged snacks, it brings a distinctive combination of texture, flavour and indulgence to the vending offer.
Our challenge is to translate that appeal into formats that work within the practical constraints of vending equipment, while retaining the product experience that consumers expect from the brand.’
At the heart of the proposition is taste. ‘Doughlicious is not positioning itself as a health brand, but as an indulgent snacking business that combines flavour with greater dietary inclusivity,’ Nitesh says. ‘All our products are gluten-free, with vegan options available within the range; giving operators the opportunity to offer something distinctive while catering to consumers with different dietary requirements.’
The journey from Vendex visitor to exhibitor captures the pace of Doughlicious’ progress. In November 2025, the company was introducing itself to the vending industry with a bag of samples. By the time it returned to the channel at Vendex Midlands in March, it was ready to make a formal launch. Six months later, an AVS award and a growing base of distribution relationships have provided a platform for further development.
‘The next stage for us will be about building on that foundation’ Nitesh says, ‘by strengthening operator relationships, expanding availability and bringing new formats to market that respond to the specific opportunities vending presents.’
For Doughlicious, the ambition is not simply to secure more machine placements. It is to help broaden the range of products available through vending, demonstrating that the channel can accommodate fresh ideas and new approaches to snacking.
Beyond their ambient cookie range, Doughlicious is also exploring opportunities within frozen vending for their Tear & Share Gelato Bites, as operators increasingly look to offer consumers a wider variety of snacking occasions.
Nitesh says ‘Winning Best Snack Product was a fantastic endorsement of what we’ve achieved in a relatively short period. But what excites us most is the opportunity ahead – continuing to build distribution, strengthening our partnerships with operators and bringing products to the channel that offer consumers something genuinely different.’
- Nitesh and his team will be on Stand 36 at Vendex North, Doncaster Racecourse, on November 11.
- Keep an eye out for our specialist review team report who is sampling Doughlicious ahead of Vendex!
- Read more about Doughlicious on Planet Vending here
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