We’re always on the look our for vending machine friendly snacks that tick the ‘healthier’ box without compromising on taste or texture. So, when some samples from JIMMY’s arrived at PV Towers, we were eager to see what all the fuss is about. Fuss? Well, who knew that JIMMY’s Pre Popcorn is a European market leader?
To the product. JIMMY’s tells us that it has consolidated its presence in vending with the two classic flavours of JIMMY’s Pure Popcorn to the UK – Subtly Sweet and Sublimely Sweet Popcorn – that landed on our desks this week. ‘We use an ingenious ingredient, chicory beet root fibre, which is a natural alternative to sugar’, Director Steve Seddon told us on the phone. ‘The upshot is that Pure Popcorn is one of the healthiest popped products available on the market.’
The facts tend to substantiate the claim: each bag contains fewer than 100 calories, which means it falls within the government’s new Change4Life guidelines and complies both with CQUIN for Public Health England and the Healthy Living Award for Scotland. ‘It’s ideal for vending machines in schools and hospitals’, Steve said. We’ve created a pack of popcorn that is truly healthy, not just an exercise in portion control. We’re incredibly proud of our low-calorie, sweet-tasting snack and we are delighted with how well the products have been received in the vending sector.’
JIMMY’S 25g/24g packs will be squeezed into a square sized sachet to enable it to vend far more efficiently than the taller packs of competitors, which we understand to be either standard grocery sachets or content from multi-packs. ‘We thought long and hard about about the vending sector and because it’s so important to us we designed a specific format’, Steve said. ‘Product quality is at the heart of our philosophy, and ensuring that every popped kernel leaves at the same high standard is achieved through an intense monitoring process at our purpose-built factory in Rotterdam. We’re convinced that healthy snacking is going to grow, especially when ‘healthy’ doesn’t mean having to compromise on taste.’
And yes, they taste great. Let’s hope there are more new flavours on the horizon for us to sample…
More on JIMMY’S on PV & OCS is HERE
Have you got a healthy snack ready for the UK’s vending machines? Then get in touch: decisions@planet-vending,com
