Business idea: Fruits and vegetables from vending machine

Unusual vending machines full of fresh fruits and vegetables have become a real hit in the fast food market in the United States. After leaving his job, 27-year-old Luke Saunders decided to start his own business that proved to be profitable already in the first few months, The Huffington Post reports.

According to this U.S. daily, Saunders came up with this idea because he was traveling often for his former job in the manufacturing industry and noticed that the ubiquitous fast food chains offered few if any healthy options.

- My realization was that I could make fresh food and put it in a vending machine without adding any preservatives or other junk and it would taste good - said Luke Saunders.

- The biggest fear I had leading up to the day before it opened was, 'Will anyone buy food from a vending machine like this?' However, it was empty only few hours later - said the young entrepreneur whose products have become recognizable in Chicago.

Saunders' vending machines are stocked every morning with an array of fresh salads and snacks consisting mainly of organic, locally grown produce and assembled at a nearby kitchen just hours before. Whatever is left at the end of each day is donated to a local food pantry.

The salads and sides are packed in recyclable plastic jars that allow their components to be stacked in an order specifically intended to keep the salad fresh: greens on top, cheeses and water-retaining fruits on the bottom, nuts in the middle. Available separately are proteins -- lemon-pepper chicken, tofu, tuna and salmon -- as well as a handful of sides, including Greek yogurt with berries and sliced vegetables with hummus. The salads start at $8, proteins (except salmon) are $2 and the sides cost $4.25.