Bio-Synergy delivers reusability and COVID-19 convenience with UK’s first protein shake vending machine

17 Nov 2020 --- Positioned as a UK-first, sports nutrition company Bio-Synergy is launching a protein shake vending machine at a Manchester branch of pharmacy chain Boots. 

Customers can choose from six different flavors and fill their shake in a 50 percent rPET, fully recyclable cup or refill their own cup.

The vending machine launch arrives at a time when consumption of sports nutrition products is increasing among recreational and lifestyle users, not just the traditional athlete.

Bio-Synergy founder Daniel Herman tells NutritionInsight the vending machine is also in preparation for when the world will inevitably “return to some degree of normality.”

“When the gyms, shops and universities do reopen, the beauty of our machine is it offers completely contactless payment and use. You just wave your finger to make a selection.”

Herman also notes this makes the solution appealing to consumers with hygiene and physical distancing concerns seeking to minimize human contact during the pandemic. 

While retailers are currently struggling to get customers in the door and returning for repeated purchasing, Bio-Synergy offers a product aiming to “create a bit of interest that you can’t replicate online.”

Moreover, the vending machine cuts out “unnecessary transportation and material use,” Herman adds, contributing to a lower carbon footprint.

The vending machine offers contactless payment to abide by current social distancing rules.Human and planetary health boosts
The Bio-Synergy shakes are designed for pre- or post-workout, or as a protein-rich alternative to high-sugar, high-calorie drinks and snacks. 

The Manchester vending machine offers dairy-based protein shakes in strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavors, as well as pea protein shakes in berry, chocolate and peanut. 

The ingredient list is short: filtered water, stevia, natural flavors and colors, and pea or whey protein.

Although milk, the protein choice for conventional ready-to-drink (RTD) shakes, may deliver a healthy protein source, it “isn’t the best if you’re looking for satiety, well-being and the best amino acid profile,” says Herman.

While dairy can provide readily available protein for consumers, plant-based proteins arguably have the upper hand in environmental positionings, Herman previously told NutritionInsight. 

Innova Market Insights highlights that sports nutrition launches witnessed an average annual growth of 23 percent globally between 2015 and 2019. The market researcher consequently sees this space as “no longer a self-contained, specialist segment aimed solely at dedicated athletes.” 

Vending machine advantages
Thanks to the 1 kg protein pouches with a two-year shelf life, the vending machines save water, produce more drinks per kg and reduce waste, compared with conventional RTD beverage packages.

Traditionally, RTD beverages are frozen in containers, which can be very costly – both financially and in terms of shelf life in transportation. 

“We have the initial cost of the machine, but once they are [established in stores,] we can put hundreds of thousands of servings into one container for a fraction of the space,” explains Herman.

The protein shakes, available in both plant-based and dairy, target active consumers, not just traditional athletes.Reusable revolution
The reusability trend is taking off, Herman continues. “Some consumers are more mindful of reusability and those people will organically opt for bringing their own receptacle.” 

He notes active consumers often have a shaker on them and UK consumers are increasingly carrying metal coffee cups with them on-the-go.

“There might be some further adoption, but there will always be people who don’t want to do that.” In those cases, Bio-Synergy offers a 50 percent rPET cup. 

Distribution availability limits the recycled content to 50 percent. Still, Herman is on the look-out for cups with a higher recycled content to keep up with consumer demand for circular packaging solutions.

“This is currently the best option available to us, so that’s what we’ve gone with. But no brand is an island.”

“Innovate or die”
Other prominent developments in the vending machine space include Huhtamaki’s paper cups specifically designed with vending machine operators in mind. The Compacto cups are recyclable and made with fiber from sustainably managed forests.

In 2018, Coca-Cola launched a vending machine concept in China where consumers can purchase beverages, and return and recycle bottles and cans in a bid to combine beverage sales and packaging recycling. 

Notably, activists from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Circle Economy and the German Environmental Agency have previously outlined to PackagingInsights how reusable models provide an effective means of reducing single-use plastic pollution.

The ambition is to bring the vending machines to more UK retailers, forecourts and gyms to cater to increasing demand. The company has garnered interest from international retailers as well.

“Innovate or die” is Herman’s motto. “You can’t just sit on your hands and wait for the world to come to you. You’ve got to look at what’s going on around you and react to that. More so now than ever,” he maintains.

By Anni Schleicher