On the rare occasion when I am willing to diet, I opt for salad bowls, specifically the ones that allow me to customise my meal.
However, there were instances where I wondered: Am I genuinely getting a balanced meal that suits my needs? Moreover, some of these places are often inaccessible as they are usually located at more upscale locations such as the CBD.
This is where local startups come in to fill up the gap, including Hit Refresh, who plans to “revolutionise healthy eating in Singapore” through its autonomous kiosks.
A seamless experience
Hit Refresh’s solution is freshpod—an autonomous kiosk that dispenses “fresh and nutritious” ingredients. Customers can customise their own food bowls by choosing from over 20 ingredients and seven dressings or select from a range of chef-curated bowls.
When Vulcan Post headed down to try some of freshpod’s offerings, we did not expect it to be this easy. The kiosk had a simple interface, making ordering more straightforward and less stressful.
We ordered two bowls, and it only took us five and a half minutes from ordering on the kiosk to collecting them from the pods via a designated QR code.
On top of that, we were given a breakdown of the macros and calories in our order receipts, so we thought it was a good touch, especially for those who want to track their dietary intake and personalise their meals based on their requirements.
Here’s how patrons can order from the autonomous kiosk, where they can either receive their order details on a paper receipt… / Image Credit: freshpod 
Or receive notifications on their phones for convenience. / Image Credit: freshpod 
The receipt also contains nutritional information for your meals, so if you keep track of your calorie or protein intake, this might help you. / Image Credit: Vulcan Post
Keeping things fresh
Given that food and produce in vending machines tend to lose their freshness over time, we were curious about how freshpod stores ingredients in its kiosks.
When we sat down with Joe Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Hit Refresh and freshpod, he shared that the startup worked alongside the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and food scientists and professors from the National University of Singapore to ensure their kiosks can keep food safe and fresh.
“It’s fully refrigerated, between one and five degrees [Celsius] at all times, which prevents bacteria from multiplying. We replenish daily and use air filtration systems to keep the food fresh,” he explained.
In addition, the kiosk’s ingredients are packed in individual “pods,” which prevents cross-contamination to account for customers’ allergies. freshpod also uses its in-house predictive analytics system to track and manage food inventory, allowing easy replenishment to meet real-time demand.
“It takes us about 12 minutes to replenish the entire kiosk of 20 ingredients. So let’s say there is a huge demand for cucumbers, [and during] lunch we see that it’s dropping low, we can easily deploy a pod—we can just install it, and then by dinner time, it’s replenished. So it’s easy for us to do,” added Joe.
Consistency was the goal
It took Hit Refresh three years of R&D and over 200 machine trials to launch the first freshpod kiosk in August 2024.
The first hurdle that stood in the way of launching their autonomous solution was refining their dispensing technology. Different ingredients have varying densities, viscosities, stiction, and sizes, so the company needed to ensure that each component is dispensed consistently.
“What we wanted to achieve was consistency with our bowls; we wanted to provide macros for the bowls for every single user. People want to know how much protein they are getting today? How many carbohydrates are they getting? How much fat is in their bowl?” explained Joe.
Another challenge was developing a flexible, “one-stop-shop” software for their inventory management system. It leverages algorithms to assist in stocking ingredients to track the performance of the kiosks and prevent unnecessary food wastage.
Joe highlighted that depending on the location, different kiosks have varying quantities of specific ingredients, as different communities have specific demands that diversify from one another. “We don’t have to just cookie cut, put the same menu everywhere.”
Growing their fleet
Since launching their first kiosk, freshpod has garnered loyalty from the local office crowd and set up two kiosks at Singapore Science Park and Grab Headquarters at one-north.
According to Joe, their kiosks sell out daily, with 35% of their customers ordering repeat bowls weekly.
The company has also found popularity in an unlikely audience: the elderly. According to Steph Keong, freshpod’s Chief Operating Officer, a 70-year-old staff member working at the Ascent building at Singapore Science Park orders two bowls thrice or four times a week—one for himself, one for his wife.
She added that this surprised the team because when it comes to health food, it’s expected that the typical customer will be a health-conscious worker who goes to the gym. However, there’s a growing consciousness for health food, even among the elderly.
Joe highlighted that one-third of their customers are over the age of 40, and there is an awareness of health issues, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, that are perpetuated by poor diets amongst the Singapore population.
“The demand is there. We are just trying to match up with supply,” he emphasised.
“We have collected data continuously since our launch and are proud [to share] that 36% of customers since the launch at Grab came back more than two times a week, and 8 of 10 would recommend freshpod,” added Steph.
Looking forward, freshpod is working to grow its fleet of autonomous kiosks at universities, schools and high-density condominiums. The company is also working with CapitaLand to launch its kiosks in their buildings and others over the next two years.
According to Joe, the company has 60 locations “already locked in” and is exploring another 40 locations to achieve mass production for Singapore. freshpod is also garnering interest from overseas, specifically Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
As for Hit Refresh, they are looking to develop additional products such as hot food, fruit juice, and many more down the road. “[It’s a] long journey. I don’t think it ever ends,” he joked.
- Learn more about Hit Refresh here.
- Learn more about freshpod here.
- Read more stories we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: freshpod
