Good Bowls at the Penco Factory
Penco work environment
Penco is a manufacturing plant in rural eastern North Carolina. Employees work hard starting at five AM to produce lockers and shelves for our schools and businesses. The food available on site for 160 workers is limited to a bank of vending machines in the lunch room – mostly chips and sodas. That is why the Company President, Mr. Tom Kulikowski, and Ms. Tanisha Baker in Human Resources were excited when we contacted them about making Good Bowls available at an affordable price for Penco workers.
The first Good Bowls vending machine
We retro-fitted an old ice cream vending machine to sell the Good Bowls at $4.50, which is below our production cost for a 12 oz. bowl. Hosting some taste testing sessions and a Good Bowls “Healthy Eating Challenge,” we found that the four flavors were well received. Penco workers reported that they enjoyed the bowls and shared them with their families as well. After being introduced to Good Bowls, workers felt that healthy eating was more attainable for them, felt inspired to eat more vegetables, and even reduced their consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and processed foods!
A happy taste tester going back for seconds
Mr. Nelson buys a Good Bowl for his friend and co-worker
Mr. Kulikowski was an enthusiastic customer and encouraged Penco workers to try the bowls. We had several regular customers, like Mr. Nelson, who often bought bowls for his friends. During the Healthy Eating challenge, we sent daily, upbeat texts with educational nutrition information and reminders about the challenge. We also provided participants with videos about how to make two of the four Good Bowls, emphasizing roasted vegetables as a healthy base to a number of different meals.