December 2021 - 25

cafeterias and transition to prepackaged
foods sold through vending
machines and micro markets. This
move enables on-demand feeding of a
downsized workforce and can satisfy
not only lunch and dinner, but also be
an easy take-home dinner fix, eliminating
the need to stop in transit.
With restrictions continuing
E.A. Sween
to ease, today's consumers remain
hyper-conditioned to get more done
in less time when out and about in the
COVID-19 era. Many are back to their
pre-pandemic routines and looking for
food that fits into their busy schedules
and makes both their home and work
lives easier. And vending and micro
market operators and their suppliers
are rising to the occasion.
TRIED, TRUE AND NEW
E.A. Sween Co., founded in 1955
and located in Eden Prairie, MN, has
stood the test of time as a convenience
food pioneer. It's a recognized
name in vending and micro markets.
Its signature Deli Express and
Market Sandwich lines stay closely
attuned to consumers' ever-changing
preferences with a constant focus on
quality and variety.
Newest to its lineup are premium
breakfast sandwiches and other ontrend
additions to the Market Sandwich
line in response to consumer
demand for more premium options.
Breakfast on the go has been a
booming segment but declined sharply
during COVID
quarantine while
many consumers
stopped commuting
to work.
Technomic's May
2021 " The New
State of C-Store
Foodservice " report
found that 57%
of c-store retailers
had reduced their
number of breakfast
"
Consumers are
stopping during
morning hours to grab
breakfast items but
also picking up lunch
options. "
Melissa Hanson, E.A. Sween
items as a result, but 75% said they
expect to increase item counts in the
coming year.
Convenience service operators
can meet the anticipated upswing
in demand with E.A. Sween's new
upscale Market Sandwich breakfast
line. Packaged with a clear window
to showcase the product, they are
microwave and warmer safe. Top
sellers include 6-oz. omelet with ham
and cheese on a croissant and 6.3-oz.
sausage and jalapeno bacon with egg
and cheese on a biscuit.
Also new to the Market Sandwich
lineup are artisanstyle
flat sandwiches,
formulated with
less bread and more
flavor. All have a
21-day shelf life.
" At the beginning
of the pandemic,
consumers
spent a lot of time
at home, " recalled
E.A. Sween's Melissa
Hanson. " Cooking
at home for all meals
E.A. Sween
December 2021 * VendingMarketWatch.com 25
became the norm. As the pandemic
progressed, they shifted to purchasing
convenient prepared items and
bringing them home for meals including
ready-to-eat sandwiches that are
safely made and packaged tightly.
Prepackaging gives consumers confidence
in their safety and freshness. "
As restrictions have eased, consumers
continue to look for " safely made "
options, she added.
BACK TO BUSINESS
As consumers begin to move back to
their offices and resume more routine
schedules, E.A. Sween has seen readyto-eat
sandwich demand continue as
consumers remain focused on limiting
their number of stops. Purchasing
food at their workplace vending
machines and micro markets is a
simple way to do so.
According to Hanson, " food as
medicine " is a key theme stemming
from the pandemic, with consumers
seeking fare that is beneficial to
their health, including less fried and
processed food and products that are
high in protein. In addition, purchase
patterns increasingly center around
breakfast options all day long.
" Consumers are stopping during
morning hours to grab breakfast items
but also picking up lunch options, "
Hanson observed. " Concerns about
COVID-19 are still real, and the fewer
stops someone makes limits exposure
to other people and the virus. "
LABOR SHORTAGE
DRIVES DEMAND
Despite the growing popularity of
breakfast on the go, the lack of labor
http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com
December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2021
