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Trade junk food for local, chef-prepared cuisine at this Austin-based vending machine

It's their vision to serve locally-sourced food that is nutrient-rich, affordable and comes with the convenience of a vending machine.
Credit: Screengrab of Alpaca Market's website
Alpaca Market is bringing farm-fresh food through the convenience of a vending machine.

AUSTIN — "Farm fresh," "locally sourced" and "chef prepared" aren't terms you normally use to describe food from the vending machine.

But that's because you haven't tried the cuisine Austin-based Alpaca Market is cooking up.

Instead of junk food that has little to no nutritional value, you get fresh food made that day packed with nutrients.

Inside the neon green vending machine sit rows of clear jars filled with healthy foods like the Beauty Bowl.

It's a salad, but check out the ingredients: Beets, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, toasted pumpkin seeds and turmeric-maple-tahini dressing with ground sesame seeds. It's high quality and nutritious. The cost : $9.50.

"We were intentionally price pointing our menu so the college student could eat with us a couple of times a week or the single mom," said Brittaney Kerby, the culinary director and co-founder of Alpaca Market.

Every day at around 3 a.m., the mother of three young children is in the commercial kitchen with Chef Ryan Hildebrand. That's because she is the one who comes up with all the recipes.

Each recipe is tested by all three of her young children.

"Once everyone said they would eat it every day for the rest of their lives I knew it was a winner," said Kerby.

She founded Alpaca Market with her husband, Joe. It's their vision to serve locally-sourced food that is nutrient-rich and affordable.

"Changing the current food paradigm that exists and that food paradigm of 'If you're busy, you can't eat healthy on the go for an affordable price.' We view ourselves as a disruptor," said Joe Kerby.

The idea behind these micro restaurants: Drivers deliver freshly-made salads, snacks and desserts every morning.

"Right now we are partnering with Keep Austin Fed so whatever leftovers we have each day, we get to feed people who can't afford it," Kerby said.

The menu is seasonal, changing four times a year.

It also takes advantage of local produce.

Eventually Alpaca Market will grow its own, starting an aeroponics tower garden in about a month.

Menu prices range between $8 to $9 for entrees and about $5 for snacks.

They have the first two machines rolling out to the Capital Factory Monday with another rolling out to the Jewish Community Center in a couple of weeks.

If you are interested in getting one of these machines in your office or apartment complex, please reach to Alpaca Market at howdy@alpacamarket.com.

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