Daily Blends is an AI tech powered food startup offering convenient, affordable, delicious, and healthy food through smart vending machines—founded by sisters Shriya and Purva Gupta.
Both have an entrepreneurial background and experience from working in their family owned restaurant before diversifying to AI, tech, and retail. The Edge, A Leader’s Magazine spoke with the sisters about their expertise in AI, and their passion for clean, healthy food.
What inspired this phenomenal innovation of AI powered smart vending machines offering food on the go?
Shriya Gupta: In the last three years there has been a massive shift in consumer behavior. The demand for healthy food is off the roof, and people are increasingly looking for more convenient options. That’s why our AI powered solution is the perfect fit to address the problem.
Purva Gupta: Having a background in technology and AI, we thought that it could be married with this element of having fresh food available 24/7 through our vending machines, and that’s how the concept came into being.
What would you say are some of the health benefits of Daily Blend meals?
Purva Gupta: Daily Blend is all about making healthy food accessible on the go with our technology. Our meals cater to a wide variety of dietary needs and preferences like vegan, halal, gluten-free. For example, our butter chicken with basmati Rice actually has no butter or cream in it, it is made using coconut milk. Coconut milk is a great source of antioxidants, potassium, magnesium.
Shriya Gupta: The secret sauce is getting this fresh food to the customers in the shortest amount of time in the freshest form. That is exactly where AI comes in, we are using AI to get a lot of insights and to build a highly optimizing agile supply chain, to make this whole operation possible.
Can you tell us more about some of the products that you offer?
Purva Gupta: We have multiple categories of products, from breakfast bowls to snacks, and lunch option bowls. We also have salads, and plates with large portion meals to get you throughout the day. We have breakfast bowls like peanut butter chocolate chia, which is the new favorite. We have energy bowls like the mango tapioca pudding, which is one of our bestsellers too. We also have jerk chicken with mango salsa, a pesto pasta, and in our salads, the Greek salad is our bestseller.
Shriya Gupta: We also have a bunch of gluten-free options, like our spicy tofu with Japchae and kimchi. A lot of customers these days prefer gluten-free options.
Which locations are Daily Blends vending machines currently available?
Shriya Gupta: We are spread all over GTA, we have over 10 plus locations spread across transit stations, hospitals, universities, and offices. Right from Union Station and downtown, to Highway 407, to the Brimley Go Station, and Kipling. We are getting another hundred locations. In the coming few months you’ll be seeing these fridges everywhere.
How do you maintain profit while dealing with the costs associated with scaling up?
Shriya Gupta: Our AI solution is solving a real-world need. That’s why we have strong interest from investors, and that’s how we were able to raise $2 million from our investors. We have been getting a lot of interest from investors, which will further help us fund the company.
As young women of color, setting up a huge venture especially in the tech space, how has that positively impacted your circle of community?
Purva Gupta: We are strong supporters of women in technology. Many young women reached out to us through our social media channels, like LinkedIn and Instagram. They have been cheering us on and supporting us along the way, we are very glad to have that solid support. We are true believers that women can excel in any field, let alone technology. Through Daily Blends, social media and communication channels, we strive to build an inclusive and thriving community of people who believe that healthy food can be made accessible to everyone out there.
What would you say has been your biggest success story so far since inception?
Purva Gupta: We immigrated to Canada in the middle of COVID. In a very short period of time, we made solid partnerships with some of the biggest organizations in the world. We were able to address and readily make fresh, healthy food available, where it was not as accessible. Making this available through the technology that we are creating, and solving a real-world challenge is the biggest success for us.
Shriya Gupta: Just to add in the fact that our technology is actually moving the needle, it’s one of the biggest successes.
What other innovative ideas are in the pipeline for you both? What should we be on the lookout for from both of you?
Shriya Gupta: What is coming up is a lot of growth, and that’s the exciting bit. The team at Daily Blends is one of the most experienced teams in AI, and that is the core building block that has helped us work towards this vision to use technology to solve a problem.
Purva Gupta: We are daily striving to provide healthy, fresh food and make it accessible to a larger audience out there. All our efforts are towards that.
Leo Ikeson | Contributing Writer
