The timeline
a brief history of Superior Vending Ltd.

December 1989: Superior Vending began with five small vending machines and a beat-up 1976 Dodge half-ton. Oh, and a dream, but you probably guessed that much already.

March 1990: After a few months of preparation, the first vending machines were placed. Greater things lay ahead, but we all have to start somewhere.

October 1991: Superior Vending began full service vending for SaskFerco, a large fertilizer plant just outside of Belle Plaine. This was our biggest challenge to date, and the resulting customer base allowed us to branch off into snack machines. We are proud to have grown with them and we remain their vendor to this day. SaskFerco also represented our first babysteps outside of Regina.

A few years later, we felt the need to provide more than snacks - and our first cold food machines were introduced. Now, customers could grab a sandwich, pastries, or dairy products - right at work. We began working with a health district approved caterer to provide fresh salads, sandwiches and fruit salads - something unique, fresh, and tasty for our customers. Tired of always brown-bagging it? Give our food service a try.

Sensing that there was a demand, The Lunchbox was started - a mobile catering truck. Now, fresh sandwiches, entrées, drinks, snacks, and more can be brought right to your workplace every day!

October 1, 1998: Superior Vending started a coffee vending service in partnership with Commercial Beverage Ltd of Regina. By offering some of the best coffee that you've ever tasted, we've really come full circle - a total vending package.

July 1, 1999: Superior Vending started handling Moose Jaw's XPress Vending. Over the course of a year, the XPress Vending name was phased out - and Superior Vending became Saskatchewan's largest independent full service vending company.

September 1, 1999: We became Superior Vending Ltd. With five route drivers, one service technician, and that same beat-up 1976 Dodge 1/2 ton, we were prepared to face any challenge to satisfy all our customers.

Then we sold the Dodge. Nobody noticed.

2000: Our drive continued as we entered into an agreement to take over Ex-Cel Vending Ltd of Regina. Along with the Ex-Cel accounts, we were joined by a bookkeeper and a route driver in Cheryl and Tim Hanoski, respectively. Though Tim has since left the vending industry, his contributions to the success of Superior Vending have not been forgotten.

December 2000: We were award the coveted Regina Health District contract. This allows us to provide vending services for hospitals, the Wascana rehabilitation center, and other Regina Health District-controlled facilities. We also expanded our partnership with Commercial Beverage Ltd to provide coffee machines for these locations.

Spring 2003: Superior Vending partnered with Kalyn Katering to set up our own health district approved kitchen! With this state-of-the-art facility, we became the only vending company in Saskatchewan to offer fresh food for cold food vending machines. We even hired a route driver to specialize in fresh food vending. Now, you can enjoy cinnamon buns, muffins, and bagels with your morning coffee. Later on in the day, go for a sandwich, a salad, or a fresh dinner. All of our kitchen products are dated for freshness and safety, and the variety is constantly changing.

And beyond: Superior Vending continued to grow. The kitchen was expanded and a catering menu was created. Moving into a new area, our first ATM was placed. We've moved to new display-front soft drink machines, which allow us to offer a vast array of cans, bottles, juices, bottled water, and sport drinks. We now have seven full-time route drivers, expert technicians, and we can supply almost any type of consumable vending product.

The best is yet to come - Sensing an opportunity to make a positive change, Superior Vending is moving toward the implementation of route management and inventory management software. Vending machines will be able to provide automatic remote status reports (or, in English, “we will be able to use the Internet to see which machines are running low before loading the trucks for the day”). With this information, our drivers will only stop at machines that need filling, and they’ll take only the product that needs to be delivered. In short, well send out our trucks for less time each day, and carry less weight (and burn less gas) in the process - all while keeping the same high standards of service that you’ve come to expect over the past 20 years.

And when we do come to fill your machines, we’ll not only be bringing the snacks and drinks that you’d expect, but also fresh food from our health district-approved kitchen. Enjoy sandwiches, salads, pastries, and much more. In order to meet customer requests, we’re currently working to label and identify our heart-healthy options - that’s one more step forward. Get ready!