Jennie Albano initially went on the game show Don't Forget the Lyrics because she wanted to sing in front of a live band. Winning money didn't even cross her mind.

But when she ended up with $100,000, she and her sister, Rebecca, decided to move back to Miami for a fresh start -- and an entrepreneurial venture.

Two years later, their year-old company, Natural Choice Vending, has started distributing all-natural, organic products to local companies and private schools.

The idea was born out of their own experience. Growing up in Key Biscayne and raised as vegetarians, the sisters never had eaten red meat.

``We took tofu sandwiches to school when nobody knew what tofu was,'' said Jennie Albano, 31. ``A lot of the products we have in the vending machine are modern versions of stuff we used to eat when we were little.''

The company's machines are now at 11 locations across Miami-Dade County, at companies like World Fuel Services and The Miami Herald and private schools such as Ransom Everglades and Palmer Trinity.

NICHE APPETITES

The goal, they said, isn't to put the big vending machine companies out of business, but to fulfill another niche for people who really want healthy options.

``We're not trying to come in and kick out their vending and be the star,'' said Rebecca Albano, 34, who handles most of the sales pitches. ``We just want a little space next to them to see if people will eat better. It's just trying to better their employees and their environment.''

The company's machines have the latest technology and are designed to hold larger items. Unlike older machines, these are designed so products don't get stuck. They are stocked full of items like Blue Potato Chips, Cliff energy bars and Cheeze-Its that Jennie Albano likes to describe as ``actually made with real cheese.'' Prices range from about $1 to $1.75 for nutrition bars.

INSPIRATION

Jennie Albano used to live in Los Angeles and said the idea for the company came from her own experience of being stuck at the office, often working late into the night in her job in the film and television industry.

``I just felt like if I had had a machine that was full of real fruit things, real chips, real energy bars, it would have saved my life on a daily basis,'' she said.

The duo buy their own food from organic distributors or directly from companies that have products they like.

The Albanos said that sometimes people may not be familiar with the products they offer. So they often organize free tastings when they first install the machines, giving out samples of different products.

Items like the Cliff bars, already popular with the exercise community, sell well. Each week the two sisters go to locations to restock the machines. They maintain spreadsheets about what's selling where and stock accordingly.

Like most companies, World Fuel Services has corporate wellness programs.

Employees are encouraged to participate in the annual corporate run, are offered gym discounts and can participate in weight-loss contests.

A few months ago, Natural Choice installed three machines at the company's Doral headquarters, where more than 400 people work. Vice-President of Human Resources Sue Rider said having healthy vending machines installed was a natural fit for her company.

``People at World Fuel, especially the corporate office, work a lot of hours,'' said Rider. ``Being able to have good, healthy snacks is important.''

Rider sees the natural vending machines as just another part of the important and cost saving task of keeping employees healthy.

``The more we can do for employees to be healthy, the better it is for everybody.''

Jennie Albano said the company is now at the point where they are thinking about expanding. They're getting calls from Broward County and other parts of the state and know it's not possible for just the two of them to keep up with that, so they are exploring partnerships with larger vending companies.

Still, Jennie Albano said their aim is simply to promote healthy lifestyles and to introduce the food to people who may not normally shop for organic foods in the grocery store.

``Sometimes when we go back to fill the machines, people are walking by, and they say, `Thank you so much, I buy it for my kids now, those pretzels,' '' she said. ``That's the goal.''

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