# 017: Healthy Instant Noodles & Cutting-Edge Vending Machines with Damien Lee of Mr. Lee's Noodles

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2016-09-06
- Length: 50m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr
- Listen: http://theproductstartup.com/tps017-damien-lee-mr-lees-noodles/

## Summary

Damien Lee, founder of Mr. Lee's Noodles, explains how he developed a healthy, gluten-free instant noodle and a proprietary smart vending kiosk after surviving stage 4 cancer. He secured a landmark contract with Compass Group to deploy these kiosks on UK university campuses, bypassing traditional supermarket channels to avoid price wars. Lee details the technical specifications of the cashless, touchscreen-enabled machines that capture demographic data for targeted advertising. The episode highlights his strategy of locking up high-traffic real estate with major contract caterers to establish market dominance before expanding internationally.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=0) Introduction: Damien Lee and Mr. Lee's Noodles
- [2:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=156) Cancer Survival and the Origin of Mr. Lee's Noodles
- [14:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=892) Developing the Smart Noodle Kiosk and Compass Group Contract
- [25:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=1515) Strategic Market Positioning and Competitor Analysis
- [34:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=2095) Kiosk Technology, Data Capture, and User Experience
- [41:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-06-017-healthy-instant-noodles-cutting-edge-vending-machines-with-damien-lee-of-mr#t=2515) Product Expansion, International Rollout, and Advice

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Mr. Lee's Noodles (product)
- Compass Group (company)
- Bournemouth University (company)
- Design Gadgets (company)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Indiegogo (other)
- Aramark (company)
- Sodexo (company)
- Amazon (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Gluten-Free Noodle Chips: Lauryn Bodden, S’noods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-04-12-gluten-free-noodle-chips-lauryn-bodden-snoods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [350 - Beyond the Dieline - Dr Juan from PNuff Crunch joins Tom Seymour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-05-27-350-beyond-the-dieline-dr-juan-from-pnuff-crunch-joins-tom-seymour) (People of Packaging)
- [Sweetgreen: Nicolas Jammet and Jonathan Neman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-04-13-sweetgreen-nicolas-jammet-and-jonathan-neman) (How I Built This)
- [The Recipe For Creating a Culinary Connected Device](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-11-09-the-recipe-for-creating-a-culinary-connected-device) (Over the Air)
- [Magic Spoon & Exo: Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-02-12-magic-spoon-exo-gabi-lewis-and-greg-sewitz) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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