Milk vending machines’ success paves way for expanding sales to other kinds of produce

The installation of milk vending machines or “milkomats” across the Czech Republic significantly boosted dairy sales last year, and the trend continues. Due to their massive popularity, farmers are now gearing up to expand the range of produce available through vending machines. Other dairy products are already available at some locations, and even vegetables, meat and honey may soon follow.

Across the Czech Republic, the number of coin-operated milk vending machines has grown from about a few dozen earlier this year to over two hundred – and counting. The “milkomats” have been a hit with customers. And due to their popularity, other agricultural products may soon also be sold through vending machines. Consumers are very open to this new method of buying fresh goods, says the head of the Czech Agrarian Chamber, Jan Veleba.

“Customers are tired of chain stores, their uniform range of products and the fact that they do not know where the groceries on sale come from. The number of customers who are looking for different, high-quality groceries from producers that they know and products which are fresh is growing. So these vending machines are not only significant for farmers but also for customers.”

Jan Veleba

Farmers can buy milk vending machines from companies such as Toko, which the newspaper Lidové noviny reported had an 80-percent share of the Czech market. The firm is now planning to provide new types of vending machines that could hold other goods, such as vacuum-packed fresh vegetables, butter, honey and even fresh meat. Fresh cheeses are already available at some locations. Tomáš Kořínek jnr. is the company’s marketing director.

“At the moment, most of them just sell bottles of milk, but we already have fifty machines that have cooling and could also sell other farmers’ products. So, at the moment there are these fifty machines. We are also trying to convince our customers to start selling their other products, not only milk. We expect one hundred more machines in the Czech Republic this year, which will sell not only milk, but also food.”

Not just customers can benefit from this expansion of goods on sale in vending machines. Selling their products without having to go through a middle-man is a big advantage for Czech farmers as well, says Jan Veleba.

“Through these machines, farmers can promote their farm, their company in a very efficient way, and without having to spend money on advertising. The sale does not take place in an anonymous way. The customer knows who the product is from, which company or farmer it comes from. So I think this growing trend in the Czech Republic is a very significant one.”

Some retail experts forecast that vending machines for fresh goods could be very successful in the Czech Republic in the near future.