Vending
Interested in dairy or milk vending for your school or business? Thanks to cool, convenient packaging and fun, delicious flavors, it is now profitable for schools and businesses alike to offer a healthy alternative to soda and fruit drinks.
How to Start
Guidelines for Starting School Milk Vending
Before you get started, there are many things to consider. Listed below are just some of the questions schools should answer when considering milk vending.
Milk Product Questions
- Source - Is there a supplier that offers a variety of milk flavors for the machine?
- Orders - Who will place the milk orders based on the rate of sales for each flavor and pay for the shipments?
- Delivery - Can the school foodservice personnel arrange for milk to be delivered and stored in the cafeteria?
Operating Questions
- Machine - Which type of machine is best suited for this school?
- Stocking - Who is responsible for the daily filling?
- Collection - Who is responsible for daily cash collection and accounting?
- Maintenance - When and how will preventative maintenance occur?
- Repair - Who is responsible for repairing the machine?
- Security - Are there any features provided to ensure that the machine remains plugged in at all times?
Financial Questions
- Business operating model - Should the machine be leased, purchased or obtained through a vending operator?
- Payment - If purchasing a machine, does the payment plan include shipping and installation costs?
- Sales - How many units need to be sold each week to have a break-even or profitable machine?
- Profits - How will the profits be distributed from the machine sales?
Administrative Questions
- Approval - Does the school board or administration need to approve milk vending?
- Conflicts - Are there existing beverage vending contracts or school policies that restrict milk sold through vending?
- Location - Is there a prime location for the machine with all day access and electrical power?
- Education - Will educators take advantage of incorporating the nutritional message into the curriculum and extracurricular activities, where applicable?
Tips for Profitable Milk Vending
While milk sells itself, there are some things a school or business can plan to do to ensure optimum sales and value.
Make sure you have a prime location in the school or business, as well as all day access to the products
Make sure your milk vending machine is placed in a well-traveled area and is accessible at all hours. Milk machines allow customers to purchase milk at times when it is not normally sold or when other lines are too long. Be sure your machine is operating and accessible at all hours during the week and on weekends.
Flavors moo-ve
Flavored milk sells best in milk vending machines. Stock the machine with a variety of flavors. Check often with your milk supplier to keep current about new products and flavors that become available. Monitor sales and order appropriately.
Cold is cool
Milk must be properly delivered and stored to maintain quality and flavor. Keep milk below 41° Fahrenheit at all times. Machines must be connected to a continuous power source that is not shut off at night or over the weekends. Add a lock to prevent the machine from being unplugged.
Manage your machine
Keep the machine clean, well stocked and in good operating condition to attract and keep customers. Use a preventative maintenance program to avoid breakdowns and have the machine repaired whenever it is malfunctioning. Rotate product and watch code dates. Clean the inside and outside of the machine daily.
Price for value
Set milk prices to be comparable with other vended beverage prices.
Promote for profit
After the novelty of the new machine wears off, keep sales high by conducting simple but effective promotions like sampling days, rewards programs and contests.
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