suntory

A few years of having the Coca-Cola machine has proved to be highly successful. It has generated $50-$100 a month in profits most of the time, with a few slow winter months that have been lower.

The only problem is that a year or so ago, I noticed that quite a few potential customers looked at the selection and decided not to make a purchase, due to the small array of products in the Coke machine. A lot of the school kids that climb down the back of Mount Takao and come by the machine pass it up because it only has Coke and Grape Fanta in the way of "soda," and then a bunch of coffee and sports drinks. I called Coke and asked them to place a larger machine with more options, but they declined, citing a bad economy.

My amateur opinion is that the more variety, the more likely people are to make our vending machine location the place where they stop by for refreshment. Add to that the fact that cars can pull over to the side of our road and make a purchase without causing a traffic obstruction, and our spot is better than most of the other spots in the area. Of course, having bigger or more machines results in more electric consumption, which is our only cost, but I think we can make it work by drawing more people through having a wider selection, plus serving the needs of a wider customer demographic.

I called Suntory and had them place the above machine next to the Coke one. If they both lose money for a four-or-so month test period, I'll get rid of the Coke one and keep the Suntory.

The great thing about the Suntory machine is that it has Pepsi products along with Suntory's popular BOSS coffee and tea brands, as well as Gatorade and a couple of other popular items such as CC Lemon. It also has a bunch more PET bottle options, making it attractive to hikers, who don't generally buy cans.

I love this adult version of having a lemonade stand, and I am excited to have cold Mountain Dew next summer.