In honor of National Vending Day on March 5th, why don’t we take a quick look at the history of vending? It’s a rich history that dates back all the way to the 1st century. Greek mathematician Heron of Alexandria invented the first recorded example of vending. He created a machine for the temple that actually dispensed holy water in exchange for a token. This helped prevent people from taking too much. The crazy thing is, no one really embraced the idea of vending machines again until the 1800’s.

When vending machines really started to gain traction, London was one of the first cities that used the machines to dispense mainly envelops, postcards, and paper. Toward the end of the 1800’s, vending machines made their way to the United States selling Tutti-Fruity gum. This then paved the way for the gumball machine, introduced in 1907.

Since then, vending machines have grown and evolved offering specialty products from food, lottery tickets, books, and even CARS. That’s right! Since 2016, you can buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini at Singapore’s luxury car vending machine. More of these interesting facts can be found here.

Although these machines may look a little different these days as they are “smarter” with cashless systems and offer many different options, their underlying purpose remains the same. Dependable Break Room Solutions proudly entered the vending business over 40 years ago offering quality vending machines with a wide variety of product options. From snacks and beverages to coffee and fresh food options, our machines continue bringing solutions to your employees’ dietary needs.

We are passionate about vending and wanted to take a moment to celebrate National Vending Day. It’s amazing to see how far we have come. Contact [email protected] for more information.