ChanunceyB87 Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 I am brand new to vending and just got my LLC registered with the state. Once I found this forum I thought I would ask have any of you done only meat and cheese? Such as beef jerky, beef sticks, summer sausage, cubed cheese, and sting cheese. I love the heathy side as a nice alternative to just chips and candy bars. I have spoken to friends and family and they seem to think its not the worst idea. If they where hungry enough they would consider my machine as a more filling in between. Please could I have some feedback. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 If you think that you could put a machine out with only those products in it you would fail miserably and quickly. There was a guy here who had a retail jerky store and decided to sell it in 10-15 dedicated jerky machines but it didn't last long. If you want to add those items to the normal fare in a machine then they would sell, but only within a normal mix of vending products.20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Specialty vending usually needs a specialty location. You need to have a place that has a large volume of people who are in a position to want to buy your product at a time when they are hungry. And if those are the same people every day, realize that most people like variety, so they won't want to buy the same types of things every day for the most part. AZ is correct that those items might make a good part of the mix in a machine but not the whole machine. Price point is important as well, and those items usually end up being more expensive than most other vending items. Sadly, most people still look for low price items in vending, even if the machine has a more expensive item they like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanunceyB87 Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 Thank you both for your replies. I will likely have my machine in a very tourist heavy area. An area where people also often are in a hurry. Price points will be higher. I should maybe add a few more options then just meat and cheese. However there is so many variety of the type of product I want to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindVending Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 1 hour ago, ChanunceyB87 said: Thank you both for your replies. I will likely have my machine in a very tourist heavy area. An area where people also often are in a hurry. Price points will be higher. I should maybe add a few more options then just meat and cheese. However there is so many variety of the type of product I want to sell. Or you could start the business the proven successfully way like the other vendors here. There is a reason nobody has sustained success with a meat and cheese machine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 Are you wanting to sell meat and cheese because you like it and you think people will flock to the machines or do you actually think people in your region will want your product. Go to any convenient store and you'll see that beef jerky and similar products make up a very very small portion of snack variety. You should almost NEVER sell something because YOU like it. You ALWAYS want to sell what people want. Meat probably accounts for far less than 1/10th of 1% of all of my snack sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe101us Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 There was a guy here in Florida that tried it he failed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 I would take the common sense advice of the people posting here rather than that of friends and family saying someting 'isn't the worst idea'. You are investing your money in this and the idea is to make MORE money in return. Look at any convenience store, the beef jerky / other meat items are a ver, very tiny % of what they offer and usually they're at the checkout because people buy them on impulse while paying for what they REALLY came in for. A broader line of product is a much better idea. There are snacks I like and snacks I don't care for, but my favorites when I was in vending were the ones that SOLD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/news/12358839/mintel-meat-snacks-are-growing-faster-than-potato-chips?utm_source=VMW+Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AUTM170804002&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|8887F6343167A3S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mage Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 The best way to test out products is to put the standard stuff in most of it, and in a slot or two out your test products. If you're right, it will sell out , and you can add more. If not, the other stuff will pay for part, if not all of your experiment. But then again if cost is no issue for you than run whatever experiment you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanunceyB87 Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 Those sound like some good ideas. I should expand a little bit on the location I am considering, I am looking at being in an area that is mostly tourists. The area already has machines with the "tried and true" products. I am hoping to get in with something unique. I am in the state of MN so we have am ample selection of local providers that would be able to provide the products I am looking into. The idea being the souvenir you can eat. Such as cheese curds and wild rice etc. Perhaps I could add Willy Wallaby Gourmet Liquorice or some products from Pearson's candy? The main focus is everything in my machine would be from MN and Western WI. To everyday people I doubt they would really care where there snickers was made. However for the tourist who might want a local taste it might be an idea that could brake me in less then six months after my first machine or at least show signs of working to expand slowly. SE treats thanks for the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 If you're going to try and play off of the locally-sourced nature of your products, is there some signage or other way to make it apparent without them walking up to the machine and studying the product labels? I would still put in several columns of the 'tried and true' things and see if you can't get ALL their business, not just the 'touristy' purchases. If the machines are in a place susceptible to high temps or direct sunlight maybe avoid items that are too much chocolate to prevent spoilage and unhappy customers, like going with Oreos or CPB's or Lorna Doones, things that can stand more heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 10 hours ago, Southeast Treats said: http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/news/12358839/mintel-meat-snacks-are-growing-faster-than-potato-chips? Given that potato chips have been around for about 100 years or more, there's only so much 'growth' potential for them. I could bag up some cold tater tots and sell them, and if I sell one bag today and two tomorrow I've doubled my sales - I'd like to see potato CHIPS do that! I'm not disputing that meat snacks might be growing quickly but the comparison to the potato chip market is right out of an advertising man's brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 10 hours ago, The Mage said: The best way to test out products is to put the standard stuff in most of it, and in a slot or two out your test products. If you're right, it will sell out , and you can add more. If not, the other stuff will pay for part, if not all of your experiment. But then again if cost is no issue for you than run whatever experiment you want. Waaay back when I was in vending and my company had a captive market of the Illinois tollroad restaurants and gas stations (boy did we make money!) we had a salesman come to call on my boss one day. He said 'Someone walks up to one of your machines... what are they looking for? Something new, something different.' My boss said 'No, they're looking for a Hershey bar or some M&M's because that's what they like.' I imagine if he wasn't 100% correct, he was 90% correct. Any new item can be worth a try but going all-in on something to the exclusion of proven sellers is a risk. Imagine buying a whole vendor full of product and having to toss out 80% of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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