Unwrapped: A Food Service Podcast

Everyone has purchased a soda from a vending machine to quench their thirst, but where did they originate? And how does this convenient staple stay relevant? President and CEO of SandenVendo, Mike Weisser and VP of Operations David Button join host Tyler Kern to talk about the 80-plus-year history of the company and how the company has evolved with new technology.

SandenVendo was started in 1937 under the name “The Vendo Company,” and their flagship product was called “The Red Top.” The company and the vending industry saw extreme growth in the 1950s. They are known for being one of the first companies to introduce canned beverages in vending machines in the 1960s. In 1988, the Vendo Company merged with the Sanden Corporation of Japan, and it reached peak production in the 1990s. Japan is known for its proliferation of vending machines, with over 5 million of them, according to Business Insider.

Product development is what keeps SandenVendo moving forward, now. In the very beginning, the machines had trouble making change. Now, with computerization, the machines can take credit cards and payments from cell phones. Weisser and Button talked about the increasing number of products available in vending machines. Some items the two said SandenVendo offers range from hot pizza, fresh foods, technology devices (such as a dongle for a computer) and, of course, the standard soda.

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