Vending

Japanese coffee shop installs coffee bean vending machine

Image courtesy of iStock.

February 8, 2021

A coffee shop in Fukushima, Japan has installed a vending machine to sell coffee beans to help recover lost sales caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report in The Mainichi.

Masatoshi Yamaguchi, owner of the Coffee-sha Miyabi café, converted a beverage vending machine to offer eight kinds of coffee beans. He had his likeness painted on the side of the yellow machine which is outside the entrance to the store.

The 100-gram bags sell for 650 to 700 yen ($6.20 to $6.68) apiece, while 200-gram bags are priced at 1,300 to 1,400 yen ($12.40 to $13.35).

In the first week, the machine sold 5 to 6 kilograms (11 to 13 pounds) of beans, and has been selling 2 to 3 kg (4.4 to 6 pounds) per week.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected convenience services, click here.