Customization Drives Vending Profit
Custom Vending Machines Quadruple Operator Corey Roew's Revenue, Proving Premium Investment Pays Off
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Operator Corey Roew said, “Everyone told me the custom build was money I’d never get back,” adding that, in his view, “It turned out to be the whole reason the business works.”
2
VMFS USA co-founder and CEO Jose Perez argued the guiding principle should be: “The hardware and software should bend to the location, not the other way around.”
3
Perez further said that in an otherwise “commodity” category, “the margins actually live in customization,” and when machines are built for “where the demand is,” “the unit economics tend to break in the operator’s favor.”
4
VMFS USA noted the reported performance is not uniform: revenue is “operator-reported and approximate,” and varies by “location, product mix, and route.”
Vending operator Corey Roew paid 15% more for a custom, weatherized machine from VMFS USA — and says it now earns $4,000 to $5,000 per month. That is roughly four times what he calls an average machine's performance, according to Barchart.
Roew admits skeptics pushed back hard before he pulled the trigger. "Everyone told me the custom build was money I'd never get back," he said. "It turned out to be the whole reason the business works."
A 15% Upfront Bet That Unlocked New Locations
Standard smart vending units run around $5,600. Roew's outdoor-rated, weatherized build from VMFS USA pushed that to roughly $6,500 — a $900 premium. The difference, he says, was everything. The tougher machine could operate in exposed, high-traffic retail sites where conventional machines break down or simply can't go, according to Press Release CC.
Roew's machines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He says the late-night window — 10 PM to 6 AM — accounts for nearly 30% of his total revenue. That is a market slice a standard indoor unit, locked inside a lobby or breakroom, can never capture.
VMFS USA's Argument: Build for the Location, Not the Other Way Around
VMFS USA co-founder and CEO Jose Perez frames the approach as a philosophy, not just a product decision. "The hardware and software should bend to the location, not the other way around," he said. The Miami-based company pairs its custom machines with AI vision, location intelligence, and cashless payments, then deploys them for operators across all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, according to Financial Content.
Perez argues the vending industry has long been stuck in a race to the bottom on equipment cost. "In a category that pushes commodity machines, the margins actually live in customization," he said. When machines are built for "where the demand is," he added, "the unit economics tend to break in the operator's favor."
Critics Warn Gross Revenue Is Not the Same as Profit
Not everyone is convinced the math is as clean as it looks. Industry observers note that high-traffic outdoor sites often carry 15% to 25% commissions paid to property owners. Weatherized machines also face 20% to 30% higher utility costs from refrigeration running in heat. Those costs chip away at the headline $4,000 to $5,000 monthly gross, according to KBEW 98 Country.
VMFS USA itself notes the numbers are not a guarantee. The company says revenue is "operator-reported and approximate" and varies by "location, product mix, and route." Legacy manufacturers also warn that niche custom machines may face spare-parts shortages or software obsolescence down the road.
Why the Payback Period Changes the Entire Calculus
The ROI math is what makes Roew's case hard to dismiss. At $1,000 per month, a standard machine takes 18 to 24 months to pay for itself. At $4,000 to $5,000 per month, Roew's custom unit reaches payback in roughly 3 to 5 months. The 15% cost premium shrinks fast once the machine is in the right spot, according to KDH News.
The broader vending market is moving in the same direction. Cashless and mobile payments now account for more than 60% of all vending transactions. The global vending market is projected to hit $45.9 billion by 2035. Roew's story is one data point — but it is landing at exactly the moment the industry is asking whether cheap and standard still makes sense.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
17
Articles
72
Reach
89
A
AnonymousAuthor
