In this material:

Coffee is one of the most popular soft drinks around the world. Russia is also not spared from this statistic, which can be seen in the colossal growth of the vending business. Going to a cafeteria or even buying a hot drink on the street is no longer as important as getting the same portion from a coffee machine. It's tastier, faster and more profitable. A business plan for installing coffee machines is a multi-level process that involves analysis of the market, target audience, location and organizational measures.

Description, relevance and advantages of the vending business

Vending is the sale of goods of various types through vending machines. Recently, this business, especially in the coffee sector, has been gaining immense popularity for a number of reasons:

• low investments - the entrepreneur only needs to purchase equipment and products, and the machine will do the rest itself;
• 24-hour operation – in fact, coffee machines operate 24 hours a day without interruption, but it is worth considering the location of the machine. If this is a shopping center with operating hours 10:00-23:00, then you can’t count on night profit;
• lack of staff - 30% of income in almost any business is spent on paying wages. Vending eliminates this point;
• high markup - the cost of a cup of coffee is equal to 6 rubles, including a glass, and for the buyer the price is set at 25-30 rubles for an inexpensive type of drink;
• simple business registration - the entrepreneur does not need to buy a license or apply for special permits to install several coffee machines.

There are also disadvantages in the vending business, but they are not so serious, and their number fluctuates within 3 points:

• Maintenance – any equipment requires careful treatment and timely service. This includes both checking the functionality of the mechanisms as a whole and monitoring the volume of ingredients. To do this, you need to hire an employee or perform the actions yourself;
• System failures – unexpected failures mean a lack of profit during the period of system recovery. If the problems are not corrected in time, the entrepreneur will suffer serious losses;
• vandalism – by placing a machine with 24-hour access outside the premises, it can be attacked in order to seize it Money or for hooligan reasons.

Help: modern coffee machines are equipped with GSM modules, allowing owners to control the stock of ingredients in real time and receive information about the condition of the equipment. The option solves problems associated with unauthorized access and timely repairs.

The relevance of vending is explained simply - the devices can be installed in various places with high traffic volumes, be it a shopping center, supermarket, market or train station. Coffee from a machine does not differ in price from drinks in a cafe or snack bar, but it is made from natural beans, and not from instant powder. In addition, the coffee machine includes in its assortment 12 types of drinks, which no other catering establishment can boast of.

Fresh, hot coffee prepared according to an impeccable recipe is in daily demand among various segments of the population. Some people didn’t have time to have breakfast at home, some drink coffee regularly throughout the day, and a third category of people are just walking or waiting for someone. There can be many reasons for an invigorating drink. The main thing is that there is demand, which means the coffee vending business is thriving.

Market and competition analysis

Despite the fact that coffee machines appeared in the country relatively recently, competition in this business is already enormous. In every mall There is at least one machine for preparing hot drinks.

Before setting up a business, it is necessary to carry out some analytical steps to determine the level of competition in different areas of the city, as well as in specific places.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Selection of one or more districts of a settlement for comparative analysis.
2. Determining the most visited places - shops, entertainment centers, cinemas.
3. Identification of working coffee machines in each location, taking into account the number of equipment per room area and the expected number of people.
4. Comparison of data for selected areas of the city.

Based on the information obtained, it is possible to identify potentially profitable locations for placing machines.

It is worth taking into account that the presence of 1-2 devices in a large shopping center does not at all mean the presence of competition. In this case, your own equipment can be placed either next to working machines, because people are already accustomed to the location of their favorite drinks, or in another place, if it corresponds to the high traffic of potential customers.

Possible business risks

There are not many risks in the vending business, but they do exist:

• vandalism – typical for machines operating at night;
• frequent breakdowns of the device - typical for equipment purchased second-hand or from unverified buyers;
• lack of profit - the situation is relevant when the location is incorrectly chosen or prices for products are unreasonably inflated.

Organizational plan

Registration of type of activity, taxation system

To organize a vending business based on coffee machines, it is best to register as individual entrepreneur. The advantages are obvious:

1. Minimum package of documents for registration of activities.
2. Savings on state fees are 800 rubles for individual entrepreneurs, and 4,000 rubles for LLCs.
3. Simple reporting.

The taxation system chosen is either a fixed form (UTII) or a simplified form (STS), the amount of deductions of which depends on profit.

The good thing about “imputation” is that the amount of tax payments is determined in advance based on the scale of the future business. This is relevant for stable income that does not depend on seasonality.

“Simplified” should be chosen by those entrepreneurs who have a floating income level. For example, the devices are installed in educational institutions. In this case, in summer and partially winter periods profits will be significantly lower.

Installation of coffee machines does not require a license. An entrepreneur only needs to conclude a lease agreement for a place and request a product quality certificate from suppliers. These documents must be submitted to the SES to obtain permission to start a business.

Purchase of coffee machines and equipment characteristics

There are 2 main classes of devices - A and B.

• power – 1 300 W;
• number of servings – 600;
• dimensions – 1800x700x600 mm;
• touch monitor diagonal – 22 inches;
• preparation and sale of soft drinks;
• sale of snacks;
• possibility of non-cash payment.

• power – 1,800 W;
• number of servings – 500;
• dimensions – 1600x600x750 mm;
• number of types of drinks – 13.

Class B is a cheaper and budget version of devices. Each machine is also equipped with a container and separate reservoirs for hot and cold water, sections for loading ingredients, and a bill and coin acceptor. The system operates on computer software.

Coffee machines can be purchased both new and used, as well as leased or credited, depending on the preferences and capabilities of the entrepreneur.

Help: if new devices provide a warranty of 1-2 years, then when purchasing used equipment you should be extremely careful. The best option– the service life of the machine has not exceeded guarantee period, otherwise, after purchase, the equipment may break down, which means expensive repairs or lost funds.

Where should coffee machines be located?

The main condition for placing coffee machines is a crowded place. The following options are suitable for this:

• supermarkets;
• cinemas;
• entertainment complexes;
• amusement parks;
• educational establishments;
• budgetary institutions (clinics, hospitals, government agencies);
• business centers;
• banks and 24-hour ATM facilities;
• points close to taxi stands;
• train stations.

Maintenance

Coffee machines require regular service and maintenance. The frequency depends on the speed of product sales, but on average the equipment needs to be visited once every 2 days.

What to do:

• fill the machine with ingredients;
• fill containers with water;
• clean the main components of the equipment;
• make collections;
• prevent and eliminate breakdowns in a timely manner;
• support appearance technology.

Consumables

For the full functioning of the coffee machine, it is necessary to regularly purchase:

• coffee – grain or ground;
• tea, chocolate or cocoa;
• powdered milk or cream;
• water;
• dishes.

Materials are purchased as needed. Finding suppliers is not difficult because in most cases initial stage The seller of the device supplies the buyer with consumables, offering further cooperation. The entrepreneur independently decides which supplier to purchase ingredients from.

Staff

If the number of coffee machines does not require a large number (up to 10 units), then a businessman can deal with all issues independently. Visiting 4-5 machines a day is not a problem.

Another question is the necessary skills and abilities to maintain the equipment. Not every person can handle this.

In any case, the individual entrepreneur is personally involved in all organizational and purchasing matters, and 1-2 people can be hired as a technician, which again depends on the number of installed coffee machines.

Advertising and Marketing

The sale of hot drinks is a local business whose target audience is employees and visitors to the establishment where the machines are located. In this case, a minor advertising campaign is provided:

• a sign or poster on the facade of the building, symbolizing the presence of a coffee machine in the premises;
• pillars on the route to the point of sale;
• signs - especially important in large shopping centers and business centers;
• indoor posters that attract customers' attention.

Financial calculations

The financial part of the business plan is based on the fact that the entrepreneur purchases 10 new coffee machines.

Investments in the project

Spending at the start (in rubles):

• 10,000 – registration of individual entrepreneurs and additional documents;
• 50,000 – space rent for 10 machines;
• 1,200,000 – purchase of equipment;
• 100 000 – Consumables.

Result: 1,360,000 rubles.

To install one machine, you will need 130-150 thousand rubles, depending on the cost of the equipment.

Current expenses

Regular expenses include (in rubles):

• 100,000 – purchase of consumables;
• 40,000 – payment utilities(electricity);
• 25 000 – wage technique.

Result: 165,000 rubles per month.

Income and calculation of profit and profitability

Income from coffee machines is quite variable and depends on the location of installation and consumer demand.

On average, 1 machine sells 50-60 cups of coffee per day. The cost of one serving is 30 rubles. Income per day is 1,500 rubles, and per month – 45,000.

Considering that there are 10 such machines, the monthly income is 450,000 rubles.

Net profit - mandatory expenses are subtracted from the amount received.

450,000-165,000=285,000 rubles.

Profitability is the ratio of net income to dirty income, multiplied by 100%.

R=285,000/450,000*100=63%

The payback period for a vending business is 5-6 months.

The above calculations are quite rough, because specific models of coffee machines and their cost, as well as location and purchasing power are not taken into account. Individual calculations of the financial part of a business plan will always differ.

The coffee vending business can be partly called passive income. Having installed even one device, it will in any case generate profit without the need for the entrepreneur to be constantly at the workplace. Having recouped your investment in a few months, you can safely begin to expand your business, working only in profit.

Order a business plan

	Investments: Investments 700,000 - 1,000,000 ₽ "Coffee Smile" is a federal chain of coffee bars in the "Coffee to go" format. A sales leader at the regional level and a high rate of development in other regions of Russia. Federal network Coffee Smile was founded in 2014 in the city of Syktyvkar. Today the network consists of 22 coffee bars, and includes partners in 15 cities of Russia under the franchising system. Business in the format...
	Investments: Investments from RUB 1,200,000. Pravda Coffee is a unique chain of mini-coffee shops in the coffee-to-go format, combining excellent coffee quality and incredible low price. We are a close-knit team of professionals who, since 2010, have been successfully selecting, purchasing and roasting the best coffee beans in the Specialty segment. We purchase beans from different countries around the world, depending on where the highest quality coffee harvest is ripe.…
	Investments: Investments 50,000 - 200,000 rubles. The GO!Coffee company has been placing micro coffee shops - points selling takeaway coffee - in business and shopping centers, universities and busy places in the city for more than 2 years. At the moment we have more than 60 points in 30 cities in Russia and the CIS. Also in Russia there are 6 open regional offices our company: in the Northwestern Federal District, Southern Federal District, North Caucasus Federal District,…
	Investments: 5,000,000 - 6,500,000 rubles. When creating the Glaze and Coffee brand, the spouses Alexander and Anastasia Kim focused on the quality of the main product - donuts and coffee. Glaze and Coffee is a cozy coffee shop with homemade donuts and quality, freshly roasted coffee. Own production Donut production allows you to get a high-quality, tasty and most importantly fresh product every day. And taking coffee seriously gives us...
	Investments: from RUB 4,900,000. The company "Stars of Catering" is known on Russian market for more than 12 years and is one of the honored leaders offering comprehensive equipment for enterprises Catering, hotel and shopping complexes. The company's goal: to offer its customers a quality product from the world's best brands. In 2014, the company “Stars of Public Food” managed to offer its client-partners a completely unique product, which is now fashionable to call INNOVATION.…
	Investments: Investments 550,000 - 1,000,000 ₽ COMPANY DESCRIPTION The network of laser hair removal studios Laser Love was founded in 2018 in Novosibirsk. The company group has a distribution company responsible for supplying equipment directly from the manufacturer. The company has all quality certificates for equipment - certificate of conformity and the European Union. Our own line of equipment under the DF-Laser brand guarantees the quality of the procedure from the first visit. Own marketing agency in… Investments: Investments 1,300,000 ₽ The brand "NALEVO Men's Haircuts" is part of the BEAUTEAM group of companies founded by Konstantin Suntsov in 2007. Currently in our Beauty Holding: 6 brands, more than 120 open showrooms of which 30% are our own. Most Major brand in the network – the largest chain of economy hairdressers in Russia and the CIS, “Hair in Order” (50 cities and more than 85 salons). How was it created...
	Investments: Investments 450,000 - 1,100,000 ₽
	Investments: Investments 1,000,000 - 3,000,000 ₽ DH Design School is one of the leading modern schools design in St. Petersburg and Russia. The School provides training for adults in the following areas: “Interior Design”, “Graphic Design”, “Fashion Design”, “Landscape Design”. First of all, these are programs vocational training, in which students, over the course of two years, gain the knowledge and skills necessary to start successful career in the new...
	Investments: Investments 4,000,000 - 6,000,000 ₽ Cofix is ​​an Israeli coffee chain founded by famous businessman Avi Katz in 2013. In just three years after the opening of the first outlet, the COFIX chain has won first place in the established coffee market in Israel both in terms of the number of outlets in the cafe segment and in the take-away food service segment. Now the COFIX network has 153 branches in foreign...
	Investments: Investments 400,000 - 2,000,000 ₽ NIKI FILINI has been working since 2013, we specialize in selling youth clothing. We focus on selling sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, accessories and many other products. We already have 31 franchisee partners working with us. Franchisee partners grow and help each other. Our goal this year is to open more than 69 stores through the franchise system. We…

When my wife and I opened a store of useful things for the home - "Style of Taste" in the very center of Kiev and established its work (I told how this business experiment was carried out online, you can read, starting with this article), I got the idea to open a parallel one vending business selling coffee.

That is, buy a couple of coffee machines, place them in highly visited places and institutions (train stations, airports, banks, universities, hospitals, etc.) throughout the city and get rich! After all, selling coffee is the same profitable business!

Nowadays only lazy people don’t sell coffee in Kyiv (even, for example, politician and entrepreneur Gennady Balashov started selling it).

There is a coffee machine at almost every step, and for a reasonable fee of 15-25 hryvnia, young people prepare coffee for you. What is noteworthy is that the average income of one such machine is from 1000 hryvnia per day.

That is, if you have 10 cars, then per day you make a profit of at least 10,000 hryvnia. Not bad at all, huh?! At the same time, of course, you need to pay salaries to young baristas from this money (from 110 hryvnia per day), spend time and gasoline to get to certain areas of the capital.

What if you install a vending coffee machine?! No one needs to pay a salary. They are fully automated. Just know, add water, milk and coffee! It should be much more economical and profitable!

Moreover, unlike trading from coffee machines (which is illegal in our country), the vending business is absolutely legal!

You register as a private entrepreneur (I already told you how to do this in Ukraine in 2016), enter into an official lease agreement for a space (usually 2-3 meters) with the institution where you want to install coffee machines, and it’s done!

When I wanted to organize this business, I calculated how much profit coffee machines would bring us (in theory, it turned out to be good amounts), and I already heard the pleasant rustle of banknotes in my wallet.

But at a certain point I gave up on this idea.

Several factors played a role here.

1. Coffee from vending machines is complete crap!

Yes, people are buying. Yes, people make money from this, but the quality of the coffee is terrible! And the first rule of any business is: “Don’t sell bullshit to the client!”

Even in the same Snails and other coffee machines, the coffee tastes even better.

2. Intuition.

I understood how much hemorrhoids this business idea could bring and subconsciously avoided it.

Quite by chance I met my neighbor in a store. As a child, he and I played football together in the yard. And it turned out that he owns several vending coffee machines in Kyiv.

And I met him at the moment when he arrived at the store to refill his machines (water, milk, coffee).

We got to talking, and I asked the question, how much profit do these coffee machines bring you per month? He honestly admitted that several (2-3) vending coffee machines can bring in about 5,000 hryvnia of net profit per month.

This amount seemed very frivolous to me. Especially considering the fact that buying one new machine would cost me about $1,500. It’s much easier for me to put that amount of money on deposit in the bank and not worry about anything at all.

But this is not what confused me most (after all, the more machines you have, the more profit you will receive from them). I was embarrassed by the realization of the sad fact that caring for coffee machines takes not just a lot, but a lot of time! Much more than for machines with other products (chips, chocolates, snacks, etc.).

IN coffee machines, not only do you need to add water, milk, sugar and coffee. Also, machines often fail on their own (they become clogged, freeze, etc.). And the last problem must be solved very quickly, because if the machine does not work, you lose profit.

It’s good if there is a special person who monitors all this, but he won’t work for free either! And if he works for a salary, then, accordingly, your profit will be much less than you expect!

I began to study the issue more deeply, and the more I studied, the less I liked the idea of ​​coffee machines.

In this regard, the life experience described by entrepreneur Dmitry Shakhov in the book “Me and My Business” is very indicative.

Dmitry, at one time, started a coffee vending business with his partners. But, unfortunately, I finished it just as quickly. With losses.

“At the end of 2006, another event occurred that did not significantly influence the development of my life and business, but gave me a lot of interesting experience.

Back in the middle of the year, I became interested in coffee vending, which had just appeared in the city. Based on reviews and advertising articles, everything looked extremely promising.

A cup of coffee cost 2.5-4 rubles, depending on the recipe, but was sold for 7-20 rubles and did not require human intervention. Even a primitive arithmetic calculation on a piece of paper showed that this was an extremely profitable business in terms of margin.

The fact that so little attention was paid to the maintenance of coffee machines was not alarming. After all, this is fully automatic and you only need to come once every two or three days to add water and remove the cash register!

How naive I was then.

It all started with the fact that I was looking for investment and outlined the idea to Roman, and he had already invited his classmate Gennady, who already had a car rental service, to dilute our company.

The reflections were short-lived: no one had free money, but all three of them thought the idea sound and promising. It seemed that we just needed to get started, and then we could easily increase the number of devices to the minimum in the business plan.

He assumed that the company would have ten devices, but we could only find money for two. For the first two devices, Gena took out a loan for himself. We bought the third device much later with Roman’s money.

And that's where the investment ended. I found the supplier myself. We wanted indestructible devices with powerful anti-vandal protection. And this was the second mistake. The first was to start this business with just two devices.

The choice fell on models with a metal cabinet: they ultimately turned out to be heavy, weighing almost 200 kg. Even four loaders could lift them to the second or third floor with great difficulty.

The next mistake was the expected ease of finding a place to rent. I found two points in the assembly factories household appliances at my client's. It didn't even cost us a penny. But every trip to refuel turned into a real quest: constantly changing security regularly detained the one who was going to refuel for inspection. And our most profitable point was 20 kilometers from the city.

The third point was the institute, where the internal canteen competed perfectly with the apparatus, and the cost of rent ate up all the profit.

From the very beginning it was difficult to decide who would be responsible for refueling and repairing the devices. While I took full responsibility for the purchase and delivery, I couldn’t master refueling because I was horseless.

Roman somehow immediately excluded his participation in the work process; Gena could not always do this either. So I had to hire a person - this ate up another part of my already low income.

It also turned out to be a surprise that poorly used devices quickly become clogged - there is no constant flow of hot water, and frequently used devices fail due to wear of individual components.

During all the time I worked with vending, only rare months went without breakdowns. Since I was the only person trained in repairing the devices, we went with the tanker and tinkered with the insides of the device until the bitter end, sometimes for 2-3 hours on the spot.

Regular operation of each device was extremely necessary: ​​a day of downtime could cost 2-3 thousand rubles in lost profit. And the devices could stop literally from anything.

For example, the bill acceptor was clogged: if the coin acceptor had a ditch for discarding excess coins, then the bill acceptor could only accept two or three hundred pieces of paper.

Or we ran out of water: we ended up buying huge 50-liter cans. Or ran out of coffee. Or sugar. Or the funnel for pouring into the cup got stuck with the mixture and the coffee spilled inside the machine.

Or some problems with the software part of the device. Or the rubber connecting hose has broken. Or problems with the mechanics of the rotor inside the cuvette with the product - sugar or cream.

It’s good if users called us. But most often we found out about problems with the machines after the fact, when our gas station attendant got there and found the bill acceptor almost empty.

Another problem was discovered: the machine only properly brewed special ground coffee, which had to be ordered from the machine supplier. The price was reasonable, but the delivery itself had to wait more than two weeks. So I had to learn to plan food consumption several months in advance - I immediately placed orders 2-3 months in advance.

There was also a problem with a huge amount little things. At first, the ringing of coins was amusing. But over time this became a problem. There was nowhere to spend such an amount of change, it was difficult to take it to the bank, and it was difficult to store it at home. I still have about five thousand rubles in small coins, some of which stuck together under the influence of pressure and moisture.

At the beginning, any business is more like a fun game until you have to start counting money. It’s easy to spend investor investments: you immediately give up any rights to them except for spending on development. But when the starting money runs out, you have to think about what to do next.

Our first unit arrived in February 2007 and went into operation in March. At the beginning of summer we received and installed the third device. At the very better times managed to break even. The rest of the time, vending only took up time and already cost personal money.

There was no talk of return on investment. First, Roman left the business, and then Gena and I decided to close down the vending business.

By the fall of 2007, we had only two of the three devices working, one of which was bringing in almost nothing, and the second was in danger of shutting down, since the assembly plant was closing, and finding a second equally profitable location seemed impossible.

And, frankly speaking, I was tired, and Gena wanted to return at least something of what he had spent.

Surprisingly, I was lucky to sell the devices to one of my clients: they planned to somehow provide food for their visitors. The discount following the negotiations was 50% of the initial cost of the devices, but we agreed anyway. The amount received was completely given to Gennady to cover his loan. And the loss amounted to approximately 9 thousand dollars for each of the two of us.

Analyzing the results of our vending activities later, I saw that all the mistakes that could be made were made. Since everyone already had their own operating and profitable business, he saw in vending only an opportunity for passive investment of capital. Instead of working hard and looking for opportunities, we let everything take its course.

We abandoned the correct and proven business model, hoping to quickly raise additional funds. We did not try to calculate the business based on the minimum number of devices and employees. Before my eyes there was only an ideal model with personal employment.

It was a complete failure and defeat on all fronts. It didn't cause any serious damage to either of us, but it served as a nice punch in the nose, hinting that you need to do what you're good at and to your full potential. We even had a chance to have a big fight, but our general frivolous attitude towards vending helped.

In the end, everyone gave up on him so much that his death was more of a concern to the supervisory organizations than to us. The story of the final closure of the vending business ended up lasting almost five years. We were never able to officially close it.

In the end, both of my partners formally sold their shares to the company itself, and I remained a nominal director without a salary. For another four years, my accountant submitted zero reports, until, finally, I received a notice of deletion from the register of organizations.

While working with coffee machines, I learned one useful thing: in terms of the level of coffee preparation, a good vending machine is in no way inferior to coffee machines.

I drank dozens of liters of coffee and other drinks derived from it: cappuccino, frappuccino, café au lait, and so on. There were days when I couldn’t even look at another cup of coffee.

But today I calmly and confidently throw coins into other people’s vending machines, realizing that the difference can only be in the type of coffee itself.

What can I say. Entrepreneurs do not have a magic button that, by pressing it once, you will become rich once and for all. All entrepreneurs make mistakes. Everyone has ups and downs. When my wife and I opened a full-fledged Style of Taste store, we also made mistakes.

No one is immune from this. Especially if you don't have relevant experience. And experience, in turn, cannot be gained in any other way. Unless, of course, you have the opportunity to at least get acquainted with the experiences of other people.

Therefore, it is important not to live only by business alone. It is important to create so that if one of them is temporarily closed, the others can keep you afloat.

In addition, it is also important not to despair if something doesn’t work out for you. And don’t quit what you started halfway. Get up if you fall. And confidently move towards your goal!

Let me summarize

If you are interested in starting your own coffee vending business, weigh the pros and cons, while honestly answering the following questions for yourself:

1. Are you ready to sell tasteless coffee to your customers?

2. Are you ready to invest money to buy more than five to ten coffee machines? (issue price 7500 - 15000 US dollars).

After all, one or three slot machines will bring you nothing but disappointment. In addition, if something goes wrong, you can sell these machines at a price lower than the one for which you bought them.

3. Who will be responsible for refilling the coffee machines? It will be necessary to add water, milk, cream. Add coffee and sugar.

4. Who will maintain the machines in working order? Machines often break down (especially if they are used) and you cannot do without proper technical support.

5. Are you ready for the fact that, in addition to rent, you will have to pay for the security of your machines? After all, they are not insured against vandals and burglars.

6. Are you ready to live this business? Every single day. After all, if your eyes don’t sparkle, if you don’t work on your brainchild every day, it’s very difficult to succeed. This, by the way, applies to any business.

7. Think about it, do you even need it?! Are you active enough? Can you solve many problems at the same time? After all, you’ll have to wander around the city like an electric broom. Negotiate with coffee suppliers, landlords, etc.? Spend so much effort and time so that perhaps you end up with nothing but disappointment?

These questions, in principle, can be addressed to those people who dream of opening a vending business selling other goods (chips, snacks, chocolate, etc.). The only difference is that refueling and maintaining machines that sell chips and snacks will be much faster and easier than coffee machines. And such machines break down much less often (especially if they are new).

Think, gentlemen and ladies entrepreneurs! Weigh the pros and cons. Don’t be fooled by the emotional impulse: “Vasya did it, so I can do it!” After all, this is far from a fact.

Well, you could read the blog! Especially the Business section.

I have something to tell you.

Businessman, lawyer, blogger

• Rent amount
• Audience of buyers
• Presence of competitors
• Safety
• Registration of activities
• Which equipment to choose
• Ingredients and suppliers

Just 10-15 years ago, the vending business in Russia was just emerging and not every entrepreneur wanted to start it. The market was still poorly studied and poorly understood by many operators. In this regard, we are far behind the USA, Japan and developed European countries. Today the picture is changing dramatically. The activity of operators is visible against the backdrop of an increase in the number of vending machines, and the consumer is becoming more and more discerning - the amount of products consumed through vending machines is gradually increasing.

Vending is one of the types of business

According to the general director of the VALEO Firm, Valery Rakitsky, in Japan, where vending is most developed, there is one vending machine for every 23 residents, in the USA - for 35, in Western Europe- for 110 people. In Russia, there are about 2200-2400 people per vending machine, which indicates huge potential industry development.

Why coffee machines? The answer is simple - coffee machines are considered the most profitable in the vending industry. This is achieved due to the low price of ingredients and the high selling price of finished coffee. Moreover, coffee machines are quite easy to install - such a machine can be “attached” anywhere, from the entrance to the metro to a bus stop, office or government agency.

Let's consider the main issues that arise when organizing a business with coffee machines.

Selecting a location for the machine

Before purchasing a machine, it is important to determine its location. The location where the machine is installed is the most important thing, because the income of the entire business depends on it. The more sales the coffee machine makes, the more profit we will receive.

Of course, the conclusion suggests itself that the greater the cross-country ability point of sale, the higher the income of the coffee pot. This is partly true, but not always. In addition to cross-country ability, indicators such as:

Rent amount

A retail outlet can be highly trafficked, but at the same time have a “non-raising” rental rate. Often, the landlord will guess the expected income of your coffee pot and will try to set the maximum price per 1 m2. For example, in megacities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, it is almost impossible to find a place with low rent (up to 2000 rubles / m2). In the regions, the rental rate is lower, but the price of the final product is somewhat lower.

The most unpleasant thing is that during a period of decline in demand, you will still have to pay high rent.

There is an option to reduce the risks of high rent - by installing a vending machine in a new location, you can offer the owner a fee not for 1 m2, but a percentage of the machine’s revenue. Often, this option can be beneficial to both parties.

Audience of buyers

When choosing a location for installing the machine, you should determine: Who will be the main buyer of coffee? How often does he consume coffee? What is his solvency? The answer to these questions will help you understand the expected demand and turnover of the coffee machine.

Presence of competitors

According to experienced operators, real business begins with the installation of at least 10 coffee pots. On 1-2 devices you will count pennies, and most likely, you will work with your own hands, since it will not be profitable to pay the operator’s salary.

If there are other coffee machines or catering outlets in the immediate vicinity, then you should think about looking for another location. Or you will have to offer a better product, and perhaps at a lower price.

Safety

We live in Russia, not in Europe - when installing a coffee pot for 200-300 thousand rubles somewhere at a street stop, you must assess all the risks from invasions of “vandals”. And they certainly will be. What is important is the presence of security, the type of coffee pot body (vandal resistance), the ratio of profit to risks (the coffee pot must earn a lot to cover the costs of possible equipment repairs).

The most common locations for installing coffee machines are: bus and railway stations, universities, office and shopping centers, bus stops, entertainment centers, banks, airports, government agencies. Gas station, as some operators claim, is not the best option for installing a coffee pot.

Registration of activities

Once you have decided on the intended location of the coffee machine, you can begin registering the business. Organizational form in this case there can be either a regular individual entrepreneur or entity (OOO).

Which OKVED code to indicate when registering machines OKVED code - 52.63 “Other retail outside the stores." No operating licenses are required. As tax systems A single tax on imputed income (UTII) is applied. The amount of tax directly depends on the size retail space. In our case, this is only 1-2 m2 per vending machine.

Which equipment to choose

There are no exact recommendations for choosing equipment. There is a market a large number of different manufacturers, from well-known - “oldest” European brands, to newcomers Russian companies. The main thing that a novice businessman should pay attention to is the price, technical characteristics of the device and real reviews operators (on forums and Internet portals). It would be a good idea to personally visit the machines installed in your city, check their operation, and conduct a coffee tasting. Thus, you can understand which devices are given the greatest preference.

The choice of a specific coffee machine manufacturer must meet the following criteria:

1. What kind of machine do you need (depending on the installation location): anti-vandal, street or office mode.

2. The capacity of the machine (number of cups, assortment of coffee) depends on the traffic of the outlet. As a rule, the more spacious the machine, the more expensive it is. However, there is no point in overpaying for the capacity of the cups if your machine will be located in a low-traffic area (office, government institution), where the majority of customers are regular consumers. Universities, shopping centers, bus stations, etc. are another matter, where the capacity and assortment of the coffee pot are very important.

3. Region and city of the equipment supplier - the closer, the better.

4. Specifications apparatus. Sometimes it’s better to pay an extra 20-30 thousand rubles, but get a more reliable and functional device.

5. Supplier guarantees and service. Also no less important question. Coffee pots tend to break. It’s doubly offensive if this happens with a new device. Therefore, the longer the warranty period the supplier offers, the better for you.

6. Reviews existing operators(as noted above). You shouldn’t put too much faith in all sorts of magazines and reviewers. Articles in such publications may be purely advertising in nature. The best opinion is the opinion of the real owner of the machine network. And these can be found either on forums/social media. networks, or in personal meetings.

7. Price (everything is clear here).

8. How many years has the company been operating on the market - the longer, the better. The age of the company should tell us about its experience, proven technology and customer trust.

The Coffeemar-G546 coffee machine has good reviews from operators (on thematic forums). The device is an older brother no less successful model G250. It has a large supply of water and cups (500 pieces), an increased assortment of coffee (5 buttons), automatic grinding adjustment and electronic control of coffee extraction. It also has increased resistance to vandalism due to its durable 1.5 mm steel body.

This device is perfect for installation in any place: in offices, government. institutions, shopping centers, universities, etc. The average cost of a new machine is 150 thousand rubles.

Ingredients and suppliers

You will select ingredients by trial and error. All new vendors go through this. Much depends on the specific point. This is especially noticeable in office settings - where at the coffee pot regular customers. The quality of the drink in this case becomes crucial. It is necessary to select ingredients that appeal to the end consumer. Otherwise, you may face a lack of sales and a general loss of the outlet.

Choosing an ingredient supplier doesn't seem like a cakewalk either. The first step is to request samples of the ingredients to test their taste and quality. When starting to use the machine, you should compare at least 3 suppliers. You should alternately add the ingredients from the first manufacturer, then the second and third - and ask the consumer’s opinion. Whichever option is purchased more often, such a supplier may be the one you should work with.

Maintenance of the coffee machine

Maintenance of the machine depends on the traffic of a particular point and the volume of sales - on average once every 2-3 days. If the point is extremely passable, a daily visit to the coffee pot is possible. In any case, frequent visits to the device cannot be superfluous. Proper Maintenance involves: collection of the device, replenishment of the bunker with ingredients, checking the functionality of payment systems, sanitary cleaning of the device (inside and outside).

Speaking about the number of operators required to service coffee pots, the calculation is as follows - one operator for 30 vending machines. The average salary in the regions is 15-20 thousand rubles, plus bonuses are possible depending on the volume of revenue.

23.12.2015

Every budding vendor - and this is not surprising - is interested in the profitability of coffee machines. And in order to raise interest in themselves, many companies are disingenuous, inflating numbers, and sometimes they simply openly take them out of thin air.

We conducted a survey of SuperVending clients and partners and came up with real guidelines that allow us to find out how much profit a coffee machine can bring.

Factor one - location

First of all, the profit from a coffee machine depends on the chosen point. Where you plan to put retail store equipment There must be at least 50 permanent staff + waiting or gathering places.

If you have a choice between high “fluid” traffic or low traffic, but with a waiting area, you need to choose the second option.

For example, in a shopping center, the profit from a coffee machine will be higher in the technical area where employees communicate/smoke/drink coffee than at the exit. The chances that a store visitor will stop to drink coffee are always lower than the chance that a person working there will take at least a portion of the drink in a day.

If you find a location near the waiting area where more than 50 people work, 80% of the time the location will be profitable. It needs to be tested!

Factor two - testing

No one, not even a seasoned professional, can determine at first glance how much profit will be from coffee machines at a particular point. Testing is always needed. So your success, first of all, depends on your perseverance, and not on luck, as many people think.

How to test a location with minimal cost and maximum accuracy?

To determine the profit from a coffee machine, you should not take exactly the equipment that you ultimately plan to install. If the point turns out to be a “failure”, you will only waste money. Take any small machine that can be disassembled into two parts and can be easily transported by a regular car.

Install the machine at the point and record the counter for beverage sales and revenue. This option is now available on any machine.

For example, you sell approximately 40 glasses per day. This means that the profit will be 40/2 = 20 thousand rubles per month.

How to calculate net profit in the vending business?

Average number of drinks sold * average price of a drink * number of days in a month = revenue

For example, if the building has only 1 day off per month (that is, 26 days when the machine is used), the average number of glasses per day is 40, and the average cost of a drink is 35, you will get the following equation

40*35*26 = 36,400 rubles per month

Now from this amount we subtract the cost of coffee and powders (this is 25% of revenue), the cost of rent (usually 10% of revenue), 1000 rubles for gasoline and 500 rubles for other expenses

It will turn out to be about 22,000 rubles per month.

Naturally, it is impossible to predict the exact figure. Vending machines cannot generate the same profit every month. Somedays there will be more, somedays less. But for an average result this formula is quite accurate.

What is important to pay attention to?

There are nuances that will help you quickly develop your vending business and increase your profits.

• Seasonality

• Quality of ingredients

• Appearance of the machine

If you have a dirty or heavily scratched, crumpled coffee machine, you can’t count on good profits. Such a “monster” will only scare away customers.

• Rent

The adequate cost of renting a point is 10–15% of revenue. If they ask for more, then this is already robbery. If it's less, there's probably something wrong with the place. For example, there is a high risk of vandalism, which the owner of the premises is silent about, luring you with a favorable rental price.

A successful businessman does not have his head in the clouds - he calculates both possible revenue and possible losses. Yes, in vending the risk of losing is much less than in any other business area. Especially if you work on used equipment.

According to statistics from SuperVending clients, the maximum losses are 20–30% of the initial investment. And in case of successful development, this amount can be repaid in just a month. Nevertheless, it is also important to think about risks. If you become complacent, you may miss something important.

Let's summarize

Calculating the estimated monthly profit from a coffee machine requires a comprehensive assessment of all items. We have listed only basic factors. But there are a number of other secrets - for example, when newcomers contact SuperVending, we help them choose a specific machine model, depending on the plans, capabilities, chosen point, development plans and a bunch of other parameters.

Evgeny Smirnov

Bsadsensedinamick

# Business ideas

Realities of the vending business in Russia

Coffee and food vending machines will soon appear on commuter trains. This suggests that the market is developing and demand is growing.

Article navigation

• Features of the coffee vending business
• Place for a coffee machine: choosing the right one
• Coffee machines for business: choosing equipment so you don’t regret it later
• Registration and running a business
• What do coffee machines “fill” with?
• Staff
• Maintenance
• Business plan for making money on coffee machines
• Monthly expenses
• Profit per month on coffee machines
• Payback of a coffee machine
• Business development for installing coffee machines
• How many machines do you need?

Among all the vending machines, coffee machines stand apart. It is believed that they are the most profitable, and many people primarily associate the word “vending” with coffee. This business seems very simple, but it is not entirely true statement. Yes, there are not very high risks here; under certain conditions, a large one is not needed start-up capital, but as they say, the dog is in the details. And the coffee machine business has more than enough such nuances.

Features of the coffee vending business

The most important features include:

• Possibility of easy and quick start.
• Possibility to get by with a small investment.
• Very big choice equipment and ingredients.
• Even in large cities you can find places without competition (although we note that among all areas of vending, coffee has the greatest competition).
• There is no need to look for highly qualified and experienced personnel.
• Low rent for space. Coffee machines occupy a small area.

These are the features that can be considered positive. But there are also negative (or at best neutral):

• There is a very strong dependence on a good location; this is what determines the profitability of each individual coffee machine.
• In large cities there are large companies that do business aggressively, pushing out small competitors. They are capturing more or less promising areas for sales.
• Possible damage to equipment. Sometimes even intentional, on the part of competitors. This also happens, although rarely.

Also, at the very beginning of the article, we will immediately tell you the most important things. We will talk about choosing a location and other nuances below, but all this will not matter if you are offering a product Bad quality. And this depends not only on the machine itself, but also on the ingredients you buy.

The thing is that often the majority of sales are repeat sales. And if a person really didn’t like your coffee, he will never make a second purchase. Yes, there is a category of places where there can be new clients every day, but the number of such places is very limited. And coffee machines are often located where there are regular visitors (for example, office rooms). That's why for successful business on coffee machines the product must be very good quality. It may not be like in a cafe (where the cost is several times higher), but it’s definitely better than regular instant coffee from a can.

Place for a coffee machine: choosing the right one

The list of places where coffee machines can bring good profits is long. What matters is that the best places are not those where there is very high traffic, but those where people stay for some time, albeit short:

• transport hubs (stations, airports);
• hospitals;
• Gas stations and car washes;
• educational establishments;
• shopping and entertainment centers (this includes cinemas);
• business and office buildings;
• canteens of industrial enterprises;
• government agencies.

These are traditional places, but it is always possible to find other options. The main thing is the crowd of people. Sometimes you can find completely unobvious places that turn out to be very profitable. For example, you placed a coffee machine next to a small office building where only fifty people work. But your coffee is so delicious that almost all of these people drink it every day. And the income from one glass is from 20 rubles, so do the math yourself.

If you decide to start a business with coffee machines, then be prepared to experiment. You can do without them, but this way you risk not finding the best places. You can always try to install the machine for a short period of time and look at the level of sales.

The following requirements apply to the space for the coffee machine:

• possibility of connecting to the electrical network;
• Free access;
• It is highly desirable to install it in a safe place (protects it from vandals).

The required area is about one square meter. Most property owners are not against additional income and easily agree to install machines, but there are exceptions. They can wring a lot high prices or refuse to rent out the place for other reasons. You should also be prepared for this.

It is advisable to carry out space for coffee machines, as well as negotiations with the owners of the premises before purchasing machines. Otherwise, it will be like starting to build a house without a plot of land.

How to test a location with minimal cost and maximum accuracy?

It is always better to check the point and only then enter into a long lease agreement. This is easy to do, but only if the owner of the premises meets you halfway. Agree with him on a trial period, which can be paid even double (in case of failure). It will be much cheaper than signing a lease for a few months and ending up with a bad place.

Calculating and testing a location is very simple. Any machine has the ability to collect statistics. The minimum period for testing is a week. Sometimes on some days sales can be very high, and on other days, on the contrary, low. Therefore, seven days is the minimum reasonable period that will allow objective testing. It makes no sense to install the machine for more than 14 days. If there are no sales, then there won’t be any.

After the test, it is necessary to analyze sales statistics and compare them with the specifics of the location. It's easier to explain in specific examples, for this we will make a table.

Now let’s decipher the received data. The drop in sales over the weekend in an office building is completely logical, but we should be wary of something else: a sharp drop in sales on Thursday and Friday. What could this mean? Most likely, people tried the coffee but didn’t like it, which is why we can see a drop in sales. It is also possible that the price was too high. In this case, it is advisable to conduct a survey and identify the real reason.

Everything is more even at the car wash, with the exception of a completely logical drop in sales on Saturday. There can be no questions here: the place is suitable and successful. But even here you can talk to the staff and find out what kind of feedback customers left.

Coffee machines for business: choosing equipment so you don’t regret it later

The cost of coffee machines ranges from 40 to 500 thousand rubles. The average price for a new and good coffee machine is 200–240 thousand rubles. It is often recommended to buy used or cheap equipment made in China, but this is a bad idea for obvious reasons. However, here you need to make a decision yourself; if you only have enough money for used coffee machines, then you can buy them too.

The difference in the cost of devices is caused by the following reasons:

• machine quality;
• assortment of drinks;
• menu type, presence of screen;
• Payment Methods.

Also, modern coffee machines can be equipped with additional useful functions. For example, the ability to remove all data from it (remaining ingredients, etc.) remotely via the Internet.

It is difficult to give specific advice on choosing equipment; here, focus on your own financial capabilities, as well as what you want to get as a result. However, there are three points to pay attention to:

• Possibility of service maintenance, as well as availability service center close to you. If a coffee machine breaks down, it will be very expensive to transport it thousands of kilometers. This question needs to be clarified before purchasing, especially if we're talking about about new models.
• Warranty period, possibility of on-site warranty service.
• The maximum ingredient load size may be important if you don't plan on serving them very often.

If you want to buy an old model, we recommend looking for reviews on the Internet (of course, not on the websites of companies that sell coffee machines). Sometimes you can find very useful information that will make you decide not to buy one model in favor of another.

Registration and running a business

The optimal form of registering a business on coffee machines is individual entrepreneur. Taxation system - simplified tax system or UTII, or patent system. OKVED code: 47.99.2 (this is new code, which appeared in 2016).

No other permits or licenses are required, but please note that according to the rules, people who service machines are required to have a health certificate. You may also need permission from the SES and fulfill a number of conditions if the equipment is connected to a water supply system, but such models are practically never found in Russia.

What do coffee machines “fill” with?

The coffee machine uses the following ingredients and consumables:

• Coffee. Usually ground or in grains. Soluble is practically never found.
• Different types of tea (by the way, buying a coffee machine that does not have the ability to make tea is very unwise).
• Cocoa and hot chocolate.
• Sugar.
• Milk and cream (dry or granulated).
• Water.
• Cups and spoons for stirring.

You don’t need to invent anything: all the ingredients are sold specifically for coffee machines, you just need to buy them. They are not exactly the same as those sold in regular stores. In particular, they dissolve faster and absorb moisture less well. Ideally, find a permanent supplier and work only with him.

You determine the dosage yourself, but usually it is about seven grams of coffee per glass. With every machine gun you must be given detailed instructions for setup and dosage recommendations.

Water is collected from springs or tap water is used, but it must be filtered. Don't forget that bad water can negatively affect the taste. It must be clean and without the slightest content of foreign impurities.

Staff

High qualifications from the personnel are not required, although the person must be able to carry out simple repairs right on the spot. But this can be solved by training. Each machine comes with all necessary instructions, in which they talk about eliminating the most common problems. Most often these are problems with software or minor breakdowns (the hose has come off, etc.), which are easy to fix yourself.

If you have a small number of coffee machines, you may not need to hire staff at all, but you must be prepared to work for your business seven days a week. A rather controversial option, but with 2-3 machines, hiring staff will be really unnecessary. Set your salary based on the realities of your city.

Maintenance

One person a day can service from 10 to 15 coffee machines, it all depends on how far they are from each other. The frequency of service depends on the number of ingredients that can be loaded and the number of sales. On average, this is three days, but sometimes you have to do maintenance every day.

Since you have to carry not only consumables, but also water, you will need a car. By the way, when drawing up a business plan and planning expenses, this is very often forgotten, and they don’t mention it on other sites, but a car is really required. At least a passenger car. The issue can be resolved in two ways:

• Only hire employees who own a car (and reimburse them for gas).
• Buy a used and inexpensive car, which will be comparable in cost (or even cheaper) to one coffee machine.

We have already written about breakdowns above. It is also necessary to periodically wash coffee machines and carry out preventive maintenance (all this is included in technical documentation). Money is withdrawn once a week. You can do it yourself, or you can trust your employees. We have one comment regarding this.

On the one hand, modern coffee machines have the ability to collect all the statistics on money, which makes theft problematic. No, of course they can steal (if they get the money themselves), but it will be difficult to go unpunished. On the other hand, you always need to leave coins in the machines for change, which makes petty theft possible, which cannot be immediately detected. Therefore, a complete inventory is carried out once a month.

Business plan for making money on coffee machines

Vending business with coffee machines does not require complex and fundamental research, however certain planning necessary. At a minimum, you need to determine a list of promising places, study competitors, find suppliers of ingredients, and determine optimal prices.

Monthly expenses

Monthly expenses include:

• rent;
• consumables and ingredients;
• staff salaries.

This is something that money will have to be spent on. Additional costs may also arise, for example related to repairs, but they cannot be planned.

Also, at the expense planning stage in your business plan for coffee vending, you need to determine the cost of each item in the machine. This is very easy to do if you know the consumption and prices of ingredients.

Profit per month on coffee machines

It is impossible to predict monthly profit, but at a minimum, you can calculate the break-even point for each machine separately and for the entire business as a whole. Let’s say the cost of one item is on average 5 rubles, and the average price is 30 rubles. You have five coffee machines, monthly expenses:

• salary for one employee: 20 thousand rubles;
• rent: 15 thousand rubles.

Now we divide 35,000 (20,000+15,000) by 25 (30 rubles – 5 rubles) and get 1,400. Thus, 1,400 sales is the break-even point, and everything above is profit. By simple calculations, you can find out that each coffee machine should have 9.3 sales daily.

Payback of a coffee machine

Here the calculations are exactly the same, but you need to add the cost of the equipment, after which you will get the necessary numbers. In general, the payback in this business is usually about a year, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, but you need to focus on 12 months. Let's look at our example.

Your devices cost 600 thousand rubles. For them to break even in one year, you need to sell 24,000 more glasses of coffee or tea. And this is another 13.1 glasses per day for each machine. Thus, we get 13.1 + 9.3 = 22.4 glasses that need to be sold daily, which will allow us to return our initial investment within 12 months and start making a profit.

Business development for installing coffee machines

The good thing about business is that it is easy to scale. Do you have some free funds and have you found another promising place? You can buy a machine in one day, install it and it will start making a profit. In this sense, it is difficult to find another business like this.

However, the market still has a certain capacity. The difficulty is that it is difficult to determine the potential number of consumers. It's not even possible. In one city with a population of 100 thousand people, 50 coffee machines may operate successfully, while in another, with the same population, 25 may not be profitable. This happens even within the same city (in one area everything is good, in another everything is bad, while the flow of people is approximately the same).

If you see that some coffee machines are not profitable, then you should start looking for other places for them. In such cases there is no need to wait; the situation in practice never changes. Or you can try to reduce prices. Business development in coffee machines means constantly searching for new locations, optimizing prices or expanding the range.

How many machines do you need?

And here it is very difficult to give specific recommendations. Simply because no market research has been conducted in Russia, so there is no data for analysis. You should start from the ratio of the number of promising places for installing coffee machines and financial capabilities. If you have money, you can try to capture all suitable places before competitors appear.

It all depends on what monthly income you plan to achieve. If it is more than 100 thousand rubles, then even in a very good place it is impossible to get that amount from one machine. From two it is still possible, but only if the places are really very good.

The situation is different in different regions of Russia, but it is believed that a profit of 25 thousand per month from one machine is already very good result. You can focus on this figure, but we repeat, it is impossible to predict the profitability of a particular place in practice. This can only be determined experimentally.

home » How to earn » How much does a coffee vending business bring? Coffee machines as a business What do you need to install a coffee machine