Vending machines to help MSMEs market products

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has come up with a vending machine strategy to help small local beverage and snack food makers introduce and sell their products to a wider market.

Engineer Sancho Mabborang, DOST Region 2 regional director and national program leader of the onestore.ph program, said they have procured five vending machines from Taiwan for pilot testing of the new strategy in assisting Filipino micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) market their products.

Mabborang said the use of vending machines was also a good way of promoting MSME products since it will give them presence in high traffic areas where such machines are usually placed.

“With the Onestore vendos, the beverage products of our MSME can now be seen and bought by consumers in strategic locations. Before, only multinationals and local giant food and beverage companies can sell their products through vending machines,” Mabborang told The STAR in an interview.

“What’s important here is that we can give our MSMEs the opportunity to sell using new approaches. The products that consumers see on onestore.ph online store they can also buy from vending machines,” he stressed.

The five vending machines are still being calibrated prior to deployment to strategic locations already identified by the DOST onstore.ph program.

Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the onestore vending machines will feature new and innovative products of MSMEs such as calamansi and dalandan juice drinks, whose raw materials are sourced from Filipino farmers in the countryside.