Another Look At Vending Machines

The Centre for the History of Retailing and Distribution has a fascinating short piece today on the history of vending machines. It focuses on Nathaniel Leverone and his Automatic Canteen Company:

“Importantly, Leverone utilised a new space for vending machines: factories. The Canteen sales pitch involved two steps: first, convince managers that workers needed a snack between meals. Leverone argued that “candy, which had previously been considered as a treat for children, actually constituted a food which was the source of quick energy for hardworking factory employees.”

It was an interesting article by itself, but it reminded me of something I wrote more than a decade ago about an automatic pizza making vending machine. So far as I can tell, his machine is still going.

Image: Duck Intersection