Last week, a vending machine appeared in my office…
Not the typical clear-front dispensary with the usual snacks, or those upgraded coffee machines with cappuccino or latte offerings. This was something else: a supersized, sleek and modernized, all-in-one beverage machine. On the menu were matcha lattes, specialty fruit teas, and coffee drinks like Iced Caramel Cappucino and Hot Mocha– everything ordered and purchased through an app.
The machine is a product of G&A Robot, a Canadian company just entering the U.S. market. Their robotic beverage machines craft over 100 customizable drinks. Globally, there are already 450 machines stationed across Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands. This one, just installed in the co-working space we happen to share in New York City, is their first in the U.S. Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami are next.
Although it’s designed to be self-explanatory, Michael Lee, the G&A Robot CEO of America, who is heading up the U.S. expansion, walked me through how to order a beverage. I chose the Mango Milk Tea. Right away a big attraction was the ability to control the sugar level. A small detail, but one that felt very nutritionally now.
Besides beverage machines, there are also snacks and ice cream machines – not pre-packaged, but premium soft serve ice cream with custom toppings on demand. G&A produces AI powered cabinets as well, that operate similarly to an Amazon Go store. Open the door, grab what you want, and go. It knows what you’ve taken. No checkout. No lines.
What is interesting, and at the core of the company, is not just the technology, but why it was created. At Starbucks and the like, coffee drinks have become an expensive habit at $7 or $8 each – and a time consuming one too. We have all spent way too much time waiting in line for a cup of coffee.
“We wanted to have other options for customers where the prices would be more reasonable,” Lee told me. “And in order to do that, we have to change the way the retail channel is done. Instead of being a physical store, we are what we call ‘retail stations’, which can be on any corner and any street. People can order what they want on the app, and just come down from where they live or where they work, and pick it up. There are no lines – and the average price of a drink is around $3, depending on the region.” My Mango Milk Tea was $2.85.
But the half price is only half of it. What also sets the machine apart is that it doesn’t cut corners. The coffee is freshly ground inside the unit. The milk is fresh, not powdered. That alone puts it in a different category from most office or vending setups, which typically rely on pre-mixed ingredients — automation without compromise.
Right now the machines are already embedded in daily life in parts of Canada — inside train stations, universities, offices, and other venues. On campuses, where most food options shut down early, these machines run 24/7. Late-night access, solved. In the TransLink headquarters, the major public transit network of Canada, the machine has been a popular amenity — one I can appreciate that with a G&A beverage machine conveniently located in my office.
With summer just around the corner, I’m hoping the ice cream machine is next!
