Milk ATM dispenser launched in Eldoret

By Faith Ronoh

Eldoret, Kenya: The sale of milk in the North Rift region has gone high tech with the introduction of vending machines in urban centres that dispense milk just like money from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

A businessman in Eldoret has taken the pioneering step to initiate the project dubbed Any Time Milk (ATM) machine, the first of its kind in the region.

Charles Boit launched the ATM machine in Eldoret town that will see users and milk consumers purchase milk from as low as five shillings.

The equipment allows users to purchase milk by depositing money — in coin form — and in turn receiving varied milk quantities directly from the dispenser.

Aside from money, consumers will be required to have clean containers in which to carry the ready-to-drink milk.

Boit says consumers have always been forced to part with extra money to buy milk due to exploitation from middlemen and the existence of monopoly dairy firms.

He explained that milk would be pumped directly from the farm to the coolers where pasteurisation takes place before being transferred to the dispenser.

“I was inspired to start such a project because customers are looking for pasteurised fresh whole milk at a reasonable price since milk has for over the years become very expensive,” says Boit.

“The best part is that customers can consume the product directly from the machine since it is already boiled and pasteurised,” adds Boit.

Apart from high prices, Boit also singled out health risks that come with untidy packaging of raw milk, saying the system seeks to eliminate such risks.

“We are trying to avoid situations where hawkers are delivering milk to customers under poor conditions that pose serious health risks.

The system allows a closed process where milk is pasteurised and transferred to the ATM machine without coming into direct contact with humans,” he explains.

He also noted that dairy farmers spend a lot of money on inputs yet milk prices do not pay well, resulting in losses.

The machine, he adds, eliminates packaging costs, allowing consumers to purchase the product at a cheaper price of Sh60 per litre compared to packaged milk of the same quantity that costs Sh95.

“We are also trying to minimise costs by asking farmers to use their own containers because the cost of packaging is very high.

“However, we provide dispensable plastics for customers who wish to consume the product directly from the machine,” he said.

The project that cost Sh7 million will be operational between 6am and 6pm but the farmer is confident that with time they will increase this time to 24 hours.

The machine, he says, has the capacity to hold up to 3,000 litres of milk daily.

Residents have welcomed the initiative, saying it will go a long way in eliminating middlemen in the market and at the same time adding value to milk.