Understanding Services

So you’ve decided to become a vending operator. What does the work actually involve?

Most people think only of vending machines. That’s one lane. Operators also run micro-markets, office coffee services, water services (dispensers), and ice machine programs (lease/rental with servicing). There’s far more opportunity than buying machines on Facebook and dropping them on site.

Coffee service can be straightforward: purchase a suitable machine, install it, and return every 1–2 weeks to deliver coffee and restock. Water service is similarly simple: install a dispenser and replace filters on a 45–90-day schedule. You buy quality filters at low cost and charge for the swap—for example, a $15 filter from Amazon billed to the client at $75 every 45–90 days.

Most businesses want both coffee and water. Water is a workplace necessity, and a single warehouse can require a dozen or more filters. Consider an industrial block of 20 warehouses with an average of two dispensers each (very conservative): that’s 40 scheduled filter changes. A swap takes 5–10 minutes. At $60 profit per filter, you’re at $2,400 for under four hours of work—and many sites run more than two dispensers. Layer in coffee—equipment, product, and filters—and you quickly increase revenue per location with minimal extra effort. As you deliver consistently and build relationships, clients keep you and invite you to take on additional services over time.

You’re not limited to one industry—you can serve nearly any workplace (subject to local rules and site requirements). For example, you can place a machine on a military base, but you’ll need to be badged and complete their process. Don’t narrow your market prematurely. Treat every nearby business as a potential client, then qualify each one against your placement criteria.

Evaluate the operation: How many employees? How many shifts (1, 2, or 3)? Is there a convenience store nearby? Can employees leave during breaks? Are wages predominantly minimum or closer to a living wage? Use those answers to tailor the service level. You can profitably deploy a water dispenser almost anywhere, but the real goal is to cluster accounts—expanding to neighboring businesses so you increase revenue and route efficiency in the same area.

Start with the basics and prospect by email, phone, or in person. For corporate B2B, professional communication matters. Use a real website and a custom domain—don’t approach a major warehouse from a random Gmail. Serious companies prefer to work with organized vendors. The same standard applies to vending, micro-markets, and coffee services.

When you identify a location, think through everything you can provide. Coffee and water are low-friction entry points, and coffee machines need filtered water—not only dedicated water dispensers. You can earn solid returns from coffee and water alone. If the site can also support a vending machine, secure that while you cover water and coffee to increase revenue per account.

Don’t box yourself in. Focus on four pillars—coffee, water, vending, and micro-markets. They’re relatively low input; a well-run account often takes about an hour a week for strong margins. Common office/warehouse coffee equipment includes BUNN, Newco Bistro 10T, Nespresso Professional, FLAVIA/Lavazza Professional, and Keurig. If you’ve ever had “free coffee” at work, it likely came from a service, not a grocery run.

Decide which services you can deliver reliably. Vending machines can be purchased new or used—there’s no rule that they must be new. Buying used can make sense, but avoid outdated or unreliable equipment. Aim to offer coffee, water, vending, and micro-markets. The broader your capability, the fewer outright “no” answers you’ll get; once you’re in, it’s easier to expand through relationships.

Next, build your supplier list: coffee products, water dispensers, filters, coffee machines, and vending machines (used: Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist; new equipment recommendations to come—no endorsement implied). Keep a spreadsheet with SKUs, pricing, and backup sources.

Execute consistently. Owning a dispenser doesn’t mean you understand how it works. Learn your equipment inside and out. Operational confidence shows up in every sales conversation. The more fluent you are in your gear and processes, the more confidence clients will have in you. We’ll expand on this in another Field Notes. — HJ

Being an operator means that you choose your services. You can offer only vending machines, or you can fold in more services such as offering coffee machines in a break room, near workstations, offices—anywhere the client may want a coffee machine. The same goes for water services: you can provide freestanding dispensers scattered throughout warehouses and in break rooms—the same places as coffee machines. When you communicate with potential clients, by offering additional services you aren’t limiting yourself to one thing and hoping that it pans out. You can leverage other services to get into a location and, over time, offer more and take over existing vendors’ services.

There are many variations to the equipment. People have different areas they want equipment, and there may be size restrictions or other issues that require a small countertop water dispenser or a shorter coffee machine to fit under cabinetry. You want a list of equipment you can provide that covers different use cases for different locations and individuals.

Below is a list of suppliers and products used across the industry by operators. Some distributors will require that you have a business license and a reseller’s license, jurisdiction dependent, but you can prepare right now by building a spreadsheet of equipment you can order, saving URLs, and finding backup URLs to products. When you have a list built out, you don’t even need to order equipment—you can start working with clients and offering them the services.

Services Directory — Coffee & Water

Browse a focused directory of manufacturers and trusted retailers for coffee services and water services. Use the search or category filter to jump quickly to what you need.

Note: Directory reflects provided links; entries were organized into two service categories for clarity. Use your local suppliers where appropriate.