Some countries have a particular food item just coming out of their ears. In China, garlic is so abundant they have to smuggle it out by the ton. In Russia, they have so much caviar they sell it in vending machines. Seriously, in one of the most unusual vending machine payloads since the Persian Gulf’s gold vending machine, Russian vending machines dispense tins of red caviar at 450 rubles (or $15) a pop. I guess it’s as good a snack as anything else sold in a machine.
So why are retailers selling their caviar by any means necessary? Well, a crowded market and a desire to make a bigger name for themselves in the cut-throat caviar game. “Many producers and suppliers just cannot make it through. Basically the retailers hold the market, and the bigger or, lets say, the older suppliers have better connections. Many are just squeezed back. So I think it’s not from good life, it’s a necessity trying to make the branding in the market,” said Tigran Hovhannisyan, senior analyst at financial company Uralsib.
Seems like a great idea to me. If you can’t break into an industry, find a way to get your product into as many hands as possible until you become known. It’s like Redbox versus Blockbuster, but for fish eggs.
Tags: Moscow, Russia, vending machine with caviar, red caviar, caviar sold in vending machines, caviar sold in vending machines, marketing, unusual vending machines, Tigran Hovhannisyan, Uralsib, unusual food items