All Vending Business Opportunities Are NOT Created Equal!

By Kathleen C. Lanza
December 18, 2009

If you’re someone who’s interested in starting a vending business of your own or expanding the one you already have, then why not choose one that’s not only going to generate some serious revenue, but that makes a positive impact on society? Read on…

Alco-Buddy Allows Socially Conscious Entrepreneurs to Provide a Worthwhile Community Service and Generate Tremendous Profits!

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, someone is killed by a drunk driver in the U.S. an average of every 45 minutes. It’s scary stuff that only people like Alco-Buddy President John Berlingieri and his family know all too well. “I lost a cousin to a drunk driver,” he says, “so finding a way to prevent other fatalities was important to me.”

Traveling in Europe a few years back, Berlingieri encountered all the inspiration he needed to get started doing just that. “I saw that a few of the establishments that serve alcohol had breathalyzer machines so that patrons could test their own blood alcohol content (BAC) before they left and tried to drive,” he said. “It struck me hard that this was something we needed back home, and that we could do it better than anyone else.”

That confidence combined with his need to make a difference fueled Berlingieri’s multi-year commitment to create the most advanced, durable and high-quality breathalyzer vending machine of its kind to date. The Alco-Buddy was born.

Although there are other vending breathalyzer machines out there, the extensive expertise that’s been involved in the Alco-Buddy’s development is extraordinary. “My family has been in the business of manufacturing the most advanced high-tech equipment there is for everything from the Space Shuttle to virtually every high-speed jet on the market,” Berlingieri explains. “We’ve parlayed our proven capabilities in the areas of precision engineering and manufacturing into building the most high-quality machine possible for this purpose. We take this very seriously.”

Given Berlingieri’s claim that 90% of the establishments his team approaches about installing a machine jump at the opportunity, it seems bar, restaurant and other similar venue owners do as well. “Our machine allows businesses that serve alcohol to offer their patrons the chance to check their BAC before they do something they’ll regret later,” Berlingieri says. “But it’s also a means for the establishment to have a sense of what is going on under its own roof and to know who might need a designated driver before all is said and done. It’s a true win-win in that respect for everyone.”

And the bottom line when it comes to profits is not too shabby either. Given that each Alco-Buddy machine uses less energy than a 40W light bulb and the recommended charge is $2 to as much as $4 per use, each machine can easily generate hundreds of dollars per month. That profit is split between the establishment and the machine’s owner, which includes Berlingieri himself, as well as a growing number of affiliated owner/operators.

“This is a true no-brainer for someone who already owns a vending business, but it’s a great investment for any entrepreneur,” Berlingieri says. “It is an ongoing moneymaker, and the marketplace is wide open,” he continues. “The individuals who’ve already bought ten machines from us are finding they only want to purchase more.” In fact, Berlingieri is racing just to keep up with the demand in his Long Island-based manufacturing plant. That’s not surprising when you consider the huge number and practically limitless variety of potential venues that would welcome an Alco-Buddy’s arrival. Lodges, VFWs, bars, stadiums, college campuses, restaurants, catering and event halls of all sizes…the list goes on and on.

For patrons of these kinds of establishments on any given night, one puff into the Alco-Buddy can make the difference between life and death. In fact, Berlingieri has already heard numerous testimonials from friends and acquaintances saying that the Alco-Buddy made them think twice before driving home. “Those are the moments when I’m certain we’re doing the right thing,” he says.

For liability reasons, Alco-Buddy is labeled that it is For Entertainment Purposes Only. However, its precision is quite good, and anything that draws a person’s attention to the fact that they may have had enough is a good thing. According to Berlingieri, law enforcement officers of all kinds tend to agree. “Law enforcement favors anything that might curb drunk driving,” Berlingieri says. “Alco-Buddy is a way for people to gauge themselves that wasn’t available before, and something is better than nothing.” In addition, each machine features extremely affordable and effective paid advertising by area taxi companies and other interested parties for as little as $300-$500 per year. “The ads on our machines not only target the audience these companies want to reach, but they remind people who are drinking that there are alternatives to their driving home,” he adds.

To curb the rate of drinking and driving and ultimately have a measurable positive impact on the problem, Berlingieri envisions a day when the Alco-Buddy is a familiar fixture in every alcohol-serving establishment nationwide, as well as internationally. In fact, his well-conceived business opportunity has been designed with that specific goal in mind. “Anyone who wants to provide a good community service, is ambitious and wants to make a good deal of money can learn to install these machines and calibrate them as needed on a monthly basis,” Berlingieri says. “We even offer a locator service for investors who may not want to do the actual installations and monthly upkeep, but who recognize that purchasing an Alco-Buddy is one of the most socially conscious and smartest business decisions they can make.”

Berlingieri’s awareness that Alco-Buddy’s success is every bit as much about quality and customer service as it is about quantity has resulted in the company’s imminent release of a machine that accepts not only cash, but debit, credit and gift cards as well. Additionally, the newest machines are fully wrapped and UV-protected, providing increasingly superior durability. And it’s all been done at a cost to investor/owner-operators that is a full 50% below that of Alco-Buddy’s closest competitors.

“When we decided to develop the Alco-Buddy, we purchased a machine from every one of our competitors. Then we put a full team of PhDs and engineers to work on pulling all the best elements together and making the final product even better than the sum of those parts,” Berlingieri says. That process of refining and staying ahead in the marketplace has been ongoing and will continue for as long as John Berlingieri is at Alco-Buddy’s helm. “We consider ourselves to be problem solvers, and making Alco-Buddy the best machine of its kind to lessen the impact that drunk driving has on all of us is what motivates us each and every day.”