September 16, 2020
Heineken has started a pilot with vending machines that customers in the supermarket can use to tap fresh beer to take home.
According to the brewer, the machine increases the quality perception of lager and is a sustainable solution. The bottles are 100 percent reusable. These are vending machines that dispense chilled, fresh, local beer. The bottles are made of glass and have a capacity of 950 ml. The test will run in four countries.
According to Heineken, the vending machines save money on disposable packaging. The customer receives a deposit when he returns the bottle. To underline the green character, the test also concerns locally brewed beers.
The first test country is France and the first machine is in Monoprix Montparnasse in Paris. The machine amplifies three beer varieties from the Gallia Paris brewery. To pour the beer, the customer opens a door and puts down the glass bottle. The bottle is automatically filled after closing the door. The customer can then close the bottle himself with a screw cap and also receives a label with a barcode for the bottle.
The Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy STAP considers it important that the French government takes immediate action to ban alcohol vending machines. Wim van Dalen, director of STAP: “The already high availability of alcohol will increase, resulting in more alcohol-related problems. Alcohol becomes more easily accessible to young people and other vulnerable groups. With these public taps, Heineken is cleverly responding to the situation created by COVID that people are less able to visit bars and restaurants and can now drink alcohol while shopping ”.