Weed vending machine debuts in Colorado with more on the way
Anna, a new cannabis vending machine, is coming to Pueblo dispensary Strawberry Fields and Starbuds in Aurora.
In an era when consumers can buy groceries, pet supplies and even a life-size cardboard cutout of Lizzo without directly seeing a human, one company is ensuring Coloradans can also purchase their cannabis contactless.
Matt Frost is founder and CEO of a company called anna, which makes what he calls a “tricked out vending machine” designed to take and fill orders for marijuana products. The first ones landed at Strawberry Fields dispensary in central Pueblo, where customers can now purchase flower, edibles and vape oils without having to interact with a budtender. They’ll debut at a second dispensary, Starbuds in Aurora, sometime this year.
Frost, whose background is in healthcare data analytics, originally developed the concept to adapt the efficiency of a retail self-checkout system to the marijuana industry. In his home state of Massachusetts, dispensary waits can be hours-long and some shops require patrons schedule a pickup time for pre-ordered products.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic forced pot shops to adapt to increased demand for online ordering and curbside pickup, Frost saw an opportunity to help them modernize and get in on the contactless craze."
Per the Daily Mail UK, "
- The machines will also debut in Massachusetts in September
