Sachem Alum's Company Offers Unique Vending Machines

Had a few beers at the Yankees game and want to make sure it’s still safe to drive? There’s a vending machine for that.

Alco-Buddy, a breathalyzer vending machine, is just one of the types of products Unique Vending Enterprises offers. Founded by Sachem alum John Berlingieri, Class of 2005, the company aims to make everyday products more easily-accessible for people.

“We just try to amp it up…[and] make it better,” Berlingieri said.

Alco-Buddy is easy to use. Unlike traditional vending machines, it is small and hangs on a wall. After money is inserted - anywhere from $1 to $4, depending on the business it’s located at -, Alco-Buddy lights up and a voice instructs the user what to do. The user takes a straw from a dispenser and places it against a tube on the machine. The voice instructs the user to blow for about four seconds, and then the user’s blood alcohol content appears. If it is lower than the regulated .08, the voice will say it is safe to drive.

Berlingieri said he modeled Alco-Buddy off a similar breathalyzer he saw in Europe. Working in his father’s aircraft engineering factory, Berlingieri said, gave him the experience he needed to build the machines, which he did in his mother’s basement before finding Unique Vending Enterprises.

“I just wanted to help out the community with the Alco-Buddy,” Berlingieri said of the machine, which is at bars, night clubs, stadiums and anywhere else alcohol is served.

Unique Vending Enterprises also sells Glamour-Buddy, a machine that vends hot irons for hair styling. Like Alco-Buddy, Berlingieri said the cost of using Glamour-Buddy ranges from $1 to $4, and after inserting money the user waits for the iron to heat up. While it heats up, Berlingieri said users can insert more money for more time, or stick with the standard two-minute time limit. Glamour-Buddy is commonly found at gyms, hotel resorts, offices and malls.

Berlingieri said Unique Vending Enterprises sells to distributorships and vending companies. The machines are cheap for businesses to operate because they don’t require any refills on products, except for straws in Alco-Buddy. Berlingieri said the company has sold machines to distributors throughout the world.

Berlingieri said Unique Vending Enterprises tries to create machines that vend products for people with all kinds of needs.

“It pretty much appeals to everyone,” he said. “We like to market to everyone.”

As for future vending products from Unique Vending Enterprises, Berlingieri said the company is looking to launch a machine called Difresh that will vend compact toothbrushes, toothpastes, mint sprays and hand sanitizers.

Before he founded Unique Vending Enterprises in 2007, Berlingieri was a student at Sachem East. He was on the football team, took honors and AP classes and recalls his favorite teachers being Richard Van Brunt and Louis Antonetti.

For more information about Unique Vending Enterprises and its products, visit Alco-Buddy’s and Glamour-Buddy’s websites. The company is located at 1180 Lincoln Ave, Suite 5 in Holbrook and can be reached at 888-925-2628.