A 16-ounce smoothie that can be made in under a minute will soon be in the hands (and stomachs) of Chester County, writes Lisa Dukart for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Bleni Blends, a frozen beverage vending machine that hit the market in October 2020 can blend up flavors like Strawberry Banana, Green Power, Pink Drago, Berrylicious, and even frozen vanilla or mocha coffee.  

The Delco-based start-up which founded the innovative beverage machine has been featured on this season’s Shark Tank this past Friday. Founders Peter and Stuart Shapiro pitched their idea to celebrity investors.  

These machines can be found all over the region, including at Chester County Hospital and QVC Park in West Chester. These 60 second smoothies average about $5.50 each. The machines, however, are a bit pricier. If the vending machine is third-party owned, it can be bought for $30,000.  

This high-end machine is made up of three parts; an ice chest, a refrigerator that keeps the blender and smoothie packages cool, and the waste tanks. It runs on cloud-connected software that also keeps track of what flavors are the most popular and if the machine needs to be re-stocked.  

Read more about this latest innovation in the Philadelphia Business Journal.   

Bleni Blends featured on Shark Tank.