TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese convenience store chain Hi-Life launched its fresh fruits and vegetables self-service smoothie machine on Wednesday.

The company plans to have the machine in 500 stores by the third quarter of this year, focusing on residential areas and business districts. Hi-Life Digital Marketing Assistant Manager Shih Pang-liang (施邦樑) said the model will ease labor burden on stores, per CNA.

The pilot program is running at two stores. In less than two months, average daily sales have reached about 50 cups.

The sales model involves suppliers pre-cutting, freezing, and packaging fresh fruits and vegetables, which are then delivered to designated Hi-Life stores and stored in frozen display cabinets. Customers can select their preferred flavor and make smoothies using the self-service machine, after checkout.

By the end of May, Hi-Life plans to roll out the machines to 200 stores, aiming for daily sales of over NT$1 million (US$30,514).

In addition to Hi-Life, President Chain Store Corp., which operates the 7-Eleven convenience store chain in Taiwan, also introduced a self-service ice drink machine at its Kangqiao store last year. This marked the first time a convenience store in Asia had imported the new equipment from the US.

As for other convenience store chains, FamilyMart rolled out its smart coffee machine in 2020, enabling customers to make their own coffee. Meanwhile, OK Mart launched “OkCook,” a self-cooked fresh food service that has gained strong popularity at campus stores.