A SOMERSET dairy farm has launched a new milk vending machine and farm shop in a bid to offer people quality, affordable produce straight from the farm gate.

Dairy farmers Sarah and Sam Coles launched their new pasteurised milk vending machine on Thursday (April 11) and said customers have been queuing up to fill up their glass bottles with fresh whole milk.

The brother and sister manage a herd of 80 cows at Brent House Farm in Edingworth and Sarah said she was inspired to buy the machine after seeing a similar system while working at a farm in New Zealand.

She said: “When I went to New Zealand I worked on a dairy farm and I saw that they had a vending machine for milk.

“I thought it was amazing and when I spoke to people they said that they preferred the taste of the milk.

“I knew we didn’t have anything like this in Somerset so when I got back I spoke to my brother and we decided to get a milk vending machine and sell our farm fresh milk.”

Customers can purchase a one litre reusable glass bottle from the farm for £1 and get a litre of pasteurised whole milk for £1.

The vending machine will supply however much or little milk each customer would like, and is easy to use with instructions on the machine.

Sarah said the farm has been ‘really busy’ since the vending machine launched and she has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the response from customers.

She said: “We have had the best reviews we could ever have wished for, it has been an absolute dream for us.

“People have been popping by regularly since Thursday to get their milk and it is lovely to see the machine is being used by the community.

“The farm shop also launched last week and it has been really successful, people have been popping in to look at our local produce.

“We get the milk from our herd of 80 cows which we look after on the farm and some of the milk goes away to Wyke Farms for cheese and the rest we pasteurise and sell here.

“People have said they really like the taste of the milk from our dairy, we have never done anything like this before so it is amazing that we have had such a positive response.”

To use the new vending machine or visit the farm shop, go to Brent House Farm in Edingworth Road which is open daily.