Our Origin Story
The story began in 1996, when Roman Rieck discovered a spiral vending machine during a visit to Florida. Three-year-old Max was fascinated by it, inspiring Roman to design and build his own machines in Austria.
By 1998, Roman was manufacturing his own spiral gumball machines entirely from scratch. The machines pictured here are among his earliest creations.
What began as a simple idea grew into a family business, with Roman and Max continuing to develop it together today.
From Gumballs to Gemstone Hearts
In 2002, Roman introduced his first semicircular vending machines dispensing tumbled gemstones. The concept was an immediate success, with 800 machines sold across Austria and Germany. In 2012, he developed the round stainless steel Vendomat 300.
In 2014, gemstone hearts presented a new opportunity. Unlike rounded tumbled stones, their flatter shape made them much harder to dispense individually. Roman spent more than a year designing and testing a way to vend the hearts reliably without plastic capsules.
By 2020, the modern R300 had arrived, introducing cashless payments and forming the basis of today's Offer a Heart machines.
Bringing Offer a Heart to the UK
Building on nearly three decades of Austrian design and manufacturing experience, Roman Vending Ltd was established to introduce Offer a Heart to the UK.
Working closely with Roman Rieck GmbH, we bring gemstone heart vending machines to visitor attractions, family entertainment venues and retail locations throughout the country.
Our aim is to help UK venues introduce something that feels part of their visitor experience, combining an established international concept with local support and service.
