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For several days the residents of Thessaloniki have had the opportunity to buy fresh milk without having to go to the supermarket but just to one of the 18 milk vending machines that have been installed at six locations in the city.

The innovative automatic equipment sells milk in half-litre and one-litre bottles and at very competitive prices at that - one euro per litre and 0.50 euro per half a litre, when customers pay with a prepaid card. For customers who pay in cash the price is 1.10 euro per litre and 0.60 euro per half a litre. Even then, the prices are lower than the average per litre of milk sold in food chains where it is 1.50 euro.

The vending machines are installed in front of the shops of the co-operative of milk producers from the Thessaly region of Thessaloniki. It is the second city to apply this method of sale of whole milk and skimmed milk after Larissa. The first milk vending machine there was installed a year ago and at the end of this year, the number of the machines in the city will reach 15.

In statements to the Greek news agency AMNA, chairman of the co-operative Athanasios Bakalis said that the milk collected from farms is pasteurized and delivered to the vending machines in less than 24 hours. Therefore, its nutritional qualities are completely preserved.

The co-operative involves 150 cow breeders from the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia, and 55 farms. Their daily production is 120 litres of fresh cow's milk, which is equivalent to 10% of the total milk production in Greece.

The commercial activities of the co-operative aim to ensure the sustainability of the production units of its members and to prove that there are ways for Greek producers to offer customers high quality products at competitive prices.

Bakalis added that the consumer interest in Thessaloniki is large and if the demand exceeds 800 litres per day, as is the case in Larissa, they will install vending machines at six different locations in Thessaloniki by the end of 2014.