Cake Creations by Kate rolls out Melbourne’s first network of cupcake vending machines

Stocked with cupcakes and ready to satisfy sweet tooths across Melbourne, local business Cake Creations by Kate has unveiled its cupcake vending machines — the first of its kind in Australia — which will be rolling out in Melbourne shopping centres.

The Melbourne-based business has launched the machines at CS Square Caroline Springs and Craigieburn Central, however, this is just the beginning for the brand.

With just the push of a button, shoppers will be able to choose from boxes of four, six and 12 handmade mini cupcakes, including flavours like Biscoff, cookies and cream, lemon and vanilla rainbow. 

The sweet vending machines, which use state-of-the-art technology from Italy and are over two metres in size, will be stocked daily with fresh handmade mini cupcakes, as well as macarons, ‘Kate’s Choccies’ and chunky cookies. 

Founder Katelyn Matheson said the plan is to have 10 vending machines around Melbourne by mid-2024 and then expand to a national audience in 2025.  

“I was inspired by my travels over the past five years, including my trip to Japan where I saw how amazing the vending machine technology was,” she said. 

“It made me realise that the future is in accessibility and convenience – even when it comes to food products. 

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 “Before the pandemic, we had a pop-up shipping container at QV Melbourne. So many customers told us that they loved being able to buy cupcakes later at night. Outside of our usual 5.30pm close time. 

“Our sales reflected this, so I decided to look at ways we could bring our customers freshly baked goods on demand. 

“I went to Italy and found the best machines on the market. The technology is incredible and they are the first of their kind in Australia. 

“We think of them as mini stores. They stock the same products as our flagship store and pop-up shops – they are just available on demand.”

Matheson added that the machines were a fun way to keep up with the demand for her sweet treats.

“We wanted to make things easier for our customers, as some travel over an hour just to visit our stores,” she said.

“We have hired more bakers and delivery drivers to ensure that people have access to fresh cupcakes on demand, seven days a week.”

Matheson launched Cake Creations by Kate in 2015 at the age of 18 and opened her flagship store at Point Cook in Victoria after learning how to bake from her grandma.

Today, she runs a variety of pop-up stores around the state and employs over 25 staff members, with both Matheson and her team baking everything from scratch at her 300-sqm purpose-built warehouse at Werribee. 

Matheson said she thinks the business’s growth can be attributed to the brand maintaining its integrity over the years. 

“Creating products of the highest quality for our customers has and always will be our number one priority,” she said. 

“Even though costs have skyrocketed, we still use the same ingredients we used from day one. Our new machines are stocked with freshly baked goods too – this is so important to us. 

 “By being transparent with our business journey on social media, we have grown an incredibly loyal community, who really appreciate and support the brand.”