About Us

Alles begann 1996 in Florida. Dort entdeckte Roman Rieck einen Kaugummiautomaten mit Spiralausgabe. Der damals dreijährige Maximilian Sommer, Sohn seiner damaligen Partnerin, war von diesem Automaten so begeistert, dass der Entschluss fiel, diese Idee nach Österreich zu bringen. Heute ist Maximilian Sommer Geschäftsführer der Roman Rieck GmbH und führt gemeinsam mit Thomas Fasching und Dwayn Steven Bany Baker die Geschichte des Unternehmens in die nächste Generation.

Soon, the first gumball machines were manufactured and installed using our own polyester technology. But it quickly became clear: instead of copying existing concepts, we should develop our own design and further innovative products.

Together with Rainer Schnabl, the founder of Timestone, we implemented his idea of selling tumbled stones in vending machines. Romanvending developed a special semi-circular stainless steel vending machine with a unique mechanism that ensured the reliable sale of the stones. The concept was an immediate success – the first 800 machines were sold with great success in Austria and Germany.

The Vendomat 300 represented a completely new vending machine concept. Its round stainless steel design, larger capacity, and timeless form made it the new standard for our company.

Together with Christian Wimmer, founder of Zorbamatic, a close friend and important partner in technical development from the very beginning, a special mechanism for 45 mm rubber balls was also created. To this day, it enables the reliable and smooth operation of our rubber and wooden ball vending machines.

The idea to offer hearts made of gemstones in our vending machines originated in 2014. More than a year of intensive development work was necessary to construct a reliable mechanism for this special shape of heart.

The result was a complete success: The gemstone hearts – a symbol of love – quickly became a bestseller and continue to delight people of all ages to this day.

With the development of the modern R300 and the integration of our proprietary cashless electronics for credit and card payments, we reached the next milestone. Today, together with our partners Christian Wimmer of Zorbamatic and James Herbert of Romanvending Ltd., we distribute our vending machines in many countries around the world, bringing joy to countless people every day – with a heart of genuine gemstone.