Aberdeenshire Choice launch free range egg vending machine in Mintlaw Once the domain of chocolate bars, cans of juice and the odd sandwich, the stalwart of shopping malls, airports and bus stations has been transformed from a simple snack dispenser to an alternative to hitting the supermarket. Now shoppers in Aberdeenshire can get part of their weekly shop from a vending machine at the local garden centre thanks to a rather egg-cellent idea. Local egg farmer Craig Grant, who won Young Farmer of the Year in 2012, has already cracked the market with his free-range eggs from his farm in Strichan which are sold in 15 Tesco stores nearby. And now the Aberdeenshire Choice eggs are available to purchase from the unusual vending machine at the Happy Plant garden centre in Mintlaw. After seeing a range of vending machines in Norfolk selling everything from jeans to socks, Craig and his wife set out to find a similar machine to sell their eggs from. Craig laughed: "The first thing everyone asks is, "do you put the money in and it drops down an egg and all you get is smashed eggs?'" Of course, that isn't quite how the machine works. For £3, customers can drop their change into the machine which triggers one of 28 doors to open, providing the shopper with a dozen eggs from the nearby farm. And the machine has a high-tech way of communicating when it needs to be restocked. Craig added: "Once the vending machine is empty it sends a message to my phone and we go and fill the machine back up with fresh eggs." Since introducing the machine to the garden centre, Craig has been delighted by the response from customers and hopes the machine will go some way to helping promote local businesses and produce grown in the county. We thought it was quirky, a bit of fun. Happy Plant were delighted to help support local farmers and their produce and hopefully the locals will appreciate it too. Three companies coining unusual vending machines in Scotland Of course, Mintlaw isn't the first place in Scotland to offer an alternative to sweets and crisps in a vending machine. In fact, the past year has seen three other instances of revamped vending machines rolled out across the country. Anyone for a macaroni pie or a box of cupcakes? Say Aye Tae a Pie Students in St Andrews have been taking advantage of the 24-hour pie vending machine from Fisher and Donaldson, which dispenses hot pies, brides and sausage rolls to hungry revellers at all times of the day. The fun alternative to late night chips and cheese has been a hit with students in Fife, and despite concerns from local councillors worried it would spoil the image of the town, the machine tends to sell out twice a week. Sweet Treat Shoppers in Glasgow have been sweet-talked into parting with their cash for a box of freshly baked cupcakes from a "cakehole in the wall" in the St Enoch Centre. The Cupcake ATM is the first of its kind in the UK and offers customers freshly baked flavours including Irn-Bru, Raspberry Dream and Malteaser Mint Medley for £2.50 each. Fizzical Attraction Aberdeenshire might be having a cracking time with the egg vending machine but the Granite City has enjoyed the company of unusual vending machines before. Take a look at this video of students from the University of Aberdeen hugging the Coca-Cola machine in exchange for free bottles of juice, beach balls and even sombreros. Have you picked up a box of eggs from the Aberdeenshire Choice vending machine?