Fresh milk for sale; Ljubljana, Slovenia

Got milk?  In Slovenia they do, and it’s dispensed in a most unusual manner.

While on a walking tour of downtown Ljubljana, the picturesque capital city of Slovenia, I came across what our tour guide described simply as a “milk ATM.”

In Slovenian, it’s called a mlekomat.  It’s a large vending machine that dispenses fresh milk from a nearby alpine dairy farm.  The milk, which is non-homogenized and non-pasteurized, is guaranteed to be no more than 24 hours old.  The contraption from which the milk is dispensed is disinfected after each use with a special UV antibacterial lamp.

Ljubljana, the picturesque capital city of Slovenia

You can buy the milk in various quantities and there are even plastic bottles for sale if you didn’t bring your own container.

There was a young lady on my tour from Singapore who told me she had tried the milk a day earlier and loved it.  Slovenians seem to love it, too.  The machines have been so popular, they can now be found throughout the country.

I confess that I didn’t try the milk.  I’m not much of a milk drinker, anyway, and I was thirsty for a different type of beverage that is also quite popular and inexpensive in Eastern Europe – one made from hops and barley.  And you don’t have to pay extra for the bottle.

Slovenia’s scenic Lake Bled, about 30 miles northwest of Ljubljana.

Copyright © Dan Fellner 2013