Stir stick dispenser for a beverage vending machine and method for dispensing stir sticks

A stir stick dispenser for a beverage vending machine, the stir stick dispenser comprising:

• a fixed frame;
• a stir stick magazine carried by the fixed frame and configured to house a stack of stir sticks;
• an extractor arranged below the stir stick magazine to individually extract the stir sticks from the stack and having at the top a support surface which, when the extractor is in a rest position, supports the stack of stir sticks in the stir stick magazine;
• wherein the extractor is coupled to the fixed frame and is motorised to move in an extraction direction transversal to a longitudinal axis of the stir sticks between a retracted rest position, in which the stack rests on the support surface, and an advanced extraction position, in which the stir stick at the bottom of the stack is extracted;
• and
• an expulsion member carried by the extractor to expel the extracted stir stick and movable with respect to the extractor to move the stir stick away from the extractor;
• wherein the expulsion member comprises a thrust portion and is mounted to the extractor to move, as a result of the extractor moving between the retracted and advanced positions, between a lowered position, which is assumed when the extractor is in the retracted position and the thrust portion does not protrude beyond the support surface, and a raised position, which is assumed when the extractor is in the advanced position and the thrust portion protrudes beyond the support surface, in order to detach and move the extracted stirrer away from the support surface;
• and
• wherein the expulsion member is configured so that, when the extractor is in the retracted position, the thrust portion of the expulsion member is held in the lowered position by the weight of the stack of stir sticks.