"Not so long ago, drinks vending had such a poor reputation that many people would avoid beverages from a machine at all costs. Nowadays, fresh brew has transformed beverage vending, to the point that many people are quite happy to get a quick drink from a machine rather than wait in a queue for a cappuccino. This development in technology has seen fresh brew machines deliver a significantly better taste, feel and palate to the drink and therefore vending machines have made significant in-roads in grabbing a share of throat of the highly competitive beverage sector," says Peter Churcher.

In addition to the quality of the vend, more and more customers care about where tea comes from, and the living conditions of those who pick it. For this reason Tetley is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), whose independent monitoring programme ensures that estates who supply tea to Tetley comply, as a minimum, with local laws, trade union agreements and some international standards. The ETP looks at the six key areas of tea estate life from Employment, Education and Maternity through to Health and Safety, Housing and Basic Rights. Peter explains more: "As the ETP continues to grow, we as an industry must start to communicate its importance more to the end consumer. For this reason, all Tetley decals and fascias now carry the ETP logo."

You can find out more on ETP by visiting the website - http://www.ethicalteapartnership.org/.

Peter Churcher also explains the importance of branding: "If a customer sees a well-known brand of coffee, but just the word ‘tea' (or vice versa), then their beverage decision has ultimately been made for them. It goes without saying that using a recognised brand is of paramount importance, but once you do, you have to tell your customers. Tetley research shows that customers are far more likely to purchase a drink if they can relate to the brand, and even more likely if that brand is the one they enjoy at home. We offer a range of free decals and fascias to tell your customers what you are serving in the machine!"

Tetley has a full range of vended teas including both a two and three gram throw fresh brew leaf tea, as well as instant vending granules and a range of speciality and fruit and herbal and green teas in a drawstring format for hot water vends. For further information please call Peter on 07714 844517.

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