Water constitutes 98 per cent of all vended drinks, so it is easy to see why poor quality water results in poor quality vended drinks. Tests have shown that improving water and thus drink quality a positive increase in cup volume can be achieved by up to 14 per cent.

Lime scale which as well as being a major cause of breakdowns in vending equipment, causes the oily film to form on the top of hot and cold drinks. Chlorine and heavy metals such as lead and copper, can affect the taste, aroma and appearance of the drinks. Installing and maintaining a water filter can dramatically improve the quality of hot and cold drinks whilst protecting the equipment.

The colossal growth in demand and price of water on the high street makes it a modern day convenience. Consumers of bottled water are also customers of the vending industry, therefore selling branded water via vending machines provides real commercial opportunities even with a modest vend price of 2p.

The recent focus and awareness of green issues has seen an ever increasing number of POU coolers being placed as an alternative to bottle towers.

In comparison providing water via a POU vending machine reduces the resource investment significantly as the machine is able to supply significantly greater volume for a lower staffing and cost investment.

BRITA, has been involved in many studies that show that the confidence and quality created by the presence of brands on machines increases drink throughput. It is important that consumers' expectations are met and their overall experience with their vended drinks is a positive one. Working with big branded suppliers which can offer consumer awareness that increases confidence, goes a long way towards helping the vending industry present vending as a quality alternative.

Consistent high quality drinks has to be an objective of everyone in the industry. Top quality ingredients and machinery can go a long way towards achieving consistent high quality results. However, how do you deal with the varying water hardness levels throughout the country leading to variable water quality? BRITA promotes the use of filters on all beverage equipment as water filters are an important factor in achieving this consistency. In addition to improving the taste and appearance of drinks, BRITA's AquaQuell technology significantly reduces lime scale - which if left untreated will result in increased machine down time and higher maintenance costs.

Changing consumer expectations and environmental impact

As well as consumers' high expectation of products, they are aware of issues such as sustainability, fair-trade, and the environmental impact of their products choices. At BRITA we have our own recycling initiatives. Our goal has always been to establish environment-friendly standards for the development and production of our products, and to actively avoid waste. We have always recycled our commercial products to very stringent standards. In 1992 we began recycling exhausted household filter cartridges. Today we recycle both our Professional and Consumer cartridges as part of our commitment to the future, reducing our potential waste and our usage of raw materials.

Tony Greensill, has 21 years' experience in the vending industry and 10 years providing water filtration solutions.

http://www.brita.co.uk/

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