Douwe Egberts aims for improved operator margins with new Espresso Bar vending concept

After a successful entry into the vending arena last year, Douwe Egberts has announced the launch of a brand new vending concept called Espresso Bar, which aims to help operators break the £1 barrier on vended coffee drinks.

Spanish vending machine giant, Jofemar, has announced the launch of the Series 2 version of its best selling hot food merchandiser, the Gourmet. Distributed in this country by its subsidiary, Jofemar UK, the Gourmet is the modern way to dispense nutritious hot meals automatically. The new features on the Series 2 model include fresh contemporary livery, improved graphics and enhanced LED back lighting.

A brand new range of seven freeze-dried coffees, as well freshbrew and espresso beans, Café Nueva is the complete coffee solution the industry has been crying out for explains Martin Armitt, marketing controller.

"We're extremely excited about this launch. Finally the vending industry will have a high quality, contemporary styled coffee range which meets their varied needs under one brand.

According to online health resource FastFoodNation, our love of fast food is not a byproduct of modern life - the Romans were known to enjoy it too. Reports even suggest that the Fourth Earl of Sandwich invented the UK's staple fast food in 1762. "The Earl, John Montagu, didn't want to interrupt his gambling, so instead of sitting down to a meal, he asked for dried meat to be wrapped in bread." His idea went on to become a cultural phenomenon, with the first ever McDonald's restaurant opening its doors to a very enthusiastic public in 1974.

The new Gourmet hot food merchandiser from Jofemar has won a coveted "Vending Star" award in Germany. Awarded by the German vending association, the BDV, this innovative machine won the award in the category "Innovation in Vending". Distributed in the UK by the Company's subsidiary, Jofemar UK, the Gourmet is available in standard livery for operators and end-users to personalise themselves. Alternatively, they may purchase the machine as a complete system in "Fed Well" livery. Here, Jofemar has linked up with leading ready meals supplier, Pro-Pak Foods, who already supply many of the UK's leading supermarkets.

From October 2009 The Kenco Coffee Company will be introducing a new range of roast and ground coffees sourcing 100% of its beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM farms. The move is part of Kenco's wider sustainable sourcing journey which was initiated in 2004 when Kraft Foods, parent company of The Kenco Coffee Company, started its work with the Rainforest Alliance.

Kenco is launching a new improved Kenco Cappio product into its already highly successful Kenco Freshseal range, from the end of October.

When Londoners discovered it in the 1700s, chocolate houses became, if you will excuse the pun, trendy little hot spots. According to online resource about.com, it was the English who first started adding milk to their chocolate when enjoying it as an after-dinner beverage. Interestingly, chocolate as a drinkable form even preceded the chocolate bar. Milk chocolate as we know and snack on it now, was invented in 1876 and quickly became more popular as a solid treat, than the drink it started from.

The Chocolino is a small, compact and easy to handle chocolate machine with a high capacity of 160 cups per hour, 1 ingredient canister gives two different choices of chocolate drink, small and large. It has automatic water filling and an easy cleaning programme. With dimensions of 460cm height, 180cm width and 450cm depth it will fit on the smallest of surfaces making it an ideal vending solution for the retail environment.

Motivated employees are key to a successful business, especially in the current economic climate. Research carried out by Mars Drinks highlights the need to maintain core benefits to keep employee morale high and at the peak of their abilities.

Douwe Egberts has announced the launch of a new instant coffee range for the vending industry. The company has developed a range of premium vending products, including Pure Gold - the same blend that consumers already enjoy at home - Original, Good Origin and Decaf, all of which will be available from August 2009, in 10 X 300 gram packs. 

Come rain or shine when on the run, tired, looking for comfort or reading the Sunday papers, the one thing we can all rely on is a good cup of tea to make us feel warm, refreshed and revived.

As part of the Autobar group, Café Bar is the leading beverage solution provider in the UK, serving 5 million drinks every working day.

They pride themselves on tailoring their hot beverage solutions to suit every individual businesses' needs by supplying both superior equipment and working closely with market leading brand partners.

Selecta understands the importance of offering consumers great coffee and choice. With their passion for coffee, fresh ideas and knowledge of consumers' expectations, Selecta created miofino, a high quality, great tasting range of coffee with innovative delivery for the ultimate coffee experience. Once you've tried it, miofino will change the way you perceive coffee from vending machines.

With over 400 billion cups of coffee consumed every year, the hectic demands of modern life are what make coffee breaks so special. What's more, with the advent of Bean to Cup machines being sold into a wider range of settings, consumers can now enjoy café class coffee in any location.

The Coffeemar G-500 offers bean-to-cup fresh brew coffee together with a selection of soluble ingredients, or it may be specified as instant-only. It is manufactured in northern Spain by Jofemar and distributed in the UK by its subsidiary, Jofemar UK, which is also known for its food vending machines, payment systems and cigarette machines.

It's not new and it's not rocket science. Coffee machines, whether they be the traditional floor-standing variety or the latest super-trendy table-top examples, stand or fall on the quality of the beverages they produce. Choice is great, but quality rules!

It's no surprise that quality and consistency have never been more important in the provision of a satisfying and successful vended coffee service.

Lavazza, frequently described as Italy's favourite coffee, has launched two new additions to its sustainable coffee blend ¡Tierra! - a blend of coffee derived from selected communities in South America. All the communities involved participate in the ¡Tierra! Project which is funded and managed by Lavazza.

When it comes to creating a good vended cup of coffee, the value of using quality ingredients which consumers trust and want, speaks for itself. It's all about taste, consistency and flavour and delivering an enjoyable experience with every sip.

Vending has always suffered from a number of common perceptions - that the quality and taste of the drinks is not up to standard; that the plastic cups feel cheap and are too small; that the machines are ugly and un­in­viting. This reputation is not wholly unjustified, as there remains a number of suppliers and operators who believe that vending is fated to fill a niche for low cost drinks of inferior quality to their non-vended counterparts. Aimia wants to shake off all these negative con­notations and prove that quality in vended hot drinks is achievable, and higher vend prices are the reward for adding value.

As a table-top system that's compatible with the expectations of the most discerning coffee drinker, N&W's new Fresh Brew 7100 bean-to-cup machine is a useful addition to what is currently the best performing sector of the vending market.

Bravilor's portfolio of fresh brew machines includes the FreshGround which is available in two models - the FreshGround 310 and FreshGround XL 510. Both are capable of producing top quality bean-to-cup filter coffee and a wide range of instant beverages, making them among the most versatile machines on the market. Both are available with a coin mechanism.

At Westomatic, vending technology has developed apace in recent months, to produce coffee that can rival the best high street chains. Westomatic's Marketing Manager, Mark Rhodes, says: "Using high quality ingredients alone is not enough to produce coffee shop standard drinks. Choosing the right equipment is critical to getting the best out of your ingredients."

Most people agree that coffee is the most important hot beverage on the vending menu. But, especially when money is tight, it's important to make sure you tick all the boxes for your consumers.

The company works on several platforms to guarantee the sustainability of the coffee it buys. For example, Nestlé operates the world's largest direct purchasing scheme, which allows farmers to deliver coffee directly to its buying stations and so keep more of their income. It is also committed to the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) global code of conduct which brings sustainability into the mainstream supply chain.

"Liverpool Hope University has a Christian foundation and is uniquely placed to spearhead the introduction of Fairtrade products across Higher Education. In conjunction with the Students' Union, we are committed to supporting and promoting ethical trade and together we have worked hard to secure Fairtrade status, which we received in 2007. Now, we are in a position to offer our students, staff and guests a significant range of Fairtrade food and beverage products.