Cadbury rejected a £10.2bn cash and shares bid from Kraft Foods in the US, sparking talk of a bidding war with the prospect of Nestlé and Hershey making a joint move being mooted.

Lavazza, Italy's favourite coffee, has published their quarterly Newsletter - "Gazzetta Lavazza" promoting its OCS & Vending area of the business in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Epifany Properties, a US real estate investment management firm, is encouraging residential property owners to install vending machines as a way to increase property revenues.

Nescafé has launched its biggest ever marketing campaign. The campaign, known as ‘Coffee at its Brightest^TM' spans in-home and out-of-home markets providing a compelling platform for caterers and B&I to up-sell the brand and add value to their own beverage offer.

In 1964, when Birmingham engineer Frank Maxwell began making coffee machines in his garden shed, he couldn't have imagined that his hobby would become one of the region's most successful manufacturing companies.

Westomatic expands sales team in the South

UK vending machine manufacturer, Westomatic Vending Services Ltd, has strengthened its UK sales team, with the appointment of Lucy Hart as the new Business Development Manager for the South.

Following the successful relaunch in March this year, Danone Waters has announced that the Volvic brand has been recognised as the greenest soft drink in an independent assessment of grocery products.

UK company Minima has announced that it is to reveal its flagship product Minima Office at the Total Workplace Management 2009 show, taking place at Olympia on 7-8 October. Minima Office offers business a compact, low-cost solution to the problem of recycling plastic drinks bottles and metal cans.

To help retailers capitalise on the extra sales opportunities at Halloween, United Biscuits UK, is launching two seasonal limited edition variants, McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Lemon and Slime and Jaffa Cakes Spooky Mini Rolls.

A new category of refreshment beverages designed to soothe and relax rather than stimulate and energise is emerging in the US.

When it comes to serving gourmet beverages like speciality coffees, it has become commonplace for operators to recognise the importance of training, which has led to a rise in skilled baristi who can be found in coffee shops and cafés up and down the UK!

Slazenger S1 sports drinks are now available to independent retailers throughout the London area in 69p price marked packs.

The new packs create an opportunity to capitalise on a previously untapped market for a branded sports drink at a value for money price point in the steadily growing sports drinks sector. The rebranded bottles stand out on shelf and encourage impulse purchasing by consumers, which will help boost sales.

Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith International, specialist consultants to the food and drink industries worldwide, reports in his beverage industry blog that the pace of food and drink company acquisitions continued unabated over the summer months.

Boost your sales by creating some monstrously good Halloween treats with California Raisins this autumn.

The ‘healthy eating' message is important throughout the year, but certain celebrations call for some mischief. Halloween is a festival all about indulging in a little wickedness, and your customers will be looking for cookies, cakes, muffins and pies with that little something special.

Universal Smart Cards has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Deyrick Allen as sales manager based in the north west.

Food and drink suppliers may be finding life tough in the recession, but their enthusiasm for product development remains undimmed, new research reveals.

Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, famed for its iconic cobalt blue glass bottles, are delighted to announce their involvement with the Pink Ribbon Foundation and the launch of a new ‘Pink' version of their curvaceous ‘ice like' bottle to help raise awareness of breast cancer this October.

Rexam, the world's largest beverage can manufacturer, is delighted to announce that its Milton Keynes plant was Highly Commended by the judges at the Best Factory Awards held on Friday 18th September.

September is harvest time for California Raisin grapes, and many growers in the region are currently drying their crop on paper in the open air. Naturally, this drying process relies upon steady sunshine, which can usually be expected at this time of year in the region. Of course, the weather is never something that can be guaranteed, and light rain in the middle of the month caused nerves to heighten amongst packers.

Swan Mill Paper Company Ltd (‘Swantex') and F Bender Ltd (‘Benders'), two of the UK's leading food services manufacturers have announced the sale of Benders' tabletop business to Swantex.  The deal will complete in early January 2010. 

Hot chocolate drinkers can now enjoy pure indulgence while at work following today's launch of Galaxy® hot chocolate. Available exclusively to Mars Drinks customers, this premium addition to the Flavia® hot drinks range is made with real Galaxy chocolate.

Britvic has reduced the amount of glass in bottles of its much-loved juice drink J2O as part of its ongoing work to reduce packaging and energy use within its corporate responsibility programme.

Abbeychart's new ABC ‘Value Range' injection moulded polypropylene in-line cartridge filters for use in cold and ambient water applications combine ease of fitting and changing with an affordable price for low-cost and low use applications from vending, table-top and POU water coolers to light commercial and domestic under-sink installations, glass/ dishwashers and small boilers.

Mobile Star Corp. is developing an entertainment vending machine that provides a personal karaoke experience. The free-standing booth enables an individual to digitally record their voice singing to hundreds of songs. The unit then publishes a computerized disc featuring the singer's voice and the selected background music.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury is introducing a host of exciting plans to bring magical moments to Christmas 2009.

Manufacturers are developing ever more energy efficient equipment, as well as looking at ways their designs can save on the use of other resources such as water. However, it's not always necessary to buy new models to save energy - there are plenty of ways to minimise the consumption of resources on the equipment already installed.

United Biscuits UK (UBUK) is bringing back Mini Cheddars to the UK's TV screens after an 11 year absence in a £1m, eight week campaign to further drive sales growth. The advertising will emphasise the brand's personality and the fact that the range is now made with real cheese.

Cucina is among the first contract caterers in the country to use Red Tractor meat showing Cucina's commitment to sustainable catering.

An unusual pairing between Nestle Japan and Ito En has seen the release of a vegetable flavoured confectionery called KitKat Enhancement Vegetables. The ingredient lists boasts apple, carrot, grape, lemon, celery, capsicum, asparagus, chinese cabbage, kale, parsley, cabbage, herbs, radish, and spinach. The back of the box states that the vegetable powder is in the cream between the wafers, and the apple and carrot flavour is in the chocolate coating.

Creating more moments of pleasure, Cadbury is excited to announce that Wispa Gold has returned for a limited run. The iconic Wispa Gold is available in-store from September 14th while stocks last. 

Campaigners at the Children's Food Campaign have welcomed Government initiatives to improve the quality and take-up of school meals, but called for more investment on school facilities so that all pupils have the opportunity to enjoy hot midday meal freshly prepared on site.

Leading coffee brand Douwe Egberts has announced that it will be increasing its support for vending operators following the end of its distribution partnership with Aimia Foods. From October, Douwe Egberts, which launched a new range of freeze dried instant coffee products for the vending industry in August, will become the first point of contact for businesses looking to implement any of its premium coffee products.

Astrosys International Ltd, a subsidiary of Hong Kong based Astrotech Group, was founded in 1997 with a focus on the GBA Bank Note Validator developing a strong market presence, particularly in the UK and Europe. Then, in 1999, it further strengthened its position as a global player in money handling by acquiring Australia-based Microsystem Controls, widely acknowledged as one of the leading coin validation technology experts worldwide. It now has 40 employees located around the world, whilst there are another 2000 employees in Astrotech's two ISO9001-certified manufacturing plants.

In the more traditional vending machine, ingredients are selected, mixed and dispensed in the machine using a variety of powdered ingredients. "These machines represent the original technology from the early days of drinks vending before the in-cup system was developed," says Klix. The company explains that these types of machines sometimes offer a low cup cost as the quality of ingredients and the quantity used can be set by the operator. "The main issues are the reliability implications of many moving parts and the tendency in some machines to deliver a drink that is tainted by the previous serving."

MEI has launched new GEO® Gravity^TM stackerless banknote reader. MEI GEO® Gravity^TM is a multi-width stackerless banknote validator that provides a higher level of performance for applications that do not require a cashbox. GEO® Gravity^TM is the perfect solution for multi-width and multi-currency validation, 60mm - 85mm banknote width. The product is built upon proven MEI technology, at the core over two billion transactions per week in over 100 countries rely on this exceptional service.

Consumers are possibly being more choosy with how they spend their cash, and are opting to buy premium quality, café style drinks at low prices from a vending machine, in preference to the high street coffee shops.

The recent launch of the NOVA range of machines at AVEX09 and Eu'Vend in Cologne has been greeted extremely positively in the industry.

The NOVA will come in a number of "flavours" which will cover single or double fresh brew, bean to cup and a high volume instant model.

Size: 460 x 220 x 385mm

Colour: Stainless steel with black infill

Capacity: 2 x 1.7 litres

Selections: Coffee only

Size: 925 x 300 x 510mm

Colour: Stainless steel with matching red trim

Capacity: 6 litres full brew; 3 litres half brew

Selections: Coffee and hot water

Range: 6 models: 5, & 10 litre capacity push-button freeflow dispense and 5, 10, 20 and 30 litre capacity tap operated.

Size: from 350 x 210 x 465mm (T5 tap model)

Colour: Stainless steel throughout with black infill and trim

BEAN TO CUP MACHINE

Size: 710mmH x 450mmW x 570mmD

Colour: Stainless steel and black with decorative blue LEDs

Capacity: 150 cups per hour; hopper capacity 1.2 Kg

TABLE TOP BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size: 870 x 450 x 475mm

Colour: Black

Capacity: Up to 280 drinks

Crem International UK Ltd is now able to offer a great little ‘table top' mashed potato machine.

The Fast Mash is a small and compact machine for mashed potato. Fast Mash is perfect for when you want to serve delicious mash quickly and easily. With a press of a button you can simply prepare a portion of mash without making a mess.

TABLE TOP BEVERAGE MACHINE

Size: 715 x 330 x 530mm

Colour: Black with silver trim

Capacity: 3 Canisters. Up to 150 cups per hour throughput

Crem International UK Ltd, is now able to offer a great little ‘table top' instant coffee machine.

It is essential that any Table Top machine has the right look and feel to suit its environment. However, to be an effective alternative to a kettle or water boiler it also needs to offer a wide range of drinks, as well as having ease of use and energy efficiency built into its design.

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.

Exhibitors and organisers were upbeat at the conclusion of Eu'Vend 2009, International Trade Fair for the Vending Industry, which came to an end in Cologne on Saturday, 12th September 2009. The event's stable exhibitor and visitor numbers bucked the general trend in vending trade fairs, demonstrating stability at a high level. The companies particularly emphasised the internationality and decision-making competence of the visitors.