Page 19 - BOSS Today Issue 12

“More and
more office
workers are
leaving the
office to get
their shot of
espresso.”
is often the case, wins out
over other forms of supply
because people disregard the
inconvenience and cost of time Flavia (above) and Klix (below) machines
spent pacing the aisles. can compete with the best, says Rowe.
What are distributors doing
in response? With the exception
of Egan Reid in Stockport,
Kafevend doesn’t really supply
through dealers. Some 99 per
cent of the company’s products
are sold direct to the end user.
But in a way that means it can
be compared with how an office
dealer seriously interested in
supplying hot beverages would
respond.
One way is to improve the
quality of its offer, which is why
the company has focused more
on distributing Klix and Flavia
machines. “Flavia can compare
favourably with Starbucks but
at a fraction of the price,” says
Rowe. “Its coffees, teas and
speciality drinks are second to
none.”
Rowe also reckons the
company is onto a winner by
also expanding the range of
speciality coffees available. She
says most high street coffee
shops still aren’t geared up to
offer customers Papua New
Guinea or Sumatra blends, if that
is what they want. Kafevend is
the largest platinum distributor
of Mars Drinks in the country.
Last year Mars relaunched
its whole range of drinks, by
buying Alterra Coffee Roasters,
a coffee roasting business in
Milwaukee; building The Bright The Nescafe Alegria A510 can
serve five different coffees from
Tea Company, using world one cartridge (left)
Boss p18-19.indd 3 10/05/2012
renouned tea experts to develop coffees – cappuccino, latte
a fabulous range of teas, macchiato, Americano, lungo
and taking the Galaxy brand and espresso. And crucially for
from the Mars Confectionery small businesses with limited
business to launch a luxurious budgets and not much time to
hot chocolate drink. That, she deal with waste, it can do that all
says, should more than cater from the same coffee cartridge.
for an office market which is “It is only available within
made up of two-thirds coffee, the office supplies and cash
one-third tea, and hot chocolate and carry channels,” says Webb,
representing about one in every “so the repeat coffee purchase
ten hot drinks. helps to build loyalty with your
Another option is to go for customer.”
the USP. Tetley recently ran a Despite the stiff competition,
promotion where customers however, there is much
could get a free Gaffer mug enthusiasm in the market.
with their purchase of tea via Griffith says: “We still see good
their stationary dealer. Griffith growth in this market, and are
says collectables in any format committed to it.”
always perform well in the She goes on to say that
office channel, “so when Tetley dealers need to look at offices of
brought the tea folk back it was all sizes and offer the right pack
a natural fit to offer them as a size: Tetley packs range form
promotional gift to give dealers 100 to 1100 tea bags. “With
as a USP over their competition”. 140 millions cups of tea drank
“Feedback from dealers everyday in the UK if a dealer
at a recent VOW show said isn’t selling them tea they are
the promotion worked really buying it somewhere else.”
and enabled them to bring
customers back into their
business,” she adds.
Nestle meanwhile, is hoping
to win in the office market with
specific machinery. It recently
launched the Nescafe Alegria n For more inFormation
A510, a machine designed for on nescaFe, scan this
the small office environment. Qr code with your
It can deliver a range of five smartphone.
May/June 2012 | BOSS TODAY 19
10:14