The way it is consumed around the world is vastly different, however. Whether it’s the style or strength of the coffee or simply the manner in which it is drunk, coffee tendencies around the world may just surprise you. So we’re going to take a trip around the world – visiting 30 countries over a series of articles – to discover the coffee culture these countries enjoy…

Italy – Espresso

When you think of Italian coffee, you immediately think of an espresso: a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of almost boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans. An espresso has a much thicker consistency than most other types of coffee and comes with a crema – a caramel coloured layer on top.

The espresso was first created for speed (hence its name) and was developed in order to satisfy demand quickly. Luigi Bezzera patented what is considered the first espresso coffee machine in 1901, and popularity for the drink quickly grew, with a strong association with urbanisation now in place.

This strong, bittersweet brew is commonly sipped while standing in cafés throughout Italy (sitting at a table will usually cost you four times as much!) and is traditionally only consumed during breakfast.

Image source.

Indonesia – Kopi Luwak

Kopi luwak, or civet coffee as it is also known, is a controversial type of coffee associated with coffee production in Indonesia. The coffee is made from coffee beans which have been eaten by Asian Palm Civets, then passed through their digestive tract and finally excreted.

After gathering, washing, drying, roasting and brewing, these beans then make an incredibly aromatic coffee, which is much less bitter than other blends. This has led to kopi luwak becoming the most expensive coffee in the world, with some speciality coffee shops selling a cup for up to $80! Image source.

Hong Kong – Yuanyang

Yuanyang, or ‘coffee with tea’, is a popular beverage in Hong Kong and is made from a mixture of three parts coffee and seven parts Hong Kong style milk tea. Served hot or cold, it was traditionally sold at dai paid dongs (open air vendors) and cha chaan tengs (cafés). However it is now available in various restaurants throughout Hong Kong and, during the summer of 2010, was even sold in Starbucks stores in Hong Kong and Macau as the ‘Yuen Yeung Frappuccino Blended Cream’.

The name Yuanyang refers to Mandarin ducks who, as a symbol of marital love in China, usually always appear in pairs although the males and females look very different. This representation of a contrasting pair is how the beverage’s name originated.

Image source.

Andrew Jones Head of Marketing here at Express Vending

 “It’s a pleasure to be a part of the 2013 UK Coffee Week. At Express Vending we are happy to be supporting such a good cause, we are also promoting this to our customer base so that they can get involved to spread the good work WaterAid are providing.“

Coffee@Work will take place in our office from 22-28 April 2013 and is a key event in the UK Coffee Week^TM calendar. UK Coffee Week is a nationwide charitable programme raising funds to deliver vital clean drinking water projects to poorest communities in coffee-producing countries in partnership with WaterAid.

The event invites workplaces of all shapes and sizes to encourage their employees to make a one-off donation for their hot beverages made at work during the week and organise exciting fundraising events.

UK Coffee Week ™ is the nation’s biggest celebration of coffee. It provides an opportunity for the coffee and foodservice industry to unite while raising funds for Project Waterfall, the charitable initiative working in partnership with WaterAid to deliver clean water projects in coffee-growing countries.

Over 360,000 people participated in UK Coffee Week 2012 by donating to the price of their coffee, hosting a fundraising event or participating in initiatives such as Coffee@Work. To date more than £130,000 has been raised, making life-changing differences to communities in Tanzania.

UK Coffee Week Programme Manager Hannah Polly Williams said: “We are delighted that Express Vending will be participating in Coffee@Work 2013, a key component of the wider UK Coffee Week^TM programme. Express Vending’s involvement will add great value to the event and their support will help deliver vital clean drinking water projects to some of the poorest communities in African coffee-growing countries. By encouraging their clients to also participate. Express Vending are dramatically increasing their input to the programme and we are extremely grateful.”  

If you would like to join us and enhance their brands ethical credentials by participating in Coffee@Work should visit www.ukcoffeeweek.com/coffeeatwork or contact the UK Coffee Week Programme Manager on hpwilliams@allegra.co.uk.

Here at Express Vending we are constantly thinking of innovative, exciting ways to improve our vending machines, often supplying ground-breaking workplace refreshment solutions. However, we have never been more excited to announce, or developed something so advanced, as The Ludus – the world’s first mind reading coffee machine!

The Ludus uses a combination of progressive, pioneering technology in order to offer a comprehensive ‘psychic’ coffee selection process, during which the machine chooses which drink it thinks you would like – with surprising and highly accurate results!

Although still being kept a closely guarded secret by our inventors, designers and developers, the vending machine itself uses both facial recognition and finger print technology to take a complete body reading, determining your age, gender, temperature, heart rate, metabolism and mood. It also takes into account the environment, time of day and outside temperature and uses all the available data, accompanied with hours of programmed market research, to dispense the freshly made drink it believes you’d love.

There are a huge range of drinks on offer – from freshly brewed bean-to-cup espresso, to an assortment of teas, coffee-based drinks and hot chocolate options. It even dispenses water and juice if your body reading determines you are slightly dehydrated!

Advancements in Technology

However, the impressive technology doesn’t stop there! In order to ensure your personal tastes and drinking preferences are taken into account, the coffee machine comes complete with cup memory technology. Whether your office has 5 people or 500, everyone can be given their own, personalised mug which uses radio-frequency identification technology (RFID) to compile a portfolio of your exact drinking habits. Essentially your mug will remember what you like to drink and when, and will interact wirelessly with the coffee machine to let it know. The more you use your mug, the more it will remember about you – until your mug knows more about what you want to drink than you do!

Not only is the technology incorporated in your mug extraordinary – it is a wireless, non-contact technology which uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data – it also makes the process of making a drink incredibly quick and convenient (and the process of making a round of drinks for everyone at your table even more so!) and is a great way to impress employees, clients and visitors.

Modern Design

Finished in smoked glass and featuring a touch screen user interface, The Ludus combines high levels of aesthetically pleasing design with cutting-edge ‘mind reading’ technology and is currently undergoing rigorous testing and a patent process before going into production. The team here at Express hope The Ludus will be available to our customers by the end of 2013 and we believe it will completely revolutionise the vending industry.

Andrew Jones, Head of Marketing here at Express, said:

“Everyone is incredibly excited to begin producing this extraordinary machine. We believe The Ludus will completely transform the provision of workplace refreshments and offers something the industry has never seen before!”

UPDATE: Alright!  Mind reading coffee machines are not about to become a reality. Happy April Fools Day!

Comic Relief returns to our television screens this month as they hold their biennial Red
Nose Day celebrations on Friday 15^th March! Established nearly 30 years ago, in 1985, Comic Relief raises millions of pounds each year largely through two huge, and very famous, fundraising campaigns – Red Nose Day and Sport Relief – and this year they hope the former will be their most successful event to date.

Red Nose Day 2013…

The concept behind Red Nose Day has always been pretty simple: every two years a group of funny people get together, make everyone laugh and raise loads of money. This idea of “doing something funny for money” has grown in popularity and recognition and is now their famous slogan, with thousands of people participating in doing just that every year.

Homes, schools and workplaces throughout the UK celebrate Red Nose Day – and whether you undertake a sponsored silence, organise a dress down day or simply get in a bath of beans, you can rely on the humour and generosity of the British public to have a lot of fun and raise a lot of money.

Even the BBC dedicate an entire evening to Red Nose Day, giving celebrities and comedians the chance to entertain the nation whilst promoting awareness of the causes Comic Relief supports and urging the UK to donate generously.

This year there are a host of celebrities participating in the cause – including Graham Norton, who conducted a mammoth six hour chat show, and Jessie J, who is going to shave off her hair live on TV! One Direction have also got themselves firmly involved and have recorded the official Red Nose Day single – a cover of Blondie’s ‘One Way Or Another’ – and travelled to Ghana for an emotional documentary in which they see for themselves how the money raised can really change people’s lives.

Comic Relief campaigns…

Beneath the humour and entertainment, though, there is a serious side to the Comic Relief project and, contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just an organised event that finishes when the BBC programme ends. Aside from being able to watch your favourite celebrities attempt something ridiculous, undertake a courageous adventure or simply make you laugh, there is a really important aim to the project, and they work all year round to dramatically help people from all over the world.

Having raised over £800 million since their foundation, their efforts have made significant changes, both in this country and overseas, with their website saying their funds are focused towards tackling “the root causes of poverty and social injustice.”

In order to do this, Comic Relief are involved in a range of projects, all of which are developed to create effective, long-lasting change, and one initiative they are particularly dedicated to raising money and awareness for is the Fairtrade campaign.

Fairtrade…

Comic Relief have supported small scale farmers and workers in some of the world’s poorest countries, helping them to grow and develop Fairtrade produce and ensure they receive a fair price for their products. Not only are Fairtrade products beneficial in monetary terms, the scheme also creates better working conditions, increases local sustainability and promotes fairer terms of business for all the farmers and workers involved.

The on-going support Comic Relief provides to the Fairtrade campaign, in particular the African Fairtrade Network, has helped to increase the number of producers who are certified as Fairtade across the whole of Africa. This means there are more products on offer in the UK, granting us more opportunity as a consumer to select products which have been traded in a fair and ethical way.

The Fairtrade project is a fantastic one to get involved with, primarily because, from a consumer point of view, it is incredibly easy. All you have to do is select products featuring the Fairtrade logo – the rest is dealt with behind the scenes – leaving you assured that you’re doing your bit to help.

Red Nose Day is a brilliant platform to promote the value of Fairtrade products, their importance in our marketplace and the dramatic effects they have on the farmers, producers and workers in third world countries. The Fairtrade campaign does not require you to dive in a bath of beans or shave of your hair, neither does it require you have to pick up the phone and pledge money you perhaps can’t afford to donate, instead all you need to do is make a conscious purchasing decision to select something Fairtrade and, as a result, support the farmers who produce them. Furthermore, the more in-demand Fairtrade products are, the more commonplace Fairtrade practices will become, until it is (as it should be) the norm for producers in Africa to be paid fairly for their trade.

Express Vending…

Here at Express Vending we have long been a supporter of the Fairtrade campaign and supply a wide range of Fairtrade products in our coffee machines, food machines and hot drinks machines, making it incredibly simple and convenient to supply Fairtrade products in a commercial environment.

From our James Aimer Fairtrade coffee beans, freeze dried instant coffee, hot chocolate and leaf tea to our Lichfields sugar sticks, Tate & Lyle vending sugar and wide selection of Fairtrade biscuits and chocolate, you can rely on our range to keep your workplace refreshment solutions well stocked and morally sound.

So if Comic Relief inspires you to make a change this month, make it Fairtrade and contact the professional vending machine suppliers here at Express Vending. Our highly experienced team can provide you with more information on our range of Fairtrade products and advise you on how you can make your workplace more socially, globally and ethically friendly.

Vending machines, as we know them today, offer simple and convenient methods of purchasing a host of refreshments at the touch of a button. And as technology continues to advance, the functions and capabilities of these machines are constantly being pushed, resulting in a new generation of innovative equipment being offered by vending machine specialists, such as Express Vending.

Journey back in time…

A seemingly modern invention, vending machines do, in fact, have a long history and
surprisingly date back so far as the 1880s! First used in London as coin-operated mechanical devices selling postcards, they were used exclusively by Victorian gentlemen and were a very rare and exciting piece of technology. At a similar time Robert Carlisle, English publisher and bookshop owner, also started using machines to vend books. During the 1920s, soft drinks were first vended into cups and these were swiftly followed by a host of other products, such as cigarettes, cologne, cigars and even life-insurance policies, which were amusingly, and rather ironically, sold at airports across America!

Modern-day machines…

Fast forward to the present day and the face of vending has significantly changed since the 20^th Century. No longer a rare and mysterious luxury, vending machines are a part of our every-day life and offer a highly convenient way of providing an assortment of refreshments, snacks and beverages to the public. They are found almost everywhere in today’s society – from train stations and shopping centres to waiting rooms and offices, with a reported 60% of vending machines found in workplaces, according to the Automatic Vending Association.

Over the past few years, vending machines have significantly evolved with the help of innovative and progressive technological advances. Express Vending are completely dedicated to development and strive to constantly update the products they supply and the way they work in order to reflect these industry changes. Their selection of products and the machines they provide remain consistently at the cutting-edge of the vending industry, ensuring the end user receives the best possible service.New In-Touch technology…

One of the most recent innovations employed in Express Vending’s machines is touch-screen technology and this is utilised in both the STEP range and Vitro range from Coffetek. Both finished in smoked glass, they flawlessly combine sleek, aesthetically pleasing design with highly practical functionality and incorporate Coffetek’s patented In-Touch user interface.

One of the most famous sporting events of the year, the Virgin London Marathon will return to the streets of London this April and we are extremely proud at Express Vending to announce that a member of the Express team will be taking part…

Katie Small, an Account Manager at Express, has been a keen runner for many years. However, this year she is upping the ante from her usual half marathons to attempt the gruelling 26 miles and 385 yards long full marathon which takes place in London annually from Blackheath to the famous finishing line at The Mall.

Known for being one of the greatest events of its kind, the Virgin London Marathon is a fantastic combination of elite, highly competitive athletes, amateur running enthusiasts and individuals dedicated to exceptional fundraising efforts. Over the years, since its establishment in 1981, The Marathon has featured everything from incredibly impressive, record-breaking run times to inspiring acts of human endurance. From Paula Radcliffe’s 2 hour, 15 minute and 25 second triumph in 2003, which won her the women’s world marathon record, to Phil Packer who took 14 days to walk the London Marathon in 2009 after suffering severe spinal cord injuries whilst on active service in Iraq in 2008, it really has offered up a wealth of historical moments which take pride of place in Britain’s record books.

And now, on 21^st April 2013, our very own Katie Small will be following in their footsteps and running the Virgin London Marathon in aid of The Outward Bound Trust. An educational charity dedicated to “unlocking the potential in young people through discovery and adventure in the wild”, Katie has been offered a place to help raise funds to educate and challenge the disadvantaged children they work with which, in her words, she “either bravely or stupidly decided to accept”.

The Outward Bound Trust is an excellent cause, and one which Express Vending are thoroughly committed to helping raise sponsorship for. The UK’s leading provider of bursary assisted outdoor learning, they strive to make young people more confident and independent, increasing their learning ability and key skill set. The money Katie raises will help The Trust amass vitally important funds which will support the bursaries needed in order to allow the young people and children to attend these extremely valuable courses.

Katie, a valuable member of the Express team, has said she is “certain” she can accomplish this challenge – “with a lot of blood, sweat, tears and excessive carb eating along the way” – and is asking for help and support to help her raise her £1000 target for the “fantastic cause.”

The team here at Express are committed to helping her achieve this total, whether through individual donations on her Just Giving page or organised fundraising events which will be held from now until The Marathon takes place.

Katie aims to host various bake sales in the run-up to The Marathon and is kicking things off tomorrow with a Valentine’s Day inspired cake sale! We’re all looking forward to some love-inspired treats, here at Express, and are even more excited to help Katie raise money for such an incredible cause.

We would like to wish Katie the best of luck and will keep you all updated on Katie’s progress and fundraising results – and remember you can sponsor her fantastic efforts by visiting her Just Giving page!

Express Vending are the experts at supplying and maintaining a comprehensive range of refreshment solutions, including coffee vending machines and water dispensers and hot and cold food vending machines. For more information on any of the products or services we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the professionals at Express today!

However, whilst we keep up with the latest news in the vending world, we sometimes stumble upon some rather interesting vending machine stories – from the fun and quirky to the downright weird! So here’s a round up of our 3 favourite vending machine stories from this month…

Fancy a burger?

We’ve already had Let’s Pizza, the world’s first pizza vending machine, which dispensed hot, freshly made pizza in less than 3 minutes. But now there is a new form of takeaway cuisine bestowed upon vending machines in Japan (the home of bizarre and unusual vending machines) – the ever popular cheeseburger.

The machine, imaginatively named ‘Hot Snacks’, involves heating pre-made, pre-boxed cheeseburgers and then plopping them out of the machine in their humble packaging.

The result is not entirely overwhelming; with the finished burger resembling something Gordon Ramsay would throw against the wall in a rage. Convenient? Yes. Appetising? No.

Macbook Pro to go…

Drexel University in Philadelphia has created an innovative solution for students needing computer access on campus – a Macbook vending machine! The 24 hour, self-service vending machine is located in the library and holds a dozen 15” Macbook Pros, all of which can be dispensed for the students, faculty and staff to use. Ok, so you don’t get to actually keep the high quality laptops, but you do get to use them free of charge for 5 hour intervals, which is especially handy when deadlines are looming or urgent research needs to be undertaken.

The machine scans student’s Drexel ID cards before a Macbook simply pops out of the machine. The laptops are equipped with security sensors to ensure they don’t go missing and, if you need to use it for longer than 5 hours you incur a $5 an hour charge. The university has said the machine has proved so popular they are considering adding an additional iPad kiosk. Technology and kids today, eh?

Enjoy Some Tropical Sun

With most of the country blanketed in snow this week, many people have been left dreaming of summer holidays and warmer climates. So, just in time to satisfy our need for the exotic, afro-Caribbean cuisine company Tropical Sun have arrived to spice up our winters. Teaming up with advertising agency The Minimart, they are helping to raise awareness of their brand through an online, free trial vending machine.

The online vending machine, which is based on a beautiful Caribbean beach, is streamed on a live webcam feed and lets users view the nine Tropical Sun products on offer – from jerk seasoning and coconut milk to Caribbean curry paste and BBQ sauce – and then pick one.  Then, once you have made your selection, you can watch in real-time as one of the Tropical Sun team (all aptly named Ray) activate the food vending machine, collect the product, pack it and then post it on its way.

Kapil Wadhwani, brand chieftain at Tropical Sun, said he thinks the campaign captures “the essence of the brand personality” and that it “allowed us to communicate in a fun and innovative way to a targeted audience and reward them for engaging with Tropical Sun.”

So that’s a summary of our 3 favourite vending machines stories from January – they definitely put a smile on the team at Express Vending this month!

Express are the professionals when it comes to providing high quality, comprehensive refreshment solutions and offer a range of superior standard vending machines tailored to the individual needs of you and your environment. So while we can’t promise our machines will dispense pre-made burgers, Macbrook Pros or coconut peanuts, we can promise an outstanding, unrivalled service sure to meet all of your refreshment needs!

Last week, on Monday 12^th November, we were delighted here at Express Vending to attend the Auto Vending Innovation Awards 2012. As last year’s winners of the highly coveted Operator of the Year award, we were keen to defend our title and, after being shortlisted to the final two, headed to Manchester with baited breath as we awaited the ceremony.

We sent a team of three – Paul Hearne, Max Kemp and Andrew Jones – to attend the bi-annual and highly prestigious Auto Vending Innovation Awards, which, this year, were held at the Imperial War Museum. Introduced in 2001 to recognise and reward excellence within the vending industry, they are highly sought after, incredibly esteemed awards and are decided upon by a panel of independent judges. The judges, drawn from various fields of the vending world, assess the entries and score them across a number of criteria, including originality, commercial viability and their potential to make a difference to the industry.

After waiting nervously we were elated as they announced we had won the title of Operator of the Year 2012/2013. Collecting the respected accolade for the second year running, we have also become the first company in history to retain the award, an incredible achievement for all of us here at Express.

Paul Hearne, a Director here at Express, said:
“We are proud to have retained the Operator of the Year award at the Auto Vending Innovation Awards 2012. There is a unique culture within the business which, combined with our staff, produces an outstanding service for our customers. Our 20^th anniversary in July 2012 offered an opportunity to reflect on the growth and success that we have achieved. The desire to continuously grow and develop remains as we look to build on our success.”

As winners of the Operator of the Year, the team here at Express have demonstrated their dedication to exceptional levels of service, high quality products, innovative technologies and constant growth and development. Paul continues that the “success of the business
has been built on the cornerstones of recruiting and retaining great people”, an ethos which Express value as particularly important.

“The retention of this award has been made possible through the hard work and efforts of everybody in the business and we would like to thank our staff for their continued commitment and contribution and in making Express Vending a true success!”

So thank you to all who voted and also to everyone who made winning the award possible – and here’s to an even more successful 2013!

But whilst we are all familiar with coffee, and apparently drink it on an extremely regular basis, most people are not aware of the process it takes to get into our cups and instead are only knowledgeable on the distinguishing factors between a caramel macchiato and a vanilla latte. So, let’s take a trip and establish the many people, processes and procedures that help to make your perfect cup of coffee. Let’s have a look at the journey of the humble coffee bean…

Planting

Among approximately 60 individual types of coffee, there are only 2 types of coffee beans grown for commercial and manufacturing processes – Arabica and Robusta. Arabica are mild and aromatic in flavour and come from Middle and South America. Robusta, on the other hand, take after their name and are strong and full-bodied, originating from Africa and Asia.

These two kinds of coffee bean are grown on small, evergreen trees in coffee plantations. Particularly demanding crops, they require exactly the right amount of shaded sunlight, regular watering, fertilising and pest and weed control and need constant care from the farmers that grow them. On average, each tree takes up to 4 years to reach mature production and, after this, if managed well and looked after properly, can be maintained for around 40 years.

Harvesting

Once the coffee trees begin to produce fruit, it takes roughly 9 months for the fruit to ripen into red coffee cherries and, once they reached this point, they are ready to be harvested. Coffee cherry harvesting takes two forms – selective picking and strip picking – and each method has its own benefits and advantages.

Selective picking means only harvesting the coffee cherries when they are ready and completely ripened. They are picked individually, by hand, and the pickers must rotate amongst the trees, visiting each tree several times a year. Labour intensive, this method is the more expensive but is renowned for supplying the better coffee beans and is most commonly used for finer Arabia blends.

Strip picking involves the entire crop of cherries being harvested at one time. Either done by machine or by hand, it is a much more efficient method of harvest but does result in a lower overall quality of bean.

Processing

Once the fresh coffee cherries are harvested, an extensive preparation process must be undertaken before they can be exported and eventually roasted. There are 2 ways of processing the cherries: the dry-method and the wet-method.

The dry-method of processing is the most traditional one and is still used in many countries today, especially those with limited water resources. It involves spreading the red coffee cherries on surfaces to dry in the sun and it usually takes between 2 to 3 weeks. During the process, they are raked and turned during the day and then covered at night, or when it rains, to protect them from spoiling. When the moisture content of the cherries drops to 11%, they are ready.

Alternatively, the wet-method firstly involves utilising a pulping machine, which separates the skin and pulp from the cherry. The cherries are then filtered through water channels and rotating drums, according to their size. After this, they are then placed in large water-filled fermentation tanks, where the cherries are fermented and soaked to remove any remaining pulp. Finally, they are dried to 11% moisture where, once dried, they are referred to as ‘parchment coffee’.

Milling

The final steps of processing must now be undertaken. This involves removing the last layers of dry skin and any remaining fruit residue from the parchment coffee and then cleaning and sorting them ready for exportation.

Firstly hulling takes places, which means using machines to remove the parchment layer, or endocarp, from the wet-processed cherries and the entire dried husk, exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp, from the dry-processed ones. They are then graded and sorted according to size and weight. Defective beans are removed, through the use of sophisticated machinery or simply by hand, and the beans deemed acceptable are packed ready to be shipped.

Exporting

The milled beans, now referred to as ‘green coffee’ due to their greenish tinge, are loaded on to ships ready to be exported around the world. At this stage of the process, the beans have not been roasted or ground and, as a result, have none of the usual coffee smell or taste that we recognise. According to the International Coffee Organisation, world coffee exports amounted to 9.58 million bags in June 2012.

Tasting

Once exported, the tasting and blending process begins and is usually individual to each coffee manufacturer depending on their personal selection of blends. A selection of different coffee beans are roasted in a small laboratory roaster and ground and infused with boiling water. The process of tasting is known within the industry as ‘cupping’ and involves a professional taster, or ‘cupper’, evaluating the coffee beans on their visual quality, aroma and taste.

It’s up to a skilled team of cupping experts to ensure the blends of coffee that manufacturers produce each year are full of flavour, of a high quality and always consistent and the final results of the tasting process help to establish the finest blending varieties of beans and to also determine the best roasting procedures.

Roasting

It is not until the green beans are roasted that they release the familiar coffee aroma and flavour that we, as consumers, recognise. On average, green beans are roasted at between 180°C and 240°C and the process lasts between 3 and 15 minutes. During roasting, the beans turn brown and the caffeol, or oil, from within the beans are released. This process is called pyrolysis and is what transforms the exported green beans into the aromatic brown beans that we purchase, either whole or ground, in our coffee shops and supermarkets.

Grinding

Roasted coffee beans must be ground, in order to get the most flavour into each individual cup of coffee. Grinding increases the surface area of the coffee, allowing more flavour to be extracted when brewing.

Brewing

Now, once packaged, distributed and sold, it is up to you! It is now the part of the process where you brew your own cup of coffee. Whether you use soluble, instant coffee and simply pour boiling water over the top of it, or prefer freshly ground coffee mixed in a cafetiere, the coffee beans have been roasted and ground ready for consumption and are simply waiting to provide you with your perfect cup of coffee.

So next time you prepare your coffee from vending machine, however you take it, spare a thought for the many hands, many hours and many, many processes which have been instrumental in bringing it to your cup!

High quality refreshment solutions can be a valuable asset to your business. Not only do they provide a convenient way of supplying a selection of hot and cold drinks and a variety of food, snacks and confectionary, but they can also help to improve productivity, increase working time and dramatically enhance the visual and functional appeal of your environment.

It is a lot quicker to make a cup of tea or coffee using a coffee vending machine than by hand, as you don’t need to wait for a kettle to boil or for the drink to brew, reducing the time your staff are away from their desks or tasks and making their days much more productive. Providing snacks, cold drinks and food through machines in the workplace ensures that your staff will not have to leave the site during the day for refreshments.

So, if you have decided to install new refreshment equipment and believe a food or drink vending machine would be the perfect addition to your commercial or industrial environment, there are numerous things you must first consider. Vending machines come in many types, styles and variations and choosing the most suitable one for your property or workplace can be quite a task. In order to help this process be as simple as possible, the experts at Express Vending have compiled a consumer guide to providing effective refreshment solutions for your office or workplace, consisting of 5 crucial steps that any new buyer must think about before investing in new food and drink equipment. It aims to determine the features and establish the capacities that you require in your new vending machine, so you can rest assured that the final result will reflect your specifications and offer comprehensive food and drink solutions for your staff…

1. How many people will be using the refreshment vending machines?

One of the first, and most important, things to consider when purchasing refreshment equipment for your office is the number of people who will be using it and, as a result, the amount of food and drink you are likely to get through each day. There’s no need for a large, floor-standing coffee machine in an office with just 10 people, when a table-top machine is perfectly capable of dealing with the demand required. On the other hand, a large office or commercial building is likely to require more than one machine to deal with demand and help reduce queues.

2. Where will your equipment and machines be placed?

The location of your new food and drink equipment will depend on your building layout, individual requirements and whether or not you choose a vending machine which needs to be plumbed in. It is important that everyone can find and access your machine easily and that it is placed in a safe and convenient place. This is especially important for offices or commercial buildings with multiple floors and often in these circumstances the best solution is to install more than one machine in order to deal with the required demand.
Some offices resolve the issue of location by installing their new vending machines into a kitchen or centralised break-out area. Not only does this create one specific area in which to relax in, but it also clearly distinguishes it from working areas and can help to enhance overall staff productivity and satisfaction.

3. Who will use the refreshment machines and at what times?

Working out exactly who will use the machine, and at what times, can help you decide what type of machine you require and what capacity size you will need. If you employ night staff, for example, your machine will need to be fully operational 24/7 and, therefore, it might be better to choose a machine with a larger capacity. This may involve choosing a plumbed unit, rather than a tanked one, as they don’t need refilling and can provide a greater range of drinks.

Another important consideration is how your new food and drink vending machines will work in conjunction with any existing facilities you may have. They may be your only source of refreshment but, on the other hand, you may have a canteen open from 11am-3pm and a vending machine to deal with refreshment solutions out of those hours.

4. What products do you want to provide?

Once you have decided the logistical and practical features of your new food and drink machines, it is time to decide what you actually want in it! Do you need hot and cold drinks supplied? Would you like to offer a selection of food? The answers to these questions all depend upon your individual circumstances and the main factors to consider are who will be using your machine and what they’re likely to want. If your vending machine is in an office, hot drinks may suffice. However, in a public place it could be vitally important to supply a selection of food and snacks, as this is what may be demanded.

Some of the important things to think about when choosing which items to provide include the role you want your new machine to fill and also your location’s proximity to local shops and cafés. Some people will simply want a tea and coffee machine and water dispenser to supply a quick and convenient way of getting a drink, reducing the time their employees take to make a drink and getting them back to their desks as soon as possible.
However, other companies might wish to create a complete food and drink area, perfect for relaxing and socialising in. They may also be used to create a good first impression to prospective clients and, in these circumstances, a more sophisticated coffee-making process with a more luxurious quality result is often desired.

Whatever your requirements, a vending machine, or selection of machines, can be the ideal way to achieve this as they are capable of offering a comprehensive selection of drinks, hot and cold food and confectionary and snacks.

5. What other options do you need to consider?

There are many final considerations to make when choosing your new refreshment solutions, including whether or not people will pay for the products your machine vends and if you want your machine to provide a disposable cup or not. These decisions are based entirely on your environment and how much practical and logical sense each option makes.

For example, if you are installing a vending machine in a public space, such as in a reception area or front-of-house, it may not make commercial sense to offer food products for free as customers would expect to pay for them anyway, but may be a nice professional touch to offer customers a free cup of tea or coffee.

In an office environment, it is fairly simple for employees to have their own individual porcelain mugs, instead of disposal cups, and this can cut costs as well as improve the overall taste. Staff satisfaction could also be greatly increased with the inclusion of free tea and coffee.

Once you have considered your options it is important to consult with an experienced professional who can provide specialist guidance and recommend a refreshment solution which accurately reflects your requirements and specifications. The dedicated team at Express Vending are experts at offering superior quality refreshment solutions and provide an extensive range of machines suitable for a variety of purposes, environments and applications. Get in touch today for more information!