COFFEETEA&WATER;
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2012
CONVENTION
Attendees of CTW and the co-located International Bottled Water Association show shared success stories
at a reception on Tuesday evening of CoffeeTea&Water; 2012 in New Orleans, La.
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Female professionals working in vending networked over breakfast
as members of the Women of the Industry (WIN) – National Automatic
Merchandising Association networking group.
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Fred Steiner, founder of Imperial Coffee and Services in in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, and the 2012 Coffee Legend shared his philosophies on business
with CTW attendees. First, OCS is a service business, not a coffee commodity
selling business, so never lead with price. Second, don't be afraid to raise
prices. Third, coffee in the workplace is a viable business, and it will survive.
And finally, hold fast to selling quality.
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Mike Dabadie of Heart+Mind Strategies
presented NAMA sponsored research on
the office coffee service strengths and
opportunities. After a quantitative online survey
of coffee service consumers and decision
makers, seven strategies emerged.
1. Opportunities exist to broaden beverage offerings,
such as with iced coffees.
2. Recognize single-serve systems are increasing,
whereas pour-over brewers are decreasing.
3. It's time to expand on benefits of coffee beyond
productivity as its seen by consumers as
reinvigorating.
4. Look to raise location's expectations of coffee
service, as expectations are currently low, and
higher expectations mean it's a greater value.
5. Solidify relationships and leverage industry
knowledge to tell accounts about their employees.
6. Link water service more strongly with tea and coffee.
7. Make a business and personal case for
sustainability.
"How did I become a coffee legend?" asked Steiner. "By getting to the top and
staying there," he told attendees.
February 2013
VendingMarketWatch.com
Automatic Merchandiser
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