The other thing that Pavlic has
noticed about micro markets is that
they don't just appeal to one type of
customer. At frst, the special packag-
ing and ability to offer specialty items
looked like it would be most attractive
to white collar locations, recalls Pav-
lic. In fact, the company's frst micro
market was in a law offce.
"It was an epic fail," said Pavlic.
He attributes the market's soft sales
to the fact that the lawyers still had
an hour lunch break and there were
many other food options in the area.
However, there was an upside. It
forced Pavlic Vending into salad offer-
ings and nicer sandwiches, which has
been an excellent addition to the mar-
kets in the long run. Per capita, Pavlic
sees micro markets success weighted
towards blue collar locations, it's just
a matter of getting the product variety
correct. Also, the location has to be
reasonably secure.
OCS variety in micro markets
How to provide coffee in micro mar-
kets seems to be unique to each loca-
tion. Pavlic Vending offers coffee in
its markets in three ways. The frst is
with a standard drip brewer, which
customers pay for by the cup at the
micro market kiosk. In other markets,
Pavlic Vending offers bean to cup
machines so the consumer can have
a single-cup option. The company also
has a few micro markets that use hot
drink vending machines. "The cof-
fee is a wild card when it comes to
the micro market," Pavlic explained.
He fnds many different hot beverage
solutions are successful in markets.
Coffee equals family passion
Micro markets aren't the only place
that Pavlic Vending offers a variety
of OCS solutions. Pavlic inherited a
passion for serving great coffee and it
shows in all Pavlic Vending divisions.
"It probably started with my dad,"
said Pavlic about the operation's
dedication to coffee. The Modern
Coffee division was added to Pavlic
Vending in the late 1970s as coffee
brewers were becoming more com -
Shelf-stable items are stacked in Pavlic's warehouse, while food goes in the walk-in cooler.
Jim Fronberry focuses on sales. Office manager Laura Janus, right,
works closely with Linda Gilsinger,
purchasing manager.
''
The coffee is
a wild card
when it comes
to the micro
market.
''
22 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com June 2014
S U C C E S S S T O R Y
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