of the industry, he also saw the oppor-
tunity to expand coffee service. Five
years ago, he would not have believed
coffee would be one of his most suc-
cessful segments, because not much
attention was paid to the service. The
rise of single cup and the coffee house
experience, however, changed that.
"We were missing out on coffee back
then," he remarked. "But not anymore."
LCV services OCS accounts in
large industrial plants and small
offces. In all locations, Holt sees con-
tinued growth and higher profts as
more consumers are becoming aware
of 'premium' blends. The company
has its own private label specialty
brand called Highland Estates Cof-
fee, which it markets as a premium
blend. "We have seen that better cof-
fees drive the market," said Holt.
Single-cup coffee has been selling
well in many of Holt's locations, except
in micro markets. "We haven't had a
good response in micro markets with
single cup, and I believe that's just
because people don't want to make their
own cup of coffee." As his micro market
locations grow, Holt plans to monitor
the best way of selling coffee in them.
So much more to come
Holt is excited about the future of
Lincoln County Vending and the
industry in general. Even more
rewarding for him, however, is that
he gets to share the company's future
with his family, his employees and
his community. "We rely on one
another," he said. "We need to be the
best at our jobs so our customers can
do the best at their jobs."
Lincoln County Vending has always been a
family business. Holt, pictured here with
his sons Daniel and Levi, says he works to
grow the business for future generations.
March 2015 VendingMarketWatch.com Automatic Merchandiser 19
O P E R A T I O N P R O F I L E
Company Profle
Founded: 1989
Headquarters: Fayetteville, TN
Owners: Dan and Pattie Holt
Number of employees: 45
Number of routes: 9
Annual sales: Not revealed