Automatic Merchandiser serves the business management, marketing, technology and product information needs of its readers including vending operators, coffee service operators, product brokers, and product and equipment distributors in print.
Issue link: http://automaticmerchandiser.epubxp.com/i/738240
"The end user wants to feel like, 'This is my coffee machine,'" explained Cochrane, which means this equip- ment has to engage the end user and create more than just a cup of coffee. The rise of espresso "In the U.S., the trend is not just towards a higher quality drink, but espresso and espresso-based bever- ages," observed Maurits JC De Jong, a principle in de Jong DUKE. "Flat cof- fee [or the filtered grounds most Amer- icans associate with coffee] can be high quality, but not always perceived as high as say cappuccinos and lattes," De Jong added. He believes this is due to the coffeehouses and cafes on virtually every corner. "They have influenced what is considered high quality by the consumer." For de Jong DUKE, bean- to-cup espresso brewer sales have sky rocketed in the U.S. as a result of the changes young professionals are hav- ing on the workplace. The company's double bean coffee machine with two bean hoppers and 3 canisters for sol- uble products is its best seller. "This illustrates that variety and flexibility are clearly still important to OCS in the U.S.," said De Jong. Much of the bean-to-cup brewer's success stems from the fact that it is not a black box that produces common variety black coffee. Users are able to look up recipes to make various types of beverages from double espressos to café lattes. Users can even get a numeric code for their specific drink combination. "It allows a faster order- ing process as well well as a as a sense of proprietorship that 'This is my drink recipe,'" said De Jong. Giv- ing employees that sense of connection and access to the equipment and prod- ucts to create their preferred drink is what today's corporate coffee program is all about. It's a win for employees, who don't have to run out to the café, but also for a company trying to boost morale and loyalty. "Workplaces are increasingly look- ing for opportunities to demonstrate that their people are valued, and offer- ing variety and choice in the beverages provided is one way they are looking to achieve this," said Bobby Chacko, regional president and general man- ager of Mars Drinks, North America. "We're living in an age where custom- ization and personalization are the norm. People at work don't just want a cup of coffee, they want 'their' cup of coffee." Millennials especially are driving this trend, with the demand for a broad range of options from spe- cialty coffee to hot chocolate and tea. Chacko notes that for operators, this means an increased need to offer solu- tions that make personalization easy. Breakrooms will evolve Chacko anticipates that beverages will increasingly be leveraged as more than just refreshment for busy work- ers, and instead there will be a contin- ued focus on hot drinks as a catalyst for collaboration, engagement, well- being and productivity. It will change the idea of a coffee pot in the corner to it being central to productivity. "Looking through this lens will drive greater integration of coffee and other beverages into the office envi- ronment, bringing the brewer out of the breakroom," he said. "Bringing brewers into the spaces where people are working calls for a wider range of technology to meet the needs of the people using each space." These tech- nologies include solutions designed to fit in small spaces as well as high traffic areas — brewers that fit on a standard countertop and make mini- mal noise, Chacko adds. A smaller machine footprint is important as progressive companies look to actually expand the number of at-work cafes they provide. "U.S. workplaces are decentral- izing their coffee outlets," explained De Jong. "There is no longer just one kitchen or canteen with one large machine where everyone goes. There are smaller machines in multiple loca- tions." With this idea of coffee as not just something that has to be there, Millennials are changing the workplace with their desire for customizable coffee. iStock 20 Aut 20 Automatic Merchandiser ndiser 20 Automatic Merchandiser VendingMarketWatch.com October/November 2016 O F F I C E C O F F E E S E R V I C E T R E N D S