Saeco SG 200 operators

[Danw]

I'm pretty sure its all the same machine. A Saeco Rubino SG200e. The different machine is a Saeco Rubino TTT. It stands for Two Taste Types. It has an area for ground coffee as well. There are models that are preset for 7g and for 9g of coffee, but thats something that can be adjusted anyway.

[rbrew1]

Thanks again! I have found a method for clearing error codes, as well as, in my recent instance multiple coffee beverages not available.

1 Press program 2 maintenance.

2 Press the Enter key (second from the top right hand side).

3 Press the Enter key again.

All reset all clear. Probably required more often when getting a used machine back up and operating. Super easy catch all so far.

[ezcoffee]

Hi All....

First off... all of the post on here are informative and inspirational... for the most part.

I was walking through a Home Show a few years back when I came across the program. I listened to the pitch and believed that if it sounds too good it can't be true. However, I pressed on and was motivated to get out and make some instant easy money. I lived in Boston at the time and knew that a Dunkin Donuts is every 100 yards, in this city it should be easy. I put down a non refundable deposit and went out looking for a loan. After being unable to secure a loan that I was happy with due to the economic hard times of the country and the banks unwillingness to loan money, even with a cosigner, I was stuck. I gave up on the program and lost money. I then came across an add a year later where I saw that someone had purchased the same program I was interested in. They were looking to sell 4 machines so I contacted them and purchased 4 lightly used machines. They were all kept in the companies business, in working order, a couple had minimal vends on them (20 - 300 vends). He showed me how to use them, how to clean them, showed me that they worked. He also gave ALL of the supplies that I needed to get started. Cups, Lids, Stirrers, Coffee Beans, Chocolate, etc, etc, etc.

Where is my story going you may ask.... shortly after purchasing the machines I was promoted at work to a position where I traveled from DC to NY. I did not have time to place the machines, let alone service them. They sat unused in my house. My career continued to grow and I was offered another promotion. I now live in Maryland. The machines moved with me.

I now have 4 machines sitting in my house with all of the supplies, in a new city where I know nobody. I have no leads and I am struggling to even get this business off the ground. My passion for the business still exist and the philosphy behind it makes perfect sense. I am just stuck.

Question 1. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this thing up and running successfully in a new area? My new job requires minimal travel but the workload can be heavy... yet iif I could get it off the ground I know that it is not suppose to be too strenuous to maintain.

Question 2. Anyone know anyone that may be interested in purchasing the machines. I started the corporate way throught the home show. I was aware that the machines cost $5500 per, and then you have to pay for all of the "franchising fees". So when I bought the business direct I knew I was getting a deal... if I was able to place them. Since I have not placed them I continue to not make money and they just sit. If I can recoup some of my losses through helping someone build there business it would be better than them just sitting here.

This is the best forum that I have seen for the business and the machines. I figured this would be the best place to start. I know that people post them on ebay all the time for sale but I am not a very experienced Ebay user and I do not feel it is the best way...

Hope to hear from someone. Sorry for the lengthy read. Good Luck to all of those with a business going of their own!

[FrCorey]

Hi All....

First off... all of the post on here are informative and inspirational... for the most part.

I was walking through a Home Show a few years back when I came across the program. I listened to the pitch and believed that if it sounds too good it can't be true. However, I pressed on and was motivated to get out and make some instant easy money. I lived in Boston at the time and knew that a Dunkin Donuts is every 100 yards, in this city it should be easy. I put down a non refundable deposit and went out looking for a loan. After being unable to secure a loan that I was happy with due to the economic hard times of the country and the banks unwillingness to loan money, even with a cosigner, I was stuck. I gave up on the program and lost money. I then came across an add a year later where I saw that someone had purchased the same program I was interested in. They were looking to sell 4 machines so I contacted them and purchased 4 lightly used machines. They were all kept in the companies business, in working order, a couple had minimal vends on them (20 - 300 vends). He showed me how to use them, how to clean them, showed me that they worked. He also gave ALL of the supplies that I needed to get started. Cups, Lids, Stirrers, Coffee Beans, Chocolate, etc, etc, etc.

Where is my story going you may ask.... shortly after purchasing the machines I was promoted at work to a position where I traveled from DC to NY. I did not have time to place the machines, let alone service them. They sat unused in my house. My career continued to grow and I was offered another promotion. I now live in Maryland. The machines moved with me.

I now have 4 machines sitting in my house with all of the supplies, in a new city where I know nobody. I have no leads and I am struggling to even get this business off the ground. My passion for the business still exist and the philosphy behind it makes perfect sense. I am just stuck.

Question 1. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get this thing up and running successfully in a new area? My new job requires minimal travel but the workload can be heavy... yet iif I could get it off the ground I know that it is not suppose to be too strenuous to maintain.

Question 2. Anyone know anyone that may be interested in purchasing the machines. I started the corporate way throught the home show. I was aware that the machines cost $5500 per, and then you have to pay for all of the "franchising fees". So when I bought the business direct I knew I was getting a deal... if I was able to place them. Since I have not placed them I continue to not make money and they just sit. If I can recoup some of my losses through helping someone build there business it would be better than them just sitting here.

This is the best forum that I have seen for the business and the machines. I figured this would be the best place to start. I know that people post them on ebay all the time for sale but I am not a very experienced Ebay user and I do not feel it is the best way...

Hope to hear from someone. Sorry for the lengthy read. Good Luck to all of those with a business going of their own!

franchise vending biz are hard to do.

and you pay thru the butt for a cheap machine.

if you know how to maintain coffee machines you can buy them used from around 2000.00 and up. and getting supplies and parts is easy. just subcribe to a vending trade magazine. and new machines are around 8000.00 too

but you buy and finance them as you want and no one will hold you to a contract for a over priced machine.

[jddj86]

Anyone selling SG200e or Rubino TTT (prefferably) ?

Used in good working condition ?

[jddj86]

Can anyone with some good experience in the SG200 coffee vending machine business tell me the approach, pitch or marketing strategy you used to convince schools, law firms, clinics, etc... to let your machines in their facilities ?

Anyone with a inspiring success story to share ?

I plan to start this business so your success or unsuccessful story will help and will be very appreciated.

[jddj86]

Anyone selling a used SG200e in good working condition ?

Provide me with your contact inf.

Your name, e-mail address, phone #

Thanks

[rbrew1]

Hey,

I had seen in a post using Swan Cappuccino Topping for more frothing of the milk. Couldn't find anywhere. Where can this be purchased.

[mission vending]

Anyone with a inspiring success story to share ?

I think that you will be very hard pressed to find anyone, anywhere in the country that is truly using this business model as their only means of income. I'm sure there are some folks out there that are making decent supplemental income with this business concept.

[Canmax]

A Statement from Canmax Inc .

As a company in good standing for over 35 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and integrity.

We have a network of hundreds of company authorized operators who have purchased our equipment and office coffee program throughout North America. Many of these registered owners have succeeded in expanding their operation into a fulltime business (contrary to a February 20, 2013 posting by “mission vending”) and have complimented us on our company support through our manufacturers’ factory trained service department, which has been a major contributor to our operators’ success, combined with their personal hard work, dedication, persistence and determination to succeed.

In our opinion, this forum contains comments from individuals or businesses who are not Canmax customers (with the exception of a few who through no fault of Canmax, have decided to sell their machines). We also note that several individuals, who may have previously investigated our opportunity, have posted on this forum in an attempt to start a business on their own without our company support and program, with limited capital, little or no knowledge of the industry and without proper factory authorized training and technical advice. That is of course everyone’s prerogative however, it has been brought to our attention that considerable content in this site and vending blog contains numerous claims, statements and innuendo about Canmax that is false, incorrect and in some cases completely misleading. To clarify, we have an exclusive contractual arrangement with the manufacturer for North American distribution including our undertaking to provide full support and service to Canmax customers. Although not contractually obligated to do so, we do attempt to assist purchasers of used equipment however, this can sometimes be difficult if a person is technically untrained, has purchased neglected, broken or unworkable machines when looking for a ‘bargain’. One can not expect to get the same full technical service time and extended support if not a registered customer and will not be provided any marketing or business support. We also wish to advise caution regarding incorrect technical tips given on this forum which could lead to worse machine errors, as confirmed by Danw on February 15, 2013.

In view of the above, and on the advice of legal counsel, we request that such misinformation be removed and consideration is being given to further action.

[Priusjames]

Wow. I just read 6 pages with great interest. I've been thinking about coffee vendors from an aftermarket source, and a search of this forum (a resource I'm really happy to have found) gave me lots of info about and what felt like a believable learning curve for both sides of the coin.

I felt empathy for greatdane, having barely dodged a similar bizop bullet myself a few years ago and, over time, somebody who started the thread looking for help became a mentor to others.

It seemed like postings from others were shadowing his experiences, and it looked like Canmax's reputation was getting better and they'd probably learned that a place like this can be a resource for them...a bizop with a heart, or maybe "keeping your enemies closer" (figuratively, of course)...didn't matter which, it looked like there now are two sources (Saeco USA and Canmax)...win-win!

Then I got to page 6, "Canmax's" post to the thread. Is that for real? I had to check the calendar to see if it's April 1st! If that's real, in California it could possibly fall into a category known as a "slap suit". The threat to do so, and/or following through, doesn't seem like a bridge building exercise...in my opinion anyhow.

Threatening legal action against a public forum discussion of personal opinions as a way of reaching out to a community that was clearly softening the perception of others (including positive feedback) in recent posts was an interesting and unexpected twist!

I'm not sure if I'll jump in or not, sadly.

Great thread, thanks.

[Greatdane]

Hey,

I had seen in a post using Swan Cappuccino Topping for more frothing of the milk. Couldn't find anywhere. Where can this be purchased.

I find that Nestles Hot Cocoa Mix is my sweetest seller. I use their chocolate whipper mix. One location sells 26 cups of hot chocolate a day and coffee accounts for about 19 cups

I also now use Nescafe cappuccino topping mix. It is by far the best I have tried. Puts a perfect whipped frothy cream texture on the beverages. People have no problem hitting the extra topping button for additional .25 cents. Like getting a bonus $6.00 dollars a day in extra revenue. You can find Nescafe whipper cappuccino topping mix at your wholesaler. If they do not have it in stock, they can order it for you.

Unfortunately, some people use powdered milk like you find at the grocery store. This is not advised by me due to the potential of going bad and the shelf life after opening is not good. You also want your customers of your gourmet coffee to have a great first time experience so they keep coming back! When I see some of the kids with a frothy cream 'mustache' smile after taking a sip of hot chocolate I know they will be back for more and I succeeded in providing a great service.

A critical item to mention is to make sure it says whipper mix. It makes a huge difference in the end product.

Also, if you find this forum topic useful rate us by clicking "Rate Topic " on the top of the page and give us a five star also if I personally have helped you or anyone else, click the like button on my little posts. It keeps me motivated to keep posting information that may be useful to all of us

Proud of TVF forum and Glad I could help!

Eddie (Greatdane)

[kiwi]

I find that Nestles Hot Cocoa Mix is my sweetest seller.

I also now use Nescafe cappuccino topping mix. It is by far the best I have tried.

Unfortunately, some people use powdered milk like you find at the grocery store.

We use Nestle Hot Chocolate too & find it far superior in taste to any other alternative hot chocolate mixers that are available here. I am not sure if it is the exact same formula that you have but we do have issues with it funneling in some machines depending on canister design.

Do you have issues with funneling?

As for topping I would also agree that Nestle Cappuccino Topping is the best I have seen. It is more expensive than other options but if you are trying to sell quality drinks then this is what I would use. There is also a product which is made by ICS in Holland called ICS Topping which is very good but may not be available for sale in your area.

Using powdered milk from a grocery will normally always cause problems as this milk is not designed for vending machines.

[Greatdane]

My customers seem to go thru hot chocolate pretty quickly and the powder texture seems to flow out of the canister with the help of the mechanical gear in the canister. I did have a little issue with the funnel whipper bowl not allowing for the powder to completely mix and dispense. I found by turning on auto rinse, any powder left over after a dispense would be rinsed and a clean funnel really made a difference. I have not had a jam since energizing auto rinse in the admin menu. You use a little more water but it is replaced within my service schedule.

[mission vending]

A Statement from Canmax Inc .

As a company in good standing for over 35 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and integrity.

We have a network of hundreds of company authorized operators who have purchased our equipment and office coffee program throughout North America. Many of these registered owners have succeeded in expanding their operation into a fulltime business (contrary to a February 20, 2013 posting by “mission vending”) and have complimented us on our company support through our manufacturers’ factory trained service department, which has been a major contributor to our operators’ success, combined with their personal hard work, dedication, persistence and determination to succeed.

In our opinion, this forum contains comments from individuals or businesses who are not Canmax customers (with the exception of a few who through no fault of Canmax, have decided to sell their machines). We also note that several individuals, who may have previously investigated our opportunity, have posted on this forum in an attempt to start a business on their own without our company support and program, with limited capital, little or no knowledge of the industry and without proper factory authorized training and technical advice. That is of course everyone’s prerogative however, it has been brought to our attention that considerable content in this site and vending blog contains numerous claims, statements and innuendo about Canmax that is false, incorrect and in some cases completely misleading. To clarify, we have an exclusive contractual arrangement with the manufacturer for North American distribution including our undertaking to provide full support and service to Canmax customers. Although not contractually obligated to do so, we do attempt to assist purchasers of used equipment however, this can sometimes be difficult if a person is technically untrained, has purchased neglected, broken or unworkable machines when looking for a ‘bargain’. One can not expect to get the same full technical service time and extended support if not a registered customer and will not be provided any marketing or business support. We also wish to advise caution regarding incorrect technical tips given on this forum which could lead to worse machine errors, as confirmed by Danw on February 15, 2013.

In view of the above, and on the advice of legal counsel, we request that such misinformation be removed and consideration is being given to further action.

Please specify the factual misinformation, here or via pm, and mods/admin will review.

[kiwi]

I would love to comment on this topic but I don't want to get into trouble.. Someone might come down to NZ and arrest me

[Greatdane]

Another great day!

I just placed another Saeco SG200 Gourmet Coffee Service machine and after going through the books, the machines I bought have almost halfway paid for themselves as the price I paid was 1/5 - 1/6 of retail. People have contacted me for used machines and people are trying to offload their new machines at a 75%+ loss. I have since hooked up a few buyers and sellers A few thousand more cups of gourmet coffee and my total investment will have paid off.

In my opinion only, due to Canmax's limited lack of support of their equipment on the second hand market, I find, is atrocious. In their post above they say they are the sole distributor in North America. Doesn't that mean if they are the only one then they would be the only one to provide support for the machines they sell first hand OR second hand, even after the first sale. I am of course referring to technical / service support and not business support. If based on Canmax's statement above,"Although not contractually obligated to do so, we do attempt to assist purchasers of used equipment however, this can sometimes be difficult" An example of this would be like Ford Motor Company. They sell their motor vehicles to the first buyer but if you sell your car or truck, the new owner is on their own as maybe Ford and their dealers do not have time to support the second hand buyer. No or very limited service, forum and or troubleshooting support because they have to take care of the original buyer that paid a huge amount of money for the product with no transferable service technical guarantees. I too was starting to be impressed with the support Canmax was providing to one of our forum posters and thought we were getting over a hurdle. But, according to Canmax's post, there seems to be litigious turn of the wind. Lets hope they support all operators and not just the first time Biz-op customer / purchaser. I am posting not to harm Canmax's reputation but to educate others of my experiences and not to undermine Canmax's reputation. Their reputation is their own doing as we see in previous posts.

I do have one issue pertaining to Canmax's post that implies that operators get factory training. From personally what I have seen and operator materials I am in custody of is the new operator receive emails and/or phone contacts until the biz-op purchaser/ person receives their machines. There is a set up DVD and a manual but I never did (or maybe missed) see how the person would say fly to Canmax headquarters and have a 5 day factory training. They do have phone and email support but I can't see how a guy with no vending or technical skills could master their machine with just phone / email tech support. Nor do I see $10k est. of support and business model value either.

I am amazed my Saeco SG200 topic keeps coming up to the top of the forum list and maintaining hot topic. When I first posted about my experiences, There was literally no web information hits but now there is. Try it! type Saeco SG200 and whole Google pages lead to our TVF forum. So many hundreds and if not thousands of people have read my little manifesto on my personal experiences and people are relating in positive and informative ways. Keep posting positive and or negative comments so we all can save on mistakes and make our personal business model work for each of us personally. With help of others I find this is the only resource for us orphan operators to get the support we all could use.

I was personally informed Canmax is monitoring this forum for my and others comments. I do with open arms invite Canmax to post in this forum specific items that they find factually incorrect so incorrect information may be removed. If Canmax management has time to read this forum, they can provide and offer technical and or limited support through this forum. They do have their "Authorized Operator Forum" but second hand buyers have no access. Lets make this forum our version of "Underground Authorized Operator Forum". TVF admins do a great job. Lets keep this TVF forum topic going. With the help of fellow operators and those with first hand knowledge of these machines, we all can be successful. If we have to be a " an underground sg 200 world" So be it.

Greatdane (Eddie)

The statements above are my opinion only and in now way is this to be considered a factually based post about Canmax's employees, management and business model but my personal experience only. If any information needs clarification or correction, please post in this forum only so corrections can be made.

[Greatdane]

News: Saeco SG 200 operators

What very limited search result links I have posted earlier concerning Early 1st Generation Barista Equipment Owner and Operator Blog: Barista Supreme Program Comments are now deleted. When I tried to access the old forum it linked to a dead end and all support information is now in the nether web world. I do not know who is responsible for deletion of what limited support we had but information is gone.

Good news! We are in luck I find whoever deleted the contents did not keep the forum blog name and was notified that old forum name available on the page. I grabbed it as fast as I could enter my info. BaristaSupremo is now ours. http://baristasupremo.blogspot.com/ I am sure somebody is now a little disturbed as this appears to be a major lack of oversight but a great benefit to all us participants of TVF.

There is now a placeholder that sends people to this TVF forum. All new searches that lead to Early 1st Generation Barista Equipment Owner and Operator Blog: Barista Supreme Program Comments will now be directed to TVF Forum topic Saeco SG 200 operators

[Priusjames]

"Good news! We are in luck I find whoever deleted the contents did not keep the forum blog name and was notified that old forum name available on the page. I grabbed it as fast as I could enter my info. BaristaSupremo is now ours. http://baristasupremo.blogspot.com/ I am sure somebody is now a little disturbed as this appears to be a major lack of oversight but a great benefit to all us participants of TVF."

lqtm

[Mike32110]

Just another question regarding a recent issue I have been having. So I have an almost new machine with about 300 vends on it. I was phoned today saying that it was dispensing cream but not coffee. I had a look, reset the errors, tried again- same problem. I tried manually running the lines and water only came out of the creamer and hotchcoolate/french vanila spouts, but not the coffee spout. I tried draining the boiler, and I tried running again. It said Flow meter error #5. I reset the error, tried again, and still no luck. Now at first, the machine was pouring water around the coffee presser compartment and producing watery grinds, but now this does not seem to be the case.

I know this was a confusing description, but does anyone have any ideas as to what could have happened?

Also of note, the little plastic piece that fits on top of the coffee presser machine (located near the output tube that fills the coffee cup) was lying to the side, and the little screen that sits on top of the part that compresses the coffee down had fallin into the pile of grinds.

[treadmill]

Sounds like to me somebody messed with your machine.

[Greatdane]

I would fully remove your brew group and give it a thorough cleaning.

The top screen may have plugged and / or retaining screw/screen has come off.

If this falls off, your upper screen if missing will not strain right and be very watery until plugged.

The brew group is easily removed by removing the coffee liquid hose and turning lever.

I clean mine with a fine wire toothbrush you find in the plumbing section of the hardware store.

There is a upper screen held on by a screw.

The screen is very fine and should be cleaned on a regular basis.

You will probably find your missing screen/screw in the waste coffee grinds.

While you have the brew group out, inspect the gasket that is on the upper plunger arm also.

Hopefully the retainer that holds the screw is not busted or stripped (plastic part you found) and can be re tightened to hold upper screen in place.

If you have another machine, remove brew group and compare to the malfunctioning one.

I have enclosed a diagram to help you. If the plastic part holding screen is stripped, you can fill with a filler substance like super glue let harden and retap for upper screen assembly. When repaired, refer to bleeding air from system and circulate water. as per previous post.

Hope this helps

Greatdane

[johnporter15]

I am looking to buy used machines in good working condition. I also need technical assistance in Birmingham, Alabama if anyone has any ideas please let me know. This is a great Forum..Extremely helpful to all of us. Guys please keep it up!! John

[kiwi]

I am looking to buy used machines in good working condition. I also need technical assistance in Birmingham, Alabama if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

You could contact a certain North American Distributor (not mentioning any names) they love to help people who buy used machines!!

On a serious note..

How many machines are you looking at & are you only looking at doing coffee or are you also looking at doing snack & drink vending?

Coffee Vending is in my opinion is probably the hardest type of vending to do (excluding frozen) especially if you have very little experience in this area.

There are a lot more things that can go wrong with a coffee machine than your traditional snack & drink machines & if you are not prepared to fix these yourself it could work out very costly to you to be using someone else.

I am not trying to discourage you from getting into coffee vending but I would advise you to definitely do your research before deciding to make the move into coffee which you have already done by coming to TVF.

Are you only looking at using Saeco or are you open to other options that maybe available to you with other manufactures of coffee machines. What ever manufacture you choose to go with you will need to make sure that parts are readily available as they will break down over time.

I am not based in the states so I can only speculate what the industry is like over their but I have been doing coffee vending since 2001 so I do have a little experience in this area.

If I was located in the states I would choose to use Necta machines if I was you as parts are readily available from Vendors Exchange & i am pretty sure they would sell parts to you even if you brought the machine used from somewhere else.

They will even sell necta coffee machine parts to me & I am based in Auckland NZ.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Kiwi

[Greatdane]

I would love to comment on this topic but I don't want to get into trouble.. Someone might come down to NZ and arrest me.

Kiwi, did you check out the old/new redirect blog link above?. Google inserts these banner ads on the blog page and now when I checked page the below adverts are on the page. Kinda funny. Coincidence? Google is really location target market. funny or scary :

I here it is really very nice there in NZ .

New Zealand Flight Deals

www.AirNewZealand.com

Fly non-stop to NZ from $1168* RT *Baggage fees + restrictions apply

Greatdane