nvb Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Has anyone had success vending coffee from a branded machine? Do you think the branding helped drive sales and keep prices up? I have a customer looking for coffee vending (not OCS but pay to play machines) so that means I'm stuck with tabletops or full sized coffee vending machines. I wanted to avoid that but they represent 300 employees and a good chunk of my business, so I am inclined to keep them happy. I'm thinking about going with a newer model VKI machine w/ Seattle's Best or Starbucks beans and branding. Anyone have experience with something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Why would you use an imported machine that wouldn't be supported in the US? That is a recipe for failure. You can get good used or new coffee machines built by Crane that will be much more profitable due to te cup size choices and flavor choices. Crane has some with branded fronts but then you are tied in to more expensive coffee products. Just use a normal front machine and put a good quality coffee in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Thanks @AZVendor, I hear what you are saying. I'm in the great white north so for me, VKI and Cafection are domestic made in Canada brands. It seems like these are the table top machines of choice among the big OCS companies here. If I don't do an oversized table top (VKI Momentum has similar capacity to a full size) then Crane Voce and USI Geneva appear to be only current model, domestic options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Fwiw I have a chance to pick up an almost new Crane Voce.. is that a machine you would recommend? There's lots of opinions on the older Cranes on these boards, but almost no info on this newer model.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Kentucky Vending Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 use a crane 673 or a AP213 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacapa Vending Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I like National 673. You can add the Cafe Curve (revision door) coffee refurb from Vendors exchange if you really want to impress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 Oooo the Cafe Curve! I like that. One of my objections to using a crane 67x was they are starting to look dated. This is a good compromise. On the plus side these older cranes are very common and proven machines. I'll look into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 I'm going to throw another question at you guys with experience. The spot this coffee machine would go in has approximately 100 staff total, working in a refrigerated food distribution warehouse. How much coffee would you expect to sell from a top quality, attractive vending machine? No other brewers on site. No alternatives in walking distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 One big factor is the demographics of the employees. What ethnicity are they? What age are they? Etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacapa Vending Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Depends on the price point you sell the cups. The cheaper you can get it to the customer the more they will drink. We try to be under .75 for 8oz cups and somewhere around .85-.95 for 12oz cups. If you are trying to sell fancy fresh brew coffee like Peetes or Starbucks it might be harder to sell coffee cheap. Something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 I know it's a tough question. Lets say neutral pricing - not high or low. Demographics are maybe 50% immigrants (primarily East Indian) but also about 50% young men under 30. The snack and cold drinks are still ramping up as I've been there under 1 year, but currently grossing $1000/ month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 How important is it to you that the coffee machine makes a profit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 The immigrants will expect strong coffee and the millenials will expect iced coffee. Ignore the iced and get a good full size machine that offers two cup sizes and handles various strengths. You will also be able to put flavored coffees in which might appeal to the millenials. You may also need the capacity of the full size machine. If you put a single cup counter-top machine in it may beat itself to death or it won't sell much because of the limited selections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 I want to keep this customer happy, but I'm not going to spend thousands on equipment and venture into coffee vending unless there's profit to be made. Im in business to make money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvb Posted June 21, 2019 Author Share Posted June 21, 2019 4 minutes ago, AZVendor said: The immigrants will expect strong coffee and the millenials will expect iced coffee. Ignore the iced and get a good full size machine that offers two cup sizes and handles various strengths. You will also be able to put flavored coffees in which might appeal to the millenials. You may also need the capacity of the full size machine. If you put a single cup counter-top machine in it may beat itself to death or it won't sell much because of the limited selections. Yes, I'm leaning toward the full sized machine after considering everyone's responses. It may have more capacity than I need but that's wayyy better than not enough. If I can sell 10-20 cups a day, 365 days a year I'd call it worth while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 as to branded, I had a Seattle's Best machine that did 100+ cups a week at an average $2 per cup, but it was in an airport location. I felt the branding made the machine stand out, and the quality did not hurt either (had staffers with access to ocs coming down to buy from the machine). But, that location was somewhat different than yours. Full size but not branded, good bean to cup machine, under $2 a cup, and don't forget the card reader. Be prepared, if you have not done coffee before, there is a LOT of maintenance and cleaning that goes into keeping the machine working and the product quality high. Mine was a Crane machine, and the waste bucket filled up every week (automatic cleaning cycle at least daily) so 7 days between visits is the maximum or the machine shuts itself off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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