PICTURED: Steven Garner, Connect MD
By Ian Reynolds-Young
Leading operator Connect Vending has marked the new year with the announcement of four major improvements to its customer offer. Gathering its major suppliers and key industry influencers at The Crazy Bear at Stadhampton, the company demonstrated its determination to hit the ground running in 2015.
First came the announcement that Connect is to do away with plastic cups in favour of a paper cup, designed and manufactured specifically for the Oxfordshire based business by Benders. (This announcement was ‘commended’ in the ensuing Q&A by Brian Tustain; a move that, no doubt, will give the UK’s plastic cup suppliers pause for thought…)
Next, Connect introduced its own, premium coffee brand. Café Bonitas is a blend of 100% Columbian FMC Arabica and Robusta beans. ‘Going ‘own label’ has its advantages’, Stephen Garner, Connect MD told his audience. ‘It gives us total flexibility and a guarantee of price stability.’
The company has taken the same approach to its drinking chocolate offer. ‘Until now, we’ve been supplying a generic, hydrogenated vegetable oil based product’, Stephen said, ‘but we wanted something that was unique to us, that had the imagery we required on its packaging and a brand name that reflected its quality. After a long period of research, we chose the name ‘Chilvers and Butler.” The new product will be packaged in Chester by Barrie Callebaut.
Milk has also come under Connect’s microscope: ‘We have traditionally offered a non-dairy creamer to our customers but from now on, we’ll be offering a granulated skimmed milk product’, Stephen said. ‘We’ve named the new product ‘Oakendale Farm’ and, once more, Barrie Callebaut will be packing it for us.’
New cups, new coffee and new whitener… But that wasn’t all. ‘A year ago, we didn’t have a single coffee tower in our ‘fleet”, Stephen said. ‘But having seen the potential for a minimum price of a pound per cup, we’ve invested in a coffee tower design that we feel is destined to become a customer favourite.’
‘We feel really excited about 2015. The market feels good and we feel prepared, buffed up, ready to take it on.’ Stuart Coutts
None of us that were present at the launch of Connect’s business manifesto can fail to have been impressed by the company’s attitude towards the future. Here’s a business that has analysed its operation, that has made improvements where improvements were needed and is now seeking to differentiate itself from competitors by harnessing the power of its supplier partnerships.
Stuart Coutts, Connect Vending’s owner, summed up the company’s refined business offer: ‘I hope you can understand why we feel really excited about 2015’ he told the audience. ‘The market feels good, we feel prepared, buffed up, ready to take it on. We want to be different in a marketplace where we see mediocrity’ and we want to rise above it.
‘We’re in a race to expand our business through NPD and the reputation we have as an organisation. We recognise that, as a company, we don’t manufacture, anything but we’re bloody good at selling!’ He concluded by asking supplier to ‘think of us when your organisations are working on NPD. Think of us when you have something different to bring to market. When you want somebody to bounce ideas off, talk to us. We want to be first to market. If we can, we’d like a period of exclusivity on new products.’
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