The great and good of vending from the UK and Europe gathered in the Assembly Rooms in Bath this week to witness the much anticipated birth of Crane’s new baby – The LINEA by Crane. Its first table top since 2004. Its predecessor, Genesis, is no longer being made.
BY Yvonne Reynolds-Young
At this stage we’re still waiting for the official PR but we can give you a sneak preview here:-
LINEA by Crane
Crane chose the venue well to introduce us to LINEA, there were drinks and delicious canapés aplenty whilst we all arrived ready for the main event. Many had taken advantage of the invitation to visit the factory in nearby Chippenham where we believe that LINEA is being built for European distribution. This is great news for the area, securing jobs for the local market – Brexit or no Brexit.
After being plied with many rounds of mini cottage pies and the like we were ushered into the main Octagon room where the unveiling would occur. We were welcomed by Brad Tedder, Crane US and then treated to a presentation on coffee by Merijn Gijsbers the award winning and champion Barista. Gillian White completed the trio of presenters and it was she who counted down to the grand unveiling of her baby and that she has freely admitted has been a long time coming! 
She said ‘We have listened to our customers, and we’ve delivered a premium coffee machine that will deliver a premium coffee experience’ ‘With its elegant with customisable panels, with a full motion video and touch screen to guide customers through the process of creating a perfect coffee, we’re confident that you, and your customers, will love it’
Following the dramatic unveiling of the machines, there was a buzz of anticipation as the many Crane representatives present were eager to show off LINEA to the crowd.
LINEA flat white
At first glance you’re aware that it’s a big machine when compared with a some of its competitors, and a number of the guests commented that it was possibly too big for some of their clients spaces but all agreed that it was a welcome addition to the Crane product range.
…but how did the coffee taste? I asked Merijn to make me a flat white and really it was the best coffee I’d had that day, so, job done.
LINEA by Crane
PV thanks Crane for the invitation and we’ll be interested in seeing how the rest of the vending world views LINEA when it makes its appearance at Vendex in April. Your comments, as always, are welcomed.
After the event, we were treated to a Ghost Tour of the lovely city of Bath followed by nibbles at a local pub. Our guide was brilliant, straight out of central casting, telling us stories and leading us into the darker side of this historic city.
CRANE archive on PV HERE
