Profitable Specialty Coffee for C-Stores with Franke
Q&A with Eric Taylor, National Sales Manager with over 5 years of experience working with c-stores and customizing their specialty beverage offerings.
Talk about trends in espresso consumption, and their importance to c-stores.
Eric Taylor: The 2017 National Coffee Drinking Trends show the past, present and projected states of consumption. In 2010, seven percent of coffee drinkers reported having an espresso-based beverage the previous day. This percentage jumped to 18 percent in 2016 and skyrocketed to 24 percent in 2017. Conversely, traditional coffee is on the decline. In 2012, 56 percent reported having a brewed coffee the previous day, and that decreased to 45 percent in 2017.
It's important for c-stores to position themselves with beverages that are on the rise with their key demographics, and those beverages are espresso-based.
Can specialty coffee make c-stores a "destination" rather than just a quick stop for gas?
ET: Specialty coffee can certainly be a large component that turns a c-store into a destination. Currently, with today's pay-at-the-pump technology, a large percentage of c-store customers never venture from the pump to inside the store. We want to help reverse that trend.
With an elegant, easy-to-use touchscreen menu, c-store customers can select from a menu of over 100 different espresso-based beverages. We advise c-store customers that they have to have a vision of what a world-class bean-to-cup espresso program would look like, and how it would be executed in their space. If a convenience store is willing to create a top-notch specialty coffee brand, Franke Coffee Systems North America can come alongside and help turn c-store locations into destinations.
How else can specialty coffees contribute to a c-store's bottom line?
ET: Convenience store concepts that offer specialty coffee are trailblazers in their industry, pushing for quality and excellence. We know this requires a certain mentality and overall vision that extends past specialty coffee. Our c-store partners not only offer world-class espresso-based beverages, but offer other top-tier non-coffee offerings as well.
An espresso-based program brings customers inside the store, and once inside these high-end stores, there are other world-class products to tempt customers. Perhaps it's a delectable doughnut or a fresh made-to-order sandwich, but chances are customers will supplement their specialty coffee purchase with another item. That translates directly to the bottom line.
How can Franke Coffee Systems products help c-stores serve specialty coffee?
ET: Franke super automatic espresso machines provide an easy way to introduce espresso-based beverages into self-
Turn your c-store into a specialty coffee destination with espresso-based beverage offerings. serve c-store applications. Franke Coffee Systems can deliver a world-class bean-to-cup experience that is known for quality, consistency, and ease of use.
Our FoamMaster technology allows for variable milk foam consistency and velvety cold foam. Also, our machines boast touch-panel technology. This intuitive design feature is inviting for users, especially Millennials. If a user can operate a tablet or smartphone, he or she can operate a super auto.
What else can Franke Coffee Systems "bring to the table" to help c-store specialty coffee programs?
ET: Coffee is at the heart of everything we do. We manufacture and sell world-class super automatic espresso machines, but it goes deeper than that. We have a passion for coffee, and that passion extends to partnering with c-stores to produce world class bean-to-cup espresso programs. We want to make it wonderful.
