Nescafé Alegria is being rolled out by the company’s ‘out-of-home’ food services business Nestlé Professional, is aimed at so-called ‘micro-enterprises’ of fewer than ten employees.
According to Nestlé, Micro-enterprises represent nine out of ten small to medium-sized enterprises in Europe, which in turn account for 99% of all businesses on the continent. Nestlé says it has identified a gap in this market for a cost-effective system that allows small organisations to make a range of café-style coffees for their customers.
“The days of a plain black coffee are over,” said Michiel Kernkamp, Nestlé Professional’s head of beverages. “Consumers want something more complex.
“It’s an advantage for small businesses like hairdressers, florists or car dealerships to be able to offer their clients a latte macchiato or cappuccino at the touch of a button. You simply place a cup of fresh milk on the machine and it steams it from above with a hot water jet,” he continued. “No milk passes through the system, so it’s very easy to clean.”
The Nescafé Alegria uses single ‘cartridges’ that can be slotted into the machine to fill its coffee tank. Made of recyclable carton, the cartridges contain a blend of soluble and finely ground roast coffee. A single cartridge contains 120g of coffee, enough to make up to 60 individual cups.
“No other coffee machine on the market works this way,” Mr Kernkamp added. “For a small company with a limited number of staff, it’s very economic and efficient.”
The design of the Nescafé Alegria is based on Nestlé’s Nescafé Barista home coffee machine. Available in Japan only, Nescafé Barista was created by Nestlé’s research and development network and launched in 2007. More than 600,000 have been sold since then, making it the most popular coffee machine in the country.
Source: Nestlé
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024