According to data from the consulting firm Nielsen but also a company that takes care of the environment Ecognom the capsule business had a turnover of 352 million dollars until October of last year, 12% more than in the same period of the previous year.
Capsules have been at the center of criticism for a while, especially when it comes to the huge volume of waste they generate due to increased consumption, a variable that has allowed coffee sales to skyrocket in certain formats but which leaves a serious problem on the table.
It is difficult to obtain reliable data on the market for coffee in capsules due to the infinity of formats, but it is estimated that 35% of households have some type of equipment that works with coffee in capsules.
What worries and has made groups and administrations react has been the fact that it is estimated that every minute 39,000 coffee capsules are produced in the world. Between 13,500 and 29,000 of these capsules are thrown away, which means 20 billion aluminum or plastic capsules every year.
Only 10% of consumers recycle the capsules at the appropriate points since it is a product that cannot go into the conventional garbage nor does it have the appropriate treatment when we deposit it in the yellow containers.
But we must not dwell on the most alarmist data, nor on the most critical, since this is a concern that has come a long way and companies have been researching for years to offer alternatives.
There are and if, as the Balearic Islands intend with its new regulation, the sale of coffee capsules in public spaces is prohibited. You simply have to search among the options that exist and that include high-quality products and technologies that are just as well designed as they are. The one proposed by Nespresso, the main company promoting coffee in capsules and also the one that sells the most in our country.
But it’s a matter of time. If the big brand doesn’t recycle, you’ll end up paying more.
There aren’t many biodegradable capsules, as David from Caftico explains, one of the few brands that have its technology in this regard. This company created in 2008 by Jean-Paul Gaillard, former CEO of Nespresso, as an alternative to the multinational, has developed a capsule made from plant material.
It is a costly technology to develop, much more than that made from aluminum and plastic, so the margins left to brands are smaller. A significant investment is required and that is why they have not yet been fully implemented, says the person in charge of the company in our country.
We are talking about a company that launched to test these alternatives for environmental and market reasons. In the USA more and more are being recycled and consumers are asking for this technology to take care of their environment. This has allowed us to grow in sales and consumption and we do it because we are a clean option that also offers quality coffee, he indicates.
In our country, since last year we can also find the capsules of Cafs Novell that opted for BASF’s patent based on compostable biological plastic. It is being manufactured on a large scale for the first time, thanks to a system developed especially for use in coffee packaging and based mainly on renewable resources. In this system designed by BASF researchers and developers in cooperation with the Swiss Coffee Company, both the coffee capsules themselves and the outer packaging to preserve aromas are biodegradable.
As highlighted by the multinational, they carry the Seedling label, a quality mark that indicates that the ability of a product to be used as compost has been demonstrated by the EU certification requirements. Specifically, it means that the container of the used portion has to biodegrade in about twelve weeks. Tests under real conditions have shown that the product biodegrades in about four weeks.
There’s one company in the country that sells with only two varieties of organic coffee, one intense and the other decaffeinated, although it intends to expand the offer as it grows.
They agree on the need to invest beyond what other companies do since in the case of Novell coffees the cost has involved around a million dollars collaborating with BASF.
Its goal is to market half a million capsules by the end of the year and that, in the medium term, these sales will account for around 15% of its total turnover. Now, 80% of income comes from the bar, restaurant, and hotel sector, 15% from vending, and 5% from individuals who buy directly from the factory.
Another company that continues to put resources into entering this more environmentally friendly market is Lavazza. In 2015 it began to show its advances together with Novamont using a material called Mater-Bi, a polymer developed based on vegetable substances such as corn, wheat, or potato starch, with which they also ensured industrial behavior.
The compostable capsule is not a simple technological solution that improves environmental sustainability, making possible the complete organic recycling of coffee remains. A simple gesture by throwing the capsule into organic waste closes the cycle by transforming coffee grounds into fertile humus, but at the same time offers consumers the opportunity to experience the potential of the bioeconomy every day. A project that provides new life to many productive sectors, from construction to chemistry, from energy to cosmetics in a territorial regeneration perspective, declared Andrea Di Stefano, Novamont Special Projects Manager.
If we go to the international market we find other examples of these biodegradable capsules such as Vergnano coffee and Goglio presented in the last edition of Host, Capsule Pack, halo Coffee.
If the ban continues to be imposed, companies have somewhere to turn. Is the vending industry, ready to overcome the ban on plastic cups?
Definition and typology: greater potential after Covid-19. Their application possibilities and their versatility make them one of the most attractive business models today. These are vending machines that sell or distribute all kinds of PPE, an acronym for Personal Protective Equipment, are safety materials.
Essentially, this model is based on the installation of all kinds of automatic machines on public roads, from pizza machines to mobile vending machines, we can find all kinds of products on the street, and get them immediately through self-service.
Amid the crisis, with public budgets at rock bottom, many NGOs were left with hardly any financial resources, either public or private. This forced many of them to seek income in the most imaginative ways and to encourage social commitment. We have the example of Fegadi Cocemfe, who thought of a business model that had already existed.
Micro markets are part of a new booming business model closely linked to the vending and automatic catering sector. Its main characteristic is the use of automated payment technology to operate in unattended locations, which demand flexibility and self-payment options.
Without a doubt, Coffee on the Go is one of the expanding models within automatic restoration. Coffee to go, especially to the office or study center, is becoming more and more frequent. Service stations, universities, convenience stores, and even bakeries have these coffee corners with machines.
Many are the questions that come to us at Hostelvending about the 24h Shop business, a segment that is undoubtedly showing its possibilities. For this reason, we will shed light on this channel so that anyone interested can get started and get the most out of it. Supported by permanent customer service, both day and night.
Convenience stores are characterized by having long service hours (greater than 18 hours), an opening period of 365 days a year, establishments of less than 500 m, and with a limited assortment of products, usually priced higher than other formats.
Mini vending refers to small-sized machines that do not have a change purse, and are usually linked to the leisure sector; in fact, it is also popularly known as leisure vending. Generally, they are vending machines that we find in catering establishments (bars, cafeterias, nightclubs, etc.).
To date, the USA has more than 560 shopping centers. Against all odds, there is enthusiasm on the part of the consumer for this type of space and they receive a daily influx of millions of people. In the 2019-2021 period, almost 20 new shopping centers will be opened, which are already being born with another service concept more adapted in form and procedures to the consumer.
Whether it is a low-cost hotel or a super-luxury one, vending and automatic machines are increasingly present in these spaces. It is common to come across minibar formats or amenities in vending machines, but we also find hotels that offer French champagne and even engagement rings.
Only in the USA are more than 11,000 gas stations and service stations. Every day we stop at them not only to refuel but also to avoid falling asleep at the wheel, resting, or simply having a snack. There are also more and more low-cost gas stations that have chosen to install vending machines in their businesses.
A train, metro or sea station, or airport is no longer conceivable without the presence of vending machines. Displacements, whether within our city or to go to the most remote place, need to be accompanied by an offer of automatic restoration and distribution according to the needs of the passengers.
In this new welfare society, more and more people are encouraged to practice healthier habits and join gyms. From this proliferation of sports centers, gyms must bet on innovation and the offer of services as a distinctive feature to attract a larger public.
Whether in waiting rooms, outpatient clinics, or in emergencies Automatic machines supply both public and private hospitals with food, coffee, drinks, and other products 24 hours a day. A service that goes far beyond mere food distribution. It is in these spaces that vending machines play a fundamental role.
Universities Students spend many hours in university centers to study, attend classes or do internships. During those hours, they often go to coffee machines and snack vending machines to cope with study hours. In addition, recent studies emphasize that the traditional model of university cafeterias is in decline.
More and more factories and industrial buildings use automatic distribution to dispense to their workers the tools and work materials they need to carry out their activities. Employees, after identifying themselves, can extract everything they need from the machine.
Automatic distribution in work environments is emerging as one of the strongest segments in the sector. An automatic machine in offices and SMEs is, on many occasions, a refuge for a worker who is increasingly stressed by day-to-day tasks. There are many times throughout a working day when workers wait for that moment.
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