tabletop machines...


INCUP MACHINES

Incup is the generic term used for the range of machines that dispense disposable cups, which contain pre-packed ingredients. Sleeves of different types of drink are inserted into the machines, which are then dispensed either at the press of a button, or by pulling a drawer. In the purest form, all the ingredients required to make a drink are contained within the cup. However, this means that a four-selection machine has severe limitations, offering perhaps only White Coffee, White Coffee with sugar, White Tea and White Tea with sugar.

Machine manufacturers quickly moved to address this problem and a separate sugar canister was introduced. In the late 1980’s some machines were introduced which also had separate whitener canisters, but this defeats the object of Incup somewhat. The major benefits of the Incup system are the ease of filling the machine, the low maintenance of the equipment, (both in terms of cleaning and also in terms of reliability), hygiene, each sleeve of cups is individually packed.

Incup machines are ideal in environments where time is of a premium. The machines can be easily filled and this can be achieved quickly. The drink quality leaves a lot to be desired though, and they offer little flexibility in terms of stronger/weaker drinks. “Leaf Tea” from an Incup machine, usually means a tagged tea-bag in the bottom of the cup, which leaves you looking for somewhere to dispose of the tea-bag. If a single person on your workforce drinks, for example, Black Coffee, or Decaffeinated Coffee, then a whole case of this product needs to be purchased, although some suppliers will provide mixed cases… but at a price! Storage space must also be taken into consideration when purchasing an Incup machine. A twelve-selection machine would require you to store up to 12 cases of ingredients. The chances are that several of these products will not be consumed within the sell by date, so the cost per cup can escalate.

If you decide that an Incup machine is the right machine for you, my advice is to limit the number of selections as far as possible. For example, unless you have significant numbers of staff with more “specialist” tastes, then White Coffee, White Coffee with sugar, White Tea and White Tea with sugar, and Chocolate would normally cover most tastes. Despite the obvious limitations, the Incup drinks are not inexpensive and you would normally expect to pay considerably more for Incup drinks than for “loose” ingredient systems. The two major players in this market place are Maxpax and Klix who are both very active in trying to increase their share of the market. For establishments with high numbers of staff both of these companies will consider installing machines on a free on loan basis. Whilst this ay, on the face of it, appear to be a good deal for all concerned, there is no such thing as a “free lunch”. You will be expected to guarantee a certain number of drinks per month, and there is a real possibility that the already high price of these drinks will increase further every year. As there is little flexibility in the system, there is also a greater chance that your employees will get tired of drinks with which they are not one hundred percent happy.

+ Plusses
· Easy to fill machines
· Easy to use
· Low maintenance
· Inexpensive to acquire
· Easy to keep clean
· Uses disposable cups, no washing up
· Consistent drink quality

- Minuses
· Limited drink selection
· No variation of strength in individual cups
· Drinks are relatively expensive
· Limited choice (if one member of your staff wants Black Coffee, you may need to buy a whole case)
· Requires storage space
· You must use disposable cups, no opportunity to use china for guests, visitors etc.,

vendingabc is from cafe azzurro limited