Commercial Coffee Machines.
The world of commercial coffee machine sales, repairs & servicing is a complex market with many pitfalls and hidden expenses that can catch people out. There are far to many points for one blog post, so I will keep this one as short as possible and cover the sales & distribution of commercial coffee machines which will help you understand how it works.
Distributors via Coffee Merchants: Each machine manufacturer will have a distributor within the UK, they will be the face of that company & they intern will have their own distribution network across the country. Not all but many favour Coffee Roasters & Tea Merchants as their distributors as they naturally have customers buying their products so why not offer machines & coffee brewing equipment at the same time.
This is a great model for the merchants as they can support you with their servicing department (if they have one) & retain you as a customer for the duration, however if you decide you would like to sell another roasters coffee this becomes a tricky situation & you may find your service & support will no longer be available & you will need to find an Independent Coffee Servicing company like The Coffee Lobby.
Distributors: Coffee machine suppliers that do not offer coffee or have association with a roaster are few & far between & are a great way of purchasing new equipment without the commitment to taking a specific roasters coffee for a set period, however not all espresso machine distributors are equipped to offer service support across the warranty of your machine so be sure to speak with the company about warranty, aftercare, servicing & maintenance as they are many online companies that are known in the industry as Box Shifters.
Box Shifters: Box shifters are companies that are online only, they distribute large amount of machines & pay to make sure they appear at the top of your Google search. This is a great way to pick up equipment at discounted prices as they “ shift the box " this means they buy on bulk & store in a warehouse, then send once an order has been confirmed.
Naturally this is a great deal for the consumer however, warranties, repairs & issues with the machine will all require you to return the machine at your expense & you will also be looking for an Independent Coffee Engineer to install the machine for you & then paying them to remove it if there is any issues.
In summary there is a lot more to consider when buying a commercial coffee machine & personal preference should be considered, what do you value more, saving money on initial purchasing or paying slightly more & buying from a company that can support you throughout the life of your machine?
There is no right or wrong answer but if you feel you need some impartial advice about your options that suit your business then I am happy to answer your questions.
