Coke agents for Rancilio Silvia.

[Yelta]

Bit of trivia I was unaware of until today.

The Rancilio Agent in Australia is Grinders Coffee, a division of Coca Cola Amatil.

[Jonathon]

Indeed it's true - CCA owns grinders and Atlanta owns roughly 30% of CCA.

Of course if you've got any kind of industry or retail super fund then it's highly likely you also own some of grinders.

[chokkidog]

Bit of trivia I was unaware of until today.

The Rancilio Agent in Australia is Grinders Coffee, a division of Coca Cola Amatil.

I don't generally go finding out who owns what but that's a handy bit of trivia Yelta.

Was sitting down last Friday with a potential new client in an old (1911) café in a quiet country town....

In walks a Grinders rep...."this is awkward" says the café manager whose boss ( café owner) had rung the multinational...

Talk about David and Goliath!! They said they wanted local coffee, with a local story.........

I'll let you know the outcome of the slingshot! ;-) Thanks for the stone, Yelta

[LeroyC]

Grinders coffee is awful.

[TOK]

Which is interesting given that when the brand was sold to coke it was an up and coming "non" commodity type brand....that had been ultra well marketed and consequently had huge growth from its humble beginnings.

And they use amongst the best roasting plant in the world.

However their pricing strategy is rather down market and is more about volume than quality as such.

Leave the rest for you all to ponder on.

[chokkidog]

Yes, TOK, that was my perception of them as well..... how things change.

It's a bit like the wine industry back in the 90's when the Southcorp behemoth, and the like, started buying up

'hot' boutique wineries, sacking the management and marketing the name.

[TOK]

Yes, my view of the coffee business in this country is it's about 25 years behind the wine industry and going the same way...you know what I mean.

For the rest of it, unfortunately, I have an educated idea of what price you will be expected to compete with if you are both competing for the same client. You can only hope the client actually cups both coffees and has an appreciation that the "quality" will differ markedly according to the price he decides he is willing to pay. If he also wants equipment placed, you will probably want to walk away and let him have his koh-ka-koffee. Its the very subtle (not) blitzkrieg school of market share.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Yes, TOK, that was my perception of them as well..... how things change.

It's a bit like the wine industry back in the 90's when the Southcorp behemoth, and the like, started buying up

'hot' boutique wineries, sacking the management and marketing the name.

...and how the worm turns. A significant proportion of the Southcorp assets are effectively those spun-off into Treasury Wine Estates (after the Foster merger, then de-merger of wine assets), who last year tipped several million bottles of wine down the sink because it was cheaper to chuck them than store them (obviously this was their 'supermarket level' stuff).

[Graeme]

Beginning of last year Grinders Carlton were selling the Rancilio Silvia for $499 and included was 11 kgs of Grinders beans. I know of at least one local espresso machine seller (CS sponsor) who could not buy the Silvia for that wholesale.

[TC]

Beginning of last year Grinders Carlton were selling the Rancilio Silvia for $499 and included was 11 kgs of Grinders beans. I know of at least one local espresso machine seller (CS sponsor) who could not buy the Silvia for that wholesale.

Actually $699 with a compulsory $200 rubbish removal discount to relieve them of the 11kg

The stuff I saw was branded something else and was a shocker.

[Graeme]

I should ask the local lady who bought my 11 kgs for $120 to see if she liked it. She probably did. Ha.

[chokkidog]

Well....I won the showdown; even before they got to taste the coffee.... just the aroma off the grind ( my coffee) had them salivating.

Apparently the smell of the Grinder swasn't very nice. ;-)

($26/kg was the competition's price)

[chokkidog]

...and how the worm turns. A significant proportion of the Southcorp assets are effectively those spun-off into Treasury Wine Estates (after the Foster merger, then de-merger of wine assets), who last year tipped several million bottles of wine down the sink because it was cheaper to chuck them than store them (obviously this was their 'supermarket level' stuff).

The worm turned alright BO'S, and what a path of havoc it carved through the wine grape growing industry.

But that's another story........

Interesting how the bust/boom cycle of agriculture is reflected in the products that come from it and how many

similarities there are between coffee and wine in that context.

[ausdb]

Well....I won the showdown; even before they got to taste the coffee.... just the aroma off the grind ( my coffee) had them salivating.

Apparently the smell of the Grinder swasn't very nice. ;-)

($26/kg was the competition's price)

Good for you chokkidog, chalk one up for David and his slingshot

There's what used to be the quintessential little "asian supermarket" you know the one that sells all kinds of ingredients that you can't buy at the big two supermarkets near my sons daycare that's had a bit of a change of direction to more of a convenience type store. I went in there a couple of weeks ago and noticed it's now got a brand new Rancilio 2 group Class 7 and shelves stacked with Grinders coffee. I understand the concept of a loss leader but this goes some way to explain how they can be offering $1 regular sized coffee's, they probably made money out of my piccolo latte which had nicely textured milk and that was the best thing I could say about it.

[Lukemc]

Well....I won the showdown; even before they got to taste the coffee.... just the aroma off the grind ( my coffee) had them salivating.

Apparently the smell of the Grinder swasn't very nice. ;-)

($26/kg was the competition's price)

After sampling your coffee it's no surprise to me that they chose yours

Well done