Cupcake vending machines… It’s true!

Vending machines are highly popular all over the world as a convenient and fast way to get refreshments such as coffee, cold drinks, water, and snacks such as sweets, chocolate, crisps and now cupcakes!

The American gourmet cupcake chain, Sprinkles, is due to launch its vending machines this month to allow customers the ease and convenience of being able to get the cupcakes they want anytime of the day; the vending machines will be in the form of ATM’s so even when the shop is closed customers can still buy their favourite cupcakes. Sprinkles’ first machine will be debuted at their Beverley Hills store and with further machines being introduced throughout the summer at their other stores nationwide following the pilot launch.

Sprinkles opened in 2005 and now have locations in Beverly Hills, Palo Alto, La Jolla, Newport Beach California, as well as New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C, Dallas, Houston, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The New York, Washington and Chicago stores are next in line for the cupcake vending machine which has been named the cupcake ATM, the machines are built to hold 600 cakes at a time and the flavours will be rotated daily to allow variety to regular customers. Each cupcake will be presented in its own individual box, in order to keep them fresh and to stop them from damaging.

At Nexus Drinks we offer a huge range of vending machines, coffee machines and water coolers for you to choose from. Coffee is loved by many all around the world and is drunk by millions of people every day; one of our popular coffee machines is the Flavia. It is a unique drinks system which allows individuals to conveniently choose their favourite drink and have it brewed in seconds right in front of you, perfect for the office! No more waiting around for the kettle to boil. If coffee isn’t to your taste these machines also have a wide range of tea’s and even hot chocolates so everyone’s needs can be met. For a welcome alternative to hot drinks we also stock a wide range of water coolers to keep your staff hydrated and healthy.

Nexus Drinks vending machines – perk up your staff with coffee!

Vending machines were so basic once upon a time. You could have tea or coffee with 1 or 2 sugars, hot chocolate, chicken soup or cold orange! All of which, if we are being perfectly honest, were watery and the plastic cups so thin you could barely carry them from the vending machines to wherever you were heading. How things have changed and at the forefront of this change is the Nexus Flavia!

Starbucks kicked off the coffee revolution back in 1971, when it opened its first store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. The company grew and grew and now has 15,000 stores in a staggering 50 countries world wide! This is when the notion ‘you can have whatever you want in your coffee’ began. There isn’t a coffee Starbucks haven’t thought up, or a topping or ingredient not included in their unbelievably extensive menu. People will wait longer for a coffee on their way to work than they are prepared to wait for their lunch in a restaurant – so if staff are late, you know where they might be!

Our Flavia range could be described as the Starbucks of the vending machine world, bringing the coffee shop to your desk but at a fraction of the price. Not only will staff love its money saving advantages, by helping them save on exuberant coffee shop costs but it will also save them queuing in the morning and get them at their desks a bit earlier! It also will give the team that caffeine boost we all love first thing in the morning – every one’s a winner!

Flavia isn’t like a traditional vending machine with standard flavours served in thin plastic cups. It’s a unique drinks system and like Starbucks, it offers a wide range of quality drinks. Some rich and some lighter coffees, all sealed in individual filter packs, to ensure the freshness of the coffee and its aroma.

Electricity Free Vending Machines

Vending machines are used all around the world to dispense a range of different, useful, convenient products. Arguable the most prevalent vending machines stock snacks and drinks so individuals that need a quick fix can get it swiftly without having to go into a shop and queuing up to pay. Recently Japanese designers have come up with a new vending machine that does not need an electrical supply, the new machine is cranked up by hand, this all sounds a bit old school, so what is the context of the design?

This new design came as Japan marked the first anniversary of the tsunami that devastated the country a year ago, at this time many homes, towns and in fact cities were left without electricity, which is where the inventors got their idea from. The company that has created the vending machine, Sanden, which currently supply 30 per cent of the global market, have been showing off the hand-crankable vending machine for emergencies when the power’s out and solar generation isn’t available.

Japan are the leaders in vending machine technology, there is literally a vending machine to fit every purpose from the usual drinks and snacks to eggs, flowers, batteries, ice, umbrellas and even smart cars!! In 2010 Japan had 5 million vending machines, one can even be found on the slopes of Mount Fuji. Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine for every twenty three people. The technology created by Sanden’s would appear to be an essential technology. So what are the downsides? Unfortunately, it takes approximately 70 rotations of the crank to power up the machine, however 20 seconds after being powered up, the machine is then ready to dispense up to six or seven bottled drinks.

At Nexus Drinks we supply high quality vending machines and Flavia coffee machines as well as water coolers, so if your office or workplace is in need of a boost, visit us, we have something to suit a range of needs. Having such machines in the workplace is convenient for your staff, meaning they can grab a drink in a few seconds rather than making one themselves which can take considerably longer.

At Nexus Drinks we are all about vending machines and particularly coffee machines featuring brands such as Flavia and Kenco, but across the pond there are some weird and wonderful vending machines that we feel are particularly noteworthy.

Where else would you expect to find some of the world’s most brilliantly bizarre vending machines than in “The Entertainment Capital of the World” – Las Vegas. Amid the copious casinos and numerous lavish hotels you will find vending machines selling items that range from candyfloss (aka cotton candy) to Gold Nuggets (should you win big in the casino). Should you wish you could also purchase luxury items from designers such as Lancôme, Smashbox even some stylish headphones such as Beats by Dr Dre! During a visit to Las Vegas, should you choose to pop the question to your other half while in the wonderful city then you would be able to add a bunch of fresh flowers to your proposal via a vending machine! If you’re also looking to pick up some electrical items, why queue in a shop when you can pick up items such as iPods and cameras from a conveniently located vending machine!? One for the ladies in particular is next on our list of weird and wonderful vending machines, ever been on a night out and those killer heels really do turn into killers for your feet? Well, fear not, in Las Vegas there is a vending machine selling shoes that fit in your handbag! What more could you want at the end of a night out? Finally, if you are feeling like you should add a little culture to your trip why not pick up a piece of art form the Art-o-mat vending machine, the philosophy behind this crazy idea, actually isn’t that crazy as it is designed to allow for art to be accessible to all. For just $5 you will receive a boxed piece of art created by an independent artist.

Here at Nexus Drink our vending machines may only offer refreshments, but simply consider how an office environment can be improved with a vending machine offering delicious coffee from a brand such as Flavia. Flavia offer coffee shop quality from their vending machines, without coffee shop prices! What more could you want for your office? From more information on the products and services available from Nexus Drinks, please call our experienced team on 01706 868 500.

Japanese Vending Machines Serve You Wi-Fi With Your Drinks

Drinks Company Asahi Soft Drinks Co. has created a new design in vending machines that not only dispenses drinks but provides free Wi-Fi that lets you access the web within a 50m radius.

Japan is racing ahead in the realm of vending machines with the new service which is free for anyone to use and connects automatically without needing to install or pay for the service. However, it disconnects after a 30 minute timeframe, but you can still reconnect after this happens but it means you can’t abuse the service by downloading any large files.

After you log in, users will see information relating to where they are currently based, such as where to shop as well as local and regional attractions. The company’s ambition is to install 1,000 vending machines across Japan first before increasing that number to 10,000 over the next five years. The vending machines are being developed in conjunction with wireless company, FreeMobile.

For all of your vending machine needs, visit us at Nexus Drinks, we have a range of machines that can fit a variety of different needs including Flavia vending machines.

Vending Machines: Your guide to choosing a coffee roast.

Vending machines are becoming increasingly popular all over the world as an easy alternative to making a cup of coffee, especially in the work place, but would you like to know a little more about the types of coffee bean that are available to you?

The coffee bean is actually the seed of the coffee plant so strangely enough isn’t a bean at all, they have been given the name as they resemble the shape and appearance of a bean, these beans are found in coffee cherries that grow on trees. The coffee trees are now cultivated globally in over 70 countries with 45% of exports coming from South America other regions that cultivate coffee include the Middle East and Africa. Once the cherries are ripe they are then picked, processed, dried then roasted, the roasting process is important to attain the desired flavour.

Beans from different countries are distinguishable by differences in flavour, aroma and body. The two most common coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta, the Robusta has a fuller body and tends to have a more bitter taste, it also contains around 45-50% more caffeine than Arabica, Robusta is often used to make espresso coffee which is a small strong shot of coffee.

Vending machines now have a huge selection of coffees for you to choose form, here are some examples of the roasts available, it may shine some light on which ones you may prefer. The lightest roast are called New England, Cinnamon and Half city, these flavours are achieved when the beans are roasted only until they first crack, this occurs after only a few minutes of the roasting process and beans visibly grow in size. Light roasts are light brown in colour and tend to have a higher acidity level than other roasts. Medium roasts have been named Regular, American and Full City and are slightly sweeter than the light roasts and have more body and aroma. The full roast is heated until the second crack and includes Viennese and Continental roasts; with the full roast coffees the body and aroma become somewhat heavier than in the previous roasts for a stronger taste of the roasting process evident in the finished product. Lastly there is the double roast which includes Spanish, French and Italian, the beans are roasted until they begin to smoke and caramelise, the double roast is the most popular for espresso coffees. The double roasted beans are very dark brown sometimes even close to black, the taste tends to be bitter-sweet.

At Nexus Drinks we supply vending machines for your convenience, so making a perfect cup of your favourite coffee couldn’t be easier. Our Flavia coffee maker offers a huge range of coffee blends, roasts and presentations so there is one to suit all of you coffee lovers.

Vending machines are appearing all over the place as an easy alternative to making a cup of coffee when you are out on the go. Vending machines are popular in public places such as leisure centres, cinemas, museums as well as in the work place. Coffee is one of the world’s favourite beverages with millions of cups being drunk every day. Approximately a massive 7 million metric tonnes of coffee are produced annually to keep up with the worlds coffee hungry appetite.

Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. Many add milk or cream to their desired coffee and some add sugar or sweetener. Coffee is usually served hot but can be served cold as an iced coffee. All around the world coffee is prepared in different ways, below is a list of the most common ways to drink coffee here in the UK, it may give you some ideas of what to choose from your vending machines.

Espresso – a small, strong shot of coffee served on its own, the perfect espresso should be very dark brown with a smooth yet thick texture.

Americano – a strong black coffee, attained when hot water is added to an espresso to create a slightly longer drink.

Café Latte – steamed milk is added to a shot of coffee to create a long milky drink. A café latte has a typical ratio of 2:1 milk to coffee.

Cappuccino – steamed milk and frothed milk is added to an espresso to create a cappuccino, a mochaccino is similar to a cappuccino however it also contains chocolate. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a porcelain cup and the froth on top is intended to keep the coffee below hotter for longer as the heat cannot escape.

Café Macchiato – an espresso is added to a dash of frothed milk, has a much stronger and aromatic taste than a cappuccino although looks similar aesthetically.

Café Mocha – similar to the café latte containing two parts steamed milk to one part coffee, however mocha contains a portion of chocolate, usually chocolate syrup.

At Nexus Drinks we stock a wide range of vending machines and coffee machines for you to choose from there is one to fit every situation whether you need one for your office, institution or organisation no matter how large or small. We have a variety of the top brands such as Flavia, Kenco and Klix so you are guaranteed the highest quality coffee available.