Beyond the espresso-era

Unfortunately, the opinion of Zoltán Tresó, owner of Trewex Kft., the distributor of Lavazza is rather harsh about the attitude bar/restaurant owners have regarding coffee. – The priority for them is not what guests get, but what they get – he says. When restaurants or bars are opened, quality is usually not the prime consideration in choosing a brand. For bar/restaurant owners, it is far more important what extra services and benefits, like marketing support distributors offer. The price for generous marketing support is however, paid from amounts which distributors save on quality. Lavazza does not provide marketing support for its clients, but it maintains reasonable prices. Though coffee is one of the most profitable items in catering, the difference between the cost of the lowest and highest quality servings is no more than HUF 20. Good coffee helps to turn guests into regulars, while bad coffee has the opposite effects. Since coffee cocktails are increasingly popular, Lavazza will introduce a new product, Tandem in the autumn. Another new product arriving soon is sorbetto cremespresso. The Hungarian subsidiary of Tchibo GmBH Hamburg has three brands: Eduscho, Tchibo, and the premium category Piacetto. These cover the needs of all market segments. They also provide all types of marketing tools for their partners, as well as coffee machines with servicing and even repairs. According to Tamás Kovács from Tchibo Coffe Service Hungary Kft., coffee drinking habits in Hungary only change slowly, but demand for premium quality coffee is growing. Since the number of outdoor “terraces” is growing dynamically, coffee consumption in warm weather is higher. Tchibo Coffee Service is currently introducing two milk-based ice coffees under the name Pure. Sara Lee Hungary Zrt. also has products specifically for the HoReCa channel, like Cafitesse, Douwe Egberts Espresso, or Piazza d’Oro with a wider assortment than seen in retail. – We offer complete packages of services tailored to the individual needs of our partners – says Nikolett Gellén from Sara Lee Hungary Zrt. They beleive that the HoReCa segment in Hungary and coffee culture have changed a lot in recent years. Their intention is not to follow consumer trends, but to dictate them. They regularly organise barista courses, competitions and other events.