Consumers have high expectations for their coffee. They demand freshness and flavor and want their coffee fast, any time of day. As consumers are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to coffee beverages, they are increasingly interested in specialty drinks, too. This evolving coffee consumer represents a considerable opportunity for C-store operators.
C-store shoppers are habitual coffee drinkers. Technomic’s 2024 C-Store Beverage Study found that 70% of C-store customers who purchase hot beverages buy coffee at least weekly, with more than half opting for specialty coffee. Regarding cold beverages, 43% opt for cold or iced coffee at least weekly. And nearly half of these prepared beverage C-store shoppers are interested in customizing flavors.
Iced and specialty coffee has become more popular over the past two years, the Technomic 2024 Beverage Consumer Trend Report found. Over 30% of surveyed consumers said they ordered more hot specialty coffee drinks and cold or iced coffee beverages than they did two years ago. And the report confirmed that any time of day can be right for coffee. Hot specialty coffee is nearly as popular between-meals as it is for breakfast, the report found. And iced coffee is nearly as popular for lunch as breakfast.
When it comes to coffee, consumers want it all
Meeting the demands of savvy coffee customers within the fast-paced environment of a convenience store can be challenging. The BUNN Premia® is a high-performance brewer designed to meet those expectations. Premia® automates the grinding, brewing, and freshness management processes to ensure that both consumers and operators are satisfied.
The BUNN Premia® delivers perfectly brewed coffee throughout the day by utilizing an intelligent reservoir management system. This system schedules brewing to maintain a consistent fill level while minimizing waste. It automatically monitors freshness and brews to refill the reservoir when needed. As a result, coffee is readily available, especially during peak dayparts. With its readily available coffee and intuitive touchscreen design, the BUNN Premia® helps keep lines short and waiting times minimal.
A win-win for customers and operators
C-store customers aren’t the only ones who are busy – C-store employees are, too. The BUNN Premia® reduces the number of operators touches per day with an automated system that manages fill levels and freshness, large capacity 3lb bean hoppers for prolonged refill times, under counter through-chute for direct spent grounds disposal, and a liquid auto clean feature that allows operators to complete additional tasks while the brewer cycles through the end-of-day cleaning process.
“By the thoughtful nature of how Premia was designed, the automated brewer ensures that coffee waste is reduced, fresh, craveable coffee is always available, and staff labor is optimized or repurposed to do more important things like engaging with customers,” said Chairil McClain, Vice President of Product Strategy at BUNN.
Operators can rest easy knowing their BUNN equipment is professionally managed with comprehensive support throughout the entire equipment lifecycle. The BUNN Value Portfolio allows easy integration of equipment with both BUNNserve® and BUNNdigitalTM. BUNNserve® provides the capabilities to cover the equipment's lifecycle through logistics, installation, planned maintenance, reactive service, and removal and recovery. The BUNNdigital™ platform combines equipment and service with systems and applications to enable customers with increased efficiencies in labor, maintenance, and service. Overall, the BUNN Value Portfolio provides the customer with a complete program partner with expertise in beverage dispensing and a focus on equipment, service, and digital solutions.
BUNN partners with customers to understand their business, challenges, and goals to provide comprehensive support for their hot and cold beverage program needs. Visit BUNN for more information on the BUNN Premia® and BUNN Value Portfolio.
This post is sponsored by BUNN