COFFEE: Caribou Coffee Selects Firm to Implement Employee Training

PR Web (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA
Caribou Coffee selected the IntraLearn SME Learning Management System to quickly certify employees at their 348 coffee houses.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: As we all know, employee training is essential to ensure reliable, favorable service to customers. With the geographic span of Caribou coffeehouses, it becomes very difficult to monitor any training program so widespread. The system selected seems poised to accomplish it.
• Coffee service operators considering joining Caribou should feel encouraged by the partent firm's commitment to training.

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GENERAL: Front Page News about Atlantic Coast Exposition (ACE)

News Release
Release Date: Immediate
Contact: Stevie Hughes, 919.383.9684

DURHAM, NC - Plans are underway for the 2006 Atlantic Coast Exposition (ACE), scheduled for May 4-7, in Myrtle Beach, SC. The 2006 event marks the 52nd consecutive year that ACE, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Vending Convention & Exhibit, has been staged, and the 36th consecutive year that Myrtle Beach has been the selected destination.
The City of Myrtle Beach is the heart of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile crescent of beach on South Carolina's northern coast. Millions of visitors descend upon this resort community each year and, as a result, Myrtle Beach is known as the premier resort destination on the East Coast, hosting vacationers from around the country and abroad.
The Atlantic Ocean is the number one attraction drawing visitors to Myrtle Beach year after year, but Myrtle Beach also offers a wealth of recreation, entertainment, dining and shopping opportunities for visitors and tourists.
Broadway at the Beach, an entertainment and shopping complex, is within walking distance of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, site of the trade show exhibit and all educational programs.
Exhibitor kits were mailed on Oct. 31 to all 2005 exhibiting companies, with a second mailing on Nov. 11 to an additional 3,000 potential exhibitors. The cut-off date for companies to be included in the first round of exhibit space assignments is Jan. 31, 2006. Approximately 200 suppliers to the vending and food service industry are expected to contract for exhibit space.
A preliminary datesaver mailing, in the form of a playing card in keeping with the 2006 theme, “Play the Winning Hand,” was sent to 6,000 potential exhibitors and attendees with the event dates and tentative scheduling information. Pre-registration brochures will be mailed in early January to more than 3,000 operator personnel, while information about hotels and schedule updates are currently available on the ACE Web site at http://www.atlanticcoastexpo.com/.
New to the Web site for the 2006 will be a direct link to a personalized reservation page for the convention headquarters hotel, The Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel, formerly the Radisson Convention Center Hotel.
Reservations will be available for the convention dates, as well as pre- and post- dates, on-line.
The ACE Program Sub-Committee will be chaired in 2006 by Chet Cromer of Cromer Food Service in Anderson, SC, while the Sponsorship Sub-Committee will be under the leadership of Scott Kiser, Kwik Kafe Co. Inc. in Bluefield, VA.
Monty Recoulley of Greensboro Vending and Coffee Co. in Greensboro, will serve as general chairman for ACE in 2006 and, as such, is responsible for overseeing a committee of 20 members, including operators from the three sponsoring and one affiliate state associations, and three exhibitor representatives.
ACE is sponsored by the North Carolina Vending Assn., South Carolina Automatic Merchandising Assn. and Virginia Automatic Merchandising Assn., in affiliation with the Georgia Automatic Merchandising Council.
IMI Association Executives Inc. of Durham, NC, provides administrative services for the convention and exhibit.
For more information, contact the Atlantic Coast Exposition by phone at 919.383.9684, toll-free at 877.831.3824, by e-mail at info@atlanticcoastexpo.com or visit http://www.atlanticcoastexpo.com/.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This special, up-to-the-minute news about the 2006 ACE in Myrtle Beach, SC, is not only for East Coasters. It is for all vend/OCS operators and suppliers. Read it and mark your calendar for May 4, 2006!

VENDING: Bird Burglar's Tale Still Flies, Online

The Free Lance-Star - Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Rob Ridings, who has owned the car wash for 16 years, said he was taking his son to preschool one morning when he pulled into the Shop & Wash and noticed quarters strewn all over his parking lot.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: The bird wouldn't be satisfied until it had amassed the proverbial nest-egg.

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COFFEE: Cornell and Nestle Publish DNA Sequences of Coffee

News 10 Now - Syracuse, NY, USA
Cornell University and Nestle are teaming up to make the caffeine-packed beverage even better. They're publishing the DNA sequencing of coffee. This could mean big changes for coffee growers, making it possible for them to produce plants that are more resistant to the elements.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: It is assumed that the plants also would be more resistant to insect pests and diseases. If so, coffee production would be impacted favorably, leading to higher yields, thus to lower prices to the roasters. Eh?

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COFFEE: Coffee Cuppers Foresee Tasty Year after Kona Event

Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Honolulu, HI, USA
After tasting hundreds of cups of coffee, one of the world's top cuppers predicts a very good year for Hawaii's Kona coffee. And the other top cuppers agree.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This annual event is even more than a professional coffee tasting competition. It is an opportunity for growers to attend seminars about improving an already World Class coffee.

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COFFEE: Union Seeks to Organize Starbucks Workers

Newsday - Long Island, NY, USA
The Philadelphia-based Industrial Workers of the World wants the company to guarantee a 30-hour work week in order to stabilize workers' paychecks and ensure that employees are eligible for health benefits.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Why would it be necessary to unionize Starbucks coffeehouses although it is a chain? I know of many chain restaurants that are not unionized, yet workers are never paid below minimum wage and are eligible for health benefits when they reach employement of 20 or so hours per week.
• Vend Buzz takes no stand on whether or not a union is needed at Starbucks or anywhere else. It seems that when an employer takes unfair advantage of its employees, that's when a union may be of benefit.
• There are many instances, though, where employees fare better without a union.

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VENDING: Automated Vending Technologies, Inc. Reports on Encouraging Developments at Vending Industry Trade Show

Yahoo! News (press release) - USA
AVT unleashed a glimpse of their next-generation vending machines that will have a 7 - 9" sunlight readable touch screen that runs the company's "touch screen to vend software" or (TSV(TM)) that includes product images and cost while controlling the vending process and manage multiple payment methods such as cash, coin and credit/debit cards.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Vending has come a long way since your editor entered the industry in 1947. And it still has a way to go in keeping up with all the high-tech developments just within the last 10 years. But we are getting there!

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VENDING: Money Talks Louder than Health

Saanich News - Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
Teens are making healthier choices when they buy their lunches from high school vending machines, but not for the reason parents and teachers might think.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Is there a message here? These high-school students like the idea of the healthier selections, but they buy them because they cost less than the traditional items.

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COFFEE: Coffee Heals Genocide Scars

News24 - South Africa
Maraba - In the hills of southern Rwanda, the production of specialty coffee is improving lives and fostering reconciliation as the small central African nation slowly recovers from the 1994 genocide. The oldest coffee growers co-op receives its award in Sweden.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Yes, more good comes from coffee than we coffee drinkers realize. It has taken a long time, but the results are worth it. Congratulations, Co-op Abahuzamugambi ("those who share the same goal")!

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VENDING: German Company Orders 2,500 Reverse Vending Machines from British Company

Finextra - UK
In light of the new German deposit regulation for cans due in 2006, self-service systems that accept one-way containers and refund the deposit are becoming increasingly important.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Why didn't we think of that? I seem to recall that someone did many years ago, but the idea didn't get up and run.

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VENDING: Open-source Vending Machine for Music Gaining Momentum

PC Advisor - UK
It looks like a vending machine but it doesn't spit out chocolate or coffee. Instead, it's providing free, open-source software in more than 30 locations in South Africa.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: A vender that burns your CDs with free music. And in South Africa, no less!

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Vend Buzz takes this opportunity to wish each and every reader today a very Happy Thanksgiving!

But first, before you sign off, read our insertion below for today.

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VENDING: MasterCard Making Proximity Payments Priceless

Green Sheet - Rohnert Park, CA, USA
MasterCard teamed up with USA Technologies to bring PayPass to vending machines. More than 500 vending machines in New York City and Atlanta will be equipped to accept PayPass. It seems that contactless payments have finally arrived.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: It's about time! Contactless payments are not for the future, unless you are ready to admit that "the future is now."

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COFFEE: Coffee Controversy Clarified

DetNews.com - Detroit, MI, USA
Coffee has been part of the human diet for about 1,000 years. During much of that time, it has stimulated controversy, and in the age of Starbucks, the dispute has blossomed from a tempest in a coffeepot to grounds for serious debate.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: There you have it in a nutshell: clarification of all the recent research on coffee. No doubt more research will be conducted, but (according to the article) until the last drop of scientific data is in, common sense and moderation are the best guidelines.

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VENDING: Vending-machine Limits May Take Fizz out of Legislative Efforts

Kansas.com - KS, USA
Soft drink bottlers said today they are self-imposing limits on high-calorie products in school vending machines. The move could head off efforts to enact limits in state law.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This is how the school vending system should work. It's essentially the same as that proposed by NAMA's Balanced for Life initiative.

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VENDING: Prepaid Power Meters Introduced in Bogra

Financial Express.bd - Bangladesh
Prepaid meters for electricity consumers in Bogra town were introduced Tuesday with a view to lowering the system loss, reports UNB. The meters will be available at a vending centre of the local PDB office.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Vend electricity, other than batteries? We vend water, gas (propane tanks and lighters) and cell phones, why not the other utility? But it's not for our traditional vending operations.

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VENDING: ViVOtech and USA Technologies Partner to Develop Contactless Payment System for the $1.32 Trillion Micro-Payments Segment

Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA
ViVOtech, the leading supplier of contactless payment solutions and USA Technologies, a leader in the networking of wireless non-cash transactions for financial/network services and energy management, today announced a joint effort to deliver the first radio frequency cashless credit card transaction technology to the micro-payments segment.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Ultra high-technology enables vending customers to make "micro-purchases" of less than $5.00 without the need for coins: a way to more sales and more profits. Go for it!

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COFFEE: Trieste to Celebrate Coffee

ANSA - Rome, Italy

• Italy's Trieste is putting together a special coffee festival lasting from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 that will celebrate the role played in the city's ancient history by coffees and teas that passed through this "Gateway to the East."
  
  VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This should be a very interesting time for coffee lovers of America to visit this northern Italian city. Imagine all the coffee shops in town featuring the formation of the port's singular culture from those of the East and North . . . and the coffees that passed through the area. But because we at Vend Buzz don't like the frenzy of holiday travel, we'll just have to keep on imagining it.

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VENDING: Prof to Study How Vending Machines Affect Schools

Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson, MS, USA
A professor at the University of Southern Mississippi plans to study what students drink from 18 schools' vending machines during the year.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We, too, will be interested in the results of the study, especially since this project is to be conducted by a non-biased, academic professional.

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GENERAL: Drinking Coffee 101, a New College Course

CBS News - USA
The professor first demonstrates and explains how to taste the differences in coffee beans.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: NAMA has its "Vending 101," soon to be changed to "Vending 201," and Vend Buzz has its "Route Operations - 201." But we welcome the professor's "Drinking Coffee - 101." The more that the public knows about the different tastes of the brew, the better off everyone is.

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GENERAL: Elvis Loved his Coffee, and Everybody Sitll Loves Elvis

commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN, USA
When licensing officials with Elvis Presley Enterprises came across a little Memphis coffee company with a taste they loved, the next big Elvis enterprise was born -- Elvis Coffee.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This coffee from a Memphis coffee roaster is not for Memphians alone. It's for all that love his music, from Memphis to Vegas. We're going to give it a try. With a name like Elvis, it has to be good!

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GENERAL: Coffee Craze Becomes Big Business

Central Maine Morning Sentinel - Augusta, ME, USA
In Waterville alone, java lovers have their choice of three Dunkin' Donuts, a Starbucks and Jorgensen's cafe. There also are coffee bars in just about every convenience store and gas station.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: There seems to be no end to it. The article above this one mentions "from Memphis to Vegas." In the continental U.S., the span is from ME to WA.

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COFFEE SERVICE: Starbucks Opens Outlet in Phoenix City Hall

KPHO Phoenix - Phoenix, AZ, USA
The City Hall and the Hospital are Cooperating on a New Starbucks Store inside the City Hall.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This was news enough for the television station (CBS News 5) to report it! What if it had been a single-cupper placed by an alert coffee service operator? Would it have been important news?
• It could be, if the operator has a good working relationship with the media. Check with Jackie Clark, NAMA Director of Public Relations and member of the association's Knowledge Source, about how to work with your local media.

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GENERAL: FTC Halts Coffee Business Opportunity Scam

Consumer Affairs - USA
A Costa Rican operation set up a phony phone address in New Mexico to advertise in classified sections of newspapers and on the Internet its franchise of "coffee racks." The FTC says that the operation is a scam and has shut it down.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: If it sounds too good to be true, it isn't true. Coffee is hot now and its good news in sales, health, popularity, satisfaction, etc., makes it a prime come-on for scammers. Quick-Get-Rich-Schemes attract those seeking a free lunch. Our advice is DON'T BITE! Before you do, investigate thoroughly.

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COFFEE SERVICE: Locals Cash In on Coffee Craze

The Grand Rapids Press - Grand Rapids, MI, USA
The U.S. Census Bureau says the average American drinks 24 gallons of coffee each year in all its forms.

The retail coffee business was nearly a $9 billion business in the United States during 2004 -- up nearly 20 percent from 1999, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This article is about independent coffeehouses competing against Starbucks. They are grateful that Starbucks introduced premium coffees to the public. And they are cashing in on the trend.
• You are a coffee service operator and are not a coffeehouse, so what? So you want to cash in on the coffeehouse trend yourself, without the coffee house.
• It can be done! We've mentioned this before; perhaps you missed it. Install a coffeehouse in a retail establishment with a simple area treatment and a single-cup brewer. And offer the best coffee you can get. Great coffee, that is. People like the coffeehouse experience; people also like convenience. Put the coffee where the people shop. Cash in on the trend yourself . . . without the cost of real estate.

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COFFEE SERVICE: Burger King Introduces Specialty Coffee

www.burgerking.com - USA
BK Joe™, a new “hard-working” coffee, is now brewing at most BURGER KING® restaurants nationwide.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We brought you articles about McDonald's new specialty coffees; now here's what Burger King is doing nationally. They began on Oct. 31, 2005. (McDonald's new coffees are being test marketed in the Northeast.)

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COFFEE: Effect of Decaf on Health

peoplepc.com News - USA
New questions were asked in a study of decaffeinated coffee vs. regular and no coffee.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: A bit of a surprise is awaiting you!

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COFFEE SERVICE: So You Want to Meet a Master Coffee Taster?

Modesto Bee - Modesto, CA, USA
Ms. Eckhoff works in Gevalia Kaffe's Gavle, Sweden, factory where she heads a group of four other professional coffee tasters.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: She tells how she does it, which taste buds are involved, and how long it took her to master the art.

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VENDING: There's More to Learn about Students' Lunch Programs

seattlepi.com - USA
What students eat during their lunch period affects their behavior in the afternoon session. Energy control is more important than fat control.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This one should be very interesting to those vendors who serve schools. Read the whole article.

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VENDING: M-Pay to Install Phone-operated Vending Machines in Brazil

TeleGeography - Washington, D.C., USA
Slovenian company M-Pay has announced plans to install 10,000 vending machines in Brazil that will accept payment by mobile phones.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We know that this system is in our future, but how close are we in real time? Slovenia is a small country bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia with its coastline on the Adriatic Sea. Formerly, it was part of Yugoslavia. (We had to look it up. We didn't know anything about M-Pay, either, so we looked it up, too.) M-Pay is a part of Ultra d.o.o., a firm in Slovenia. that has been in telephone technology since 1989.

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VENDING: Beyond Snacks and Pop, New Stories of New Vend Machines

Kiosk marketplace.com (press release) - Louisville, KY, USA
There is no reason why unattended selling devices like vending machines cannot be used to move bigger, higher-margin items. Here are two new venders.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: There is almost no end to what can be vended! Now ink cartridges and propane cylinders join the array.

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COFFEE SERVICE: McDonald's Enters Coffee Wars

Lowell Sun - Lowell, MA, USA
Everyone seems to want a piece of the booming specialty-coffee business.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We told you about McDonald's going to specialty coffee last week. Now that they have done it in New England, there is speculation among coffeehouses about the impact on their businesses.

• What is important about this article is that it points up the competition for specialty coffee sales. Fast-fooders, c-stores, doughnut shops, franchise and independent coffee shops are all striving for the coffee business with up-graded coffees. So are the supermarkets for the home market. Where does that leave the traditional OCS operator? It's something to think about.

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VENDING: Bottled Water Giant Becomes Target

peoplepc.com - News - USA
Poland Spring is a target of a statewide citizen initiative campaign to impose what is thought to be a first-in-the-nation tax on the water it draws from Maine's underground aquifers. And the local citizens are bothered with as many as 50 trucks a day converging on the Poland Spring facility.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: It's unusual for the home state to levy a special tax on one of their best industries that provides a significant number of jobs for residents. As for the local traffic problem, it seems that the town and the company could cooperate in providing a nearby suitable loading terminal. Surely something can be worked out; otherwise, the bottled water company may move to a neighboring state.

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VENDING: Five Teens Arrested in Blast of Vending Machine

Cincinnati Enquirer - Cincinnati, OH, USA
Two 16-year-old Campbell County High School boys have been arrested and charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction in the second degree, accused of using a pipe bomb to blow up a vending machine Sunday outside the school.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: The boys didn't realize the seriousness of what they did. Although no one was injured or killed, the vending machine 's destruction is serious enough for punishment . . . and restitution.

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COFFEE: Clean Machines Make Better Coffee

Gilkatho - Australia
The author is talking about the need to have good clean coffee equipment to make good coffee that will keep customers coming back for more.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Actually, this is an advertisement by a manufacturer of coffee equipment in Australia, but within the site we found some amusing coffee jokes:
• http://www.gilkatho.com.au/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=455
• http://www.gilkatho.com.au/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=450
• and here are four more on one page:
• http://www.gilkatho.com.au/news/default.asp?cmd=view&articleid=410

See, we are not always serious; we like a bit of fun at times. Enjoy!

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VENDING: Vending Firm Hit in Takeover Heist

Alameda Times-Star - Alameda, CA, USA
OAKLAND — Two gunmen stormed into a vending machine company Thursday morning, locked employees inside a vault after first punching one in the face and escaped with an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Most times, it is a vending machine that gets hit. Sometimes the burglary is on several machines, often over a span of several weeks. Nationally, the hits are becoming more frequent. This one is one of the boldest yet. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured or killed. All of us must be more aware of strangers entering a vending company's premises and more cautious of admitting their entry into the building. These days, security is not limited to Homeland Security.

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VENDING: National Telemarketing Firm May Help Set Up New Locations

PR Web (press release) - Ferndale, WA,
Business Beanstalk is a telemarketing company with a division focused solely on helping start-up vending machine owners find proper vending machine locations.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Hm-m-m. It may be a real help . . . or possibly a "blue sky" come on. We don't know, but before you jump, investigate.
• PS: We just viewed the firm's web site http://www.businessbeanstalk.com and it looks legit. When you go to it, don't fail to click on "Test Us." Although the site doesn't mention coffee service, probably it could do that, too.

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VENDING: Green Mountain Introduces Coffee Soda in 12-oz. Cans

Business Wire - San Francisco, CA, USA
Dubbed Double-Bean Elixirs(TM), these new carbonated coffee sodas offer consumers an environmentally friendly and socially responsible choice of cold beverages. Created from Green Mountain's own Fair Trade Certified(TM) organic coffee, the new Double-Bean Elixirs have received rave reviews from expert coffee cuppers.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Those of you in the Northeast will be the market testers; those elsewhere will be watching. So will Vend Buzz.

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VENDING: The Candy Ordeal. How Honest Are You?

NewsByUs - USA
What is the world coming to when a piece of candy has to be guarded under lock and key to make sure that “candy snatchers” don’t steal something so invaluable?

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This article was posted by Rob Hood, who grew up in rural North Mississippi and enjoys talking about religion, politics, and science.
• We, too, grew up in rural North Mississippi and, though many years older than this young man, also are interested in science, religion and politics. We question why he relates "liberals" to dishonesty and "conservatives" to integrity. We don't see the connection of politics to taking candy from a vending machine without paying. Even independents may or may not try to get a freebie sometimes. It's a matter of honesty or dishonesty, not politics.

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COFFEE: Coffee Doesn't Increase Hypertension Risk, at Least for Women

CNN - USA
Contrary to popular belief and clinical lore, there's no link between hypertension and coffee intake for women.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This was reported from a different source yesterday, but we want you to see just how the good news about coffee is spreading around the country . . . in fact, around th world. We'll show some others from different locations.

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COFFEE: Study Perks Up Coffee's Benefits

LaSalute.net - Udine, Italy
Hypertension risk for women who love java is lower than for cola drinkers, research shows.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Here's another!

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COFFEE: Health Alert: Coffee Better Than Cola?

CBS 3 - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Stephanie Stahl explains why ladies should go for coffee instead of the cola if you are looking for a healthy caffeine fix.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: And still another!

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COFFEE: Coffee May Protect Against Colon Cancer

PakTribune.com - Pakistan
That morning cup of java might do more than just kickstart your day -- it could actually help protect you against colon cancer.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Here's one that we previously posted but from a different source.

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COFFEE: Coffee Might Help Women's Blood Pressure

Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
Here's good news for women who love coffee: Drinking it doesn't seem to cause long-term high blood pressure, a study suggests.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This is one of the most comprehensive studies on coffee and was government funded. Over 150,000 female nurses' coffee consumption and blood pressures were tracked over a period of 12 years. It was published in today's Journal of the Ameridan Medical Association.

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VENDING: Vending Machines Help Collect Snack Tax

Winston-Salem Journal - Winston-Salem, NC, USA
The North Carolina "snack tax," which became effective Oct. 1, is expected to bring in as much as $15.8 million to the state.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: A student reporter gives his comments about the new tax on candy and other snacks purchased from vending machines.

• This is the first time that we heard about this tax, but it seems to us to be an unfair tax that discriminates against vending machines. It may be, however, that the tax has been collected on the same products in c-stores and other reatail outlets. Someone from NC who reads this, please set us straight by writing dan@vendbuzz.com.

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FOODSERVICE: Further Exploring Commercial Kitchen Flexibility |

Hospitality Net - USA
Before one can truly understand the need for flexibility in commercial foodservice facilities, the limitations of our every day kitchen environment must first be fully understood … and this is not easily done.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This foodservice writer for a foodservice journal discusses the limitations of most foodservice equipment, challenging equipment manufacturers to produce equipment with more flexibility; i.e., equipment with add-on modules for expanded volume as the foodservice operation grows.
• Those vend operators with commissaries and catering may find this interesting and of value.

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FOODSERVICE: Multi-functional Equipment Aids Foodservice Industry

Ferret - Australia
Unlike many industries, the foodservice industry has been forecast to grow in double-digits this year. With this growth comes a demand from restaurant chains for technology and equipment enhancements that force OEMs to find new ways to adapt their equipment to evolving industry needs.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Although this is from Australia and is by a foodservice equipment manufacturer, it may tie in a bit with the article shown just above this one.

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COFFEE SERVICE: McDonald's to Sell Organic, Faur Trade Coffee

Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre,VT,USA
McDonald's plans to make a bid for the discriminating taste of coffee drinkers across New England and upstate New York with the introduction next week of a premium organic brew.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We are sure that McDonald's will make a big splash about this product and consumers will think that it is something really great. As far as we know, it is happening only in the Northeast, but it could spread nationally. Coffee service operators may get requests for it, so we recommend that a supply of something perceived as similar or better be on hand to offer those clients who ask about it.

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GENERAL: Coffee Drinkers Learn a New Language and it's not espresso stuff

INQ7 Interactive, Inc. - Philippines
The coffee shop, run by young deaf entrepreneurs, encourages customers to use sign language when placing their orders for coffee and gourmet sandwiches.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: That boosts my morale . . . with my hearing impairment still progressing. More power to the entrepreneurs!

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GENERAL:Company Coffee Breaks Raise $54,000 for Alzheimers

York Region Era Banner - Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
This year's Coffee Break Campaign raised more than $54,000 for the Alzheimer Society of York Region.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: That's an idea that we operators might promote, especially with the cooperation of the state or regional associations. It would help to build and maintain our image as a caring industry.

• Besides, some of us may need assistance to our memories sooner than we think.

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COFFEE SERVICE: All She Wants is a Cup of Coffee

Sherman Denison Herald Democrat - Sherman/Denison, TX, USA
What is going on with coffee lingo these days? I'll admit I am not a coffee drinker, but I know plenty of people who are, and I've heard it's only a matter of time in the news business before I am, too.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: This young lady reporter sounds like she is a candidate for a good 10-cup pourover in her office. Despite the frenzy over coffee shops, there are still millions of people who are not into that sort of thing. Traditional coffee service is still alive and kicking, especially where there are some favorite flavored coffees available. Let's gradually wean her over to the more exotic single-cuppers. There are plenty of offices that have a pourover for meetings plus a single-cupper for those who want more variety.

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COFFEE: World's Largest (1 acre) Coffee Shop to Open in Israel

Ynetnews - Israel
Launched under the sponsorship name "Nescafe in the Square," the coffee shop will open for three days only, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Golly! This one will surpass what we thought was the world's largest coffee shop: the Coffee Pavilion at the NAMA National Expo in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta last week. It was open for only three days, too. Just wait until next year's Coffee Pavilian at NAMA's National Expo in Orlando; we'll lay odds that Guinness will have a new record to replace that of Israel.

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COFFEE: Solar Coffee Bean Dryer Aids Growers and Saves Rain Forest

Tewksbury Advocate - Concord, MA, USA
A local organization is contributing new technology that allows growers to dry their beans using the heat of the sun instead of precious firewood from the tropical rain forest.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Concentrated solar drying sounds great! It will spread rapidly from continent to continent if successful in this case. We'll try to watch what happens.

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VENDING: Vending Continues its Evolution with Kiosks

Kiosk marketplace.com (press release) - Louisville, KY, USA
Customers select their products; they are added to a virtual shopping cart. The software keeps a running tally and displays on the ordering touchscreen how much is being spent. When the selections are made, the customer can pay for all of his items at once with cash or a debit or credit card.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Solara Technologies Inc. exhibited at the Atlanta NAMA National Expo; however, again time did not permit our visiting with the company representatives. (We were working for Vending & OCS magazine covering all the seminars for its next issue. Perhaps, next spring in Las Vegas we can visist.)

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COFFEE: Caribou Coffee Company, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2005 Results

Business Wire - San Francisco, CA, USA
Caribou Coffee Company, Inc., the second largest U.S.-based company-owned gourmet coffeehouse operator based on the number of coffeehouses, today reported financial results for third quarter 2005 (thirteen weeks ended October 2, 2005).

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: We reported on Caribo Coffee's going public some months back. This is the first of its financial statements that we have seen. For a relatively new entry into the national scene and bucking up against the giant, Starbucks, the report seems to indicate a promising future. We noted the company's exhibit at the NAMA National Expo in Atlanta last week, but unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to explore its offerings.

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COFFEE SERVICE: Hot Lids a Very Cool Idea - Smart Lid Systems Wins Foodservice Packaging Award With Color Changing Coffee Lid

Yahoo! News - USA
Smart Lid Systems, an Australian product development company, has commercialized the world's first color-changing, single-use coffee cup lid.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: It's brown before fitting on cup of hot coffee; it changes immediately to red when heated. Then as the coffee slowly cools, the lid changes back to brown in stages, so that different messages may be imprinted that show up as it cools.

Cool!!!

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COFFEE: Tokyo Coffee Falls on Favorable Weather: World's Biggest Mover

Bloomberg - USA
Japan is the world's third-largest coffee importer after the U.S. and Germany, with about 90,000 coffee and tea shops that sell almost $10 billion of beverages a year. Showers and thunderstorms eased stress to the flowering trees in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais in Brazil following significant periods of hot, dry weather during October. The harvest is expected to be greater than previously thought.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: But who can accurately forecast the global weather these stormy days? Here in the U.S. during October, there have been snows in TN and WV, heavy rains in NJ and Manhattan, not to speak of the hurricanes in the Gulf; the extent of all was unexpected.

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VENDING: USA Technologies Reports on Major Developments at Vending Industry Trade Event

Business Wire - San Francisco, CA, USA
At the just concluded NAMA National Expoin Atlanta, USA Technologies highlighted the many options to connect to their e-Port cashless vending service allowing vending operators and bottlers to offer their customers the ability to make purchases using their credit or debit cards.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: With a slow beginning, cashless vending is now coming into its own. Expect a pick-up in its movement across the country now. USA Technologies is not the only proponent of the system; other firms also are experiencing a rapid conversion to credit/debit card vending by vending companies.

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VENDING: Wall Street Journal Examines How and Why Kraft Stopped Advertising to Children

AMonline.com - Fort Atkinson, WI, USA
A front page article in the Oct. 31 edition of The Wall Street Journal reported on Kraft Foods’ decision to ban certain food ads to children under the age of 12.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: You will notice that this article appears in AMonline.com, the online version of Automatic Merchandiser trade magazine. Its editor, Elliot Maras, in his "Editor's Insight," makes superb comments about the article. Be sure to read them at the article's conclusion.
  
  

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COFFEE: Pour it On: Coffee Business is Steaming

Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
Coffee is good business and getting better, not just in Seattle but throughout the nation and abroad, said roasters, suppliers and retailers gathered Friday for the opening of Coffee Fest. One roaster said his customers report the biggest boom in sweet, complicated drinks made with syrup and whipped cream, in larger and larger sizes -- even in cups as large as 32 ounces.

However, a maker of high-end espresso machines, wishes the trend were in the other direction: toward smaller, simpler drinks emphasizing the quality of the beans, roast and espresso.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Thirty-two ounces of a coffee concoction is a bit much. This article indicates that there seems no limit to coffee in all its various forms. Personally, we prefer the simpler coffees that are available with single-cup brewers. But this specialty coffee trade show with 6,000 attendees portrays the excitement among coffee retailers.
• The more we can emulate their coffee shops with a single-cupper and simple area treatment in retail shops such as bookstores, auto repair shops, even hairdressing salons, we can better capture that "coffeehouse experience."

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COFFEE SERVICE: Purses and Coffee Share Limelight at Bags & Beans

Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA
With a coffee bar tucked in the corner and nearly 100 different purses in every other inch of the tiny boutique, this 3-month-old shop in downtown Glendale brings together two passions in one convenient space.

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Here is a prime example of what was suggested in the article displayed above. This one doesn't mention a single-cupper, but that's what it could well be. The point is that almost any retailer can benefit with coffee sales in today's coffee-lovin' lifestyle.

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VENDING: Tobacco Industry to Introduce IC Cards to Stop Minors' Smoking

Japan Today - Tokyo, Japan
It is planned that a total of 620,000 tobacco vending machines nationwide will be switched during 2008 to types that can read integrated circuit cards carried by those aged 20 or older .

• VEND BUZZ COMMENT: Although cigarette vending has diminished here in America, the use of such a system of card-carrying smokers may lead to interest in vending the product again. One of the major obstructions to vending cigarettes is that there is no way to identify those who are legally allowed to purchase them. Of course, with this described system of having legal cards for adults, the card can be "loaned" to a minor. It's not as protective as carding kids at a retail counter. Let's see what happens in Japan.

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