Spent college summers short selling tattoos in Glasgow. Have some experience getting my feet wet with fried chicken in Manchester. Once had a dream of donating mosquito repellent with no outside help.
As we’re gearing up for the latest MacMillan Coffee Morning scheduled for today and tomorrow, I just wanted to issue a little throwback to last years’ efforts. One year ago today saw our staff join the rest of the world with our own little coffee morning and boy was it a good one! Our staff brought out their inner Mary Berry’s and Jamie Oliver’s to bake a delicious assortment of goodies, all of which were displayed in our showroom.
Talking of the showroom, it was barely recognisable what with the bunting and flags that MacMillan kindly provided for us in our welcome pack. The team did an excellent job taking time to decorate, and as it turned out I was a lot better at that side of things than I was at baking cakes!
We managed to raise £100 that day. A terrific effort by everyone involved. Coinadrink has long supported MacMillan Cancer Support and we actively look to play our part where we can. I’m confident that this years’ event will be even better than last years’, so make sure you keep checking back to see our baking efforts and to see how much we managed to raise!
Whilst I quite enjoy certain aspects of autumn, there’s no denying that the cooler conditions aren’t well received by the majority of others. Admittedly, Storm Ali isn’t helping the cause, and a battering of wind and rain serves as an unwelcome reminder that the summer is very much over for another year. The dark mornings are depressing and I’ve already began to notice my colleagues at Coinadrink seek refuge in a hot drink before they start the day. And there’s a very good reason for that.
It’s all in your head…
The enjoyment in hot drinks in fact stems from the mind. Whilst there is an element of truth in hot drinks warming us up, a piping hot cup of tea or cappuccino won’t actually raise your body temperature to a noticeable level. You only believe it is. Jeremy Smith, an internist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, says this could be because of the ‘placebo effect’. “You feel warmer because you think the drink is supposed to warm you. Your mouth is among the most sensitive parts of your body and the hot liquid in that sensitive area gives you the impression that you are heating up.”
Tied with the stimulating effect of caffeine, perhaps it’s a combination of the two as to why we crave one in the morning? Either way, the fact that it’s a mental benefit emphasises what we’re getting at when we say our services can improve your wellbeing. The way a hot drink makes you feel is something that you cannot put a price on, especially when it boosts the productivity of your workforce.
It’s all too easy for fatigue to set in during the day. Hot drinks machines from Coinadrink get your employees on the right path and this time of the year is the perfect opportunity to provide them with something they need.
Last week’s ‘Featured Friday’ post shows just how many chocolate bars us Brits are able to indulge in whenever we like. That’s great, but no amount of Snickers’, Galaxies’ or Twirl’s can make up for the bars that are sadly no longer with us. This week’s ‘Thursday Throwback’ takes a tasty trip down memory lane to revisit eight classic chocolate bars that have been discontinued. Tissues at the ready please…
Taz
I’ll never forget heading into the newsagent after school and spending about 15p on one of these! Freddo’s classic grizzly cousin added caramel to delicious Cadbury milk chocolate and the only downside to Taz was how small they were! At least we can be thankful that Cadbury had the decency to replace Taz with the caramel Freddo.
Snaps
Okay this may not be a chocolate bar as such, but they were delicious all the same! Cadbury managed to develop ‘chocolate pringles’ with Snaps and these thin and crisp delights arrived in five luscious flavours – Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut, Caramel, Mint and Orange. Why were they ever pulled from the shelves is what I’d like to know…
KitKat Caramac
I needed a bit of help from my colleagues with this one because I can’t say I remember the Caramac. It turns out it was extremely popular. Crispy KitKat wafers that are still available today were intertwined with creamy caramel chocolate, and only makes you wonder why they discontinued such a delicious sounding product…
Taz
I’ll never forget heading into the newsagent after school and spending about 15p on one of these! Freddo’s classic grizzly cousin added caramel to delicious Cadbury milk chocolate and the only downside to Taz was how small they were. At least we can be thankful that Cadbury had the decency to replace Taz with the caramel Freddo…
Snaps
Okay this may not be a chocolate bar as such, but they were delicious all the same! Cadbury managed to develop ‘chocolate pringles’ with Snaps and these thin and crisp delights arrived in five luscious flavours – Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut, Caramel, Mint and Orange. Why were they ever pulled from the shelves is what I’d like to know…
Toffo
Who remembers these, then? Again, they’re not strictly a chocolate bar, but I reckon they were popular enough to make the list. I never tried them personally, but the chewy toffees were enough to make your teeth stick together right up until 2008, when they were sadly discontinued.
Wispa Mint
I had to research this, but apparently the Wispa we know and love today isn’t a recent addition. It was actually brought back from the dead along with Wispa Gold, but sadly Wispa Mint never made a reappearance. The classic green wrapper housed a delicious bubbly mint chocolate bar that was probably very similar to Aero, so at least we have something to remember it by.
Snow Flake
I couldn’t go without mentioning at leastone variety of white chocolate! To develop the snow flake, Cadbury took the white chocolate from Dream and wrapped it inside their milk chocolate. It’s a shame that Cadbury and other manufacturers didn’t cotton on to just how much we all loved white chocolate, because there’s very few cases of it still around today.
Five Centres
How many of you remember Fry’s Five Centres from 1992? They first launched in 1924, surely making them one of the oldest chocolate bars ever. They had a good run, but I bet there’s a few of you out there who crave the random nature of Five Centres again. Would it be raspberry, coffee, lime, blackcurrant or orange?
So there you are. Which ones do you miss the most, or is there one that you think I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments below!
It’s not every day you’re selected as a finalist in an awards entry, is it? You may have noticed on our social media platforms that we entered the Black Country Chamber Awards a few months back for the Customer Commitment Award and now we’re thrilled to say that our efforts have so far paid off!
It wasn’t a straightforward entry, either. I wrote it, but it was a team effort that saw our entry get passed between numerous departments to ensure our customer care efforts got the recognition they deserved. There really is so much we do for our customers, from our bespoke Customer Related Management System to our industry leading response times. We had to condense all of the information into the specified word counts and that wasn’t an easy task.
You can imagine, then, how happy we were to have been notified of our success last week!
The awards evening will be hosted at the Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday 9th November between 6:45pm and 1am and we are up against two other companies for the award. It’s a privilege to have been selected as a finalist and testament to the lengths we go to for our customers.
We will be sure to update you as to how we get on in November!
Ah, chocolate. It’s the most popular sweet treat in the world. It is believed that people around the world consume more than 3 million tons of cocoa beans every year, to which most are consumed here in Europe and in the United States. We all have our own personal favourites but some are more favourable than others. So, what do you think is Great Britain’s favourite chocolate bar? We’ll give you a clue. It’s not Snickers.
You’re racking your brains now trying to think what it could be, right? Sure, everyone loves a Mars Bar, but if that’s your guess then you’d be wrong. Likewise for those of you guessing KitKat, Bounty, Twix, Aero and Crunchie. Can you think of any more or do you give in?
I’ll tell you anyway. According to a study by VoucherCodes, Britain’s most loved chocolate bar is none other than the original Cadbury Dairy Milk! It sounds boring but it does make sense. Snickers may be a popular choice but if you don’t like or are allergic to peanuts then you won’t eat it. Similarly with Bounty. The vast majority of chocolate bars around contain something, which means it won’t be favourable with absolutely everyone. Cadbury Dairy Milk contains just the chocolate that we all know and love, so you can understand why it’s so popular. According to the survey, chocoholics make their way through 22 bars of it per person every year and 1317 over the course of their lifetime! For me you can’t go wrong with it, though I’d personally choose a Double Decker over anything else!
What’s your favourite chocolate bar and where would you rank Cadbury Dairy Milk in your ‘chocolate bar list’?
Well, the summer season certainly feels like a distant memory now, doesn’t it? After what seems like months and months of scorching temperatures and blue skies, the classic British conditions are back with a bang! I must admit I don’t mind autumn, what with the crisp air, bonfires and an exciting feel of Christmas that’s fast approaching. William Cullen Bryant once said that “Autumn is the year’s last, loveliest smile” and whilst many of us don’t share his enthusiasm, there is still lots to look forward to.
A quick look out of our office window and the sharp change in season is there for all to see. Autumn is strongly considered to be the ‘prettiest’ of the four and leaves consisting of red, orange, yellow and more have already begun to decorate the cars and ground below. The air is fresh, too. I love the summer, don’t get me wrong, but the stuffy air often leaves a lot to be desired. In contrast, walking into work now is a much nicer chore, and I’m not reaching for the water cooler the moment I get through the door. In fact, the only time the air is filled with a palpable substance is during bonfire night, but I don’t mind that. I don’t even mind the smell of smoke that seems to linger on your clothes for weeks to come. Then again, I do love bonfire night. Maybe you don’t.
I’ll tell you one thing that I do notice when walking into work, though: the hot drinks machine back in constant action. The water cooler took the brunt of the summer admirably, now the book has been passed back over again. I like that. The Latte out of the Flavia 500 behind reception is fantastic (I’m not one for strong coffee) and the quality of the drinks will serve us all well as we creep towards the winter. Because nobody wants to be heading off site for refreshments when there’s snow and ice on the ground do they?
So yes, I may be in the minority here but I do actually like autumn. What about you? What are your favourite things about autumn? If you don’t like the fact that summer has gone, is your business prepared for the colder conditions?
This time next week will see us at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire for the Midlands Business Network Expo, demonstrating the importance of vending and how our services can boost the wellbeing of your workforce. You may have seen the exhibition being advertised across social media and as I trail through the photos of such a prestigious arena at the NAEC, I can understand why my colleagues are excited to attend. There’s plenty of reasons why you should be too!
The benefits of exhibitions for you.
I really enjoyed the FM Show in March 2017, my first experience of an exhibition.
Exhibitions have always been a great way to showcase products and services that could be of benefit to you. I attended my very first as an exhibitor at the FM Show in March 2017 and I really enjoyed the experience of engaging with those interested in what we had to offer. The Midlands Business Network Expo next week is free to attend, so you really have nothing to lose by popping in for a short while. As long as you remember that the exhibition runs from 10am till 3pm!
A wide range of services tailored to suit your business.
Nothing emphasises the simplicity of vending more than the Flavia 500 and that’s precisely why my colleagues will be placing it on our stand. We currently have one behind our reception desk and the straightforward selection process and extensive drinks menu makes it a hit with both colleagues and clients. I personally love the latte’s! Of course, we supply a wide range of hot drinks machines and more for every industry, and a chat with our team will soon get you and your business onto the right path.
Will will see you at the Midlands Business Network Expo?
If you’re looking to provide refreshment solutions for your employees, and there are plenty of reasons why you should, then I’m certain we can help. We have not been in the business for 56 years by chance, and our keen eye for innovation and customer-centric approach sets us apart from the rest.
Anyone who has the slightest interest in the X Factor (not me!) will have noticed that there has been a big change in the proceedings for the new series. There is a new lineup of judges! Now, in order to give you lovely people a link it to vending somehow, I had to think hard.
Before you groan and get on with your day, bear with me here. Every Saturday evening for the foreseeable they will be on our TV screens providing their thoughts and entertainment and sipping on a mug of…something. What that ‘something’ is, though, could make for some pretty interesting predictions!
New judges for us to judge.
Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh had been part of the X-Factor panel for so long that we felt like they were part of the family. Now, though, Robbie Williams, his wife Ayda Field and Louis Tomlinson will be sitting alongside the wolf of the pack that is Simon Cowell. All of a sudden, we have to create new thoughts and opinions on these fresh additions. I’ve always seen Simon Cowell as an ‘earl grey’ sort of guy, what with his calming attitude that instantly emphasises the father figure he has not long became. The other three, however, are somewhat wilder. And I reckon it’ll show. So, what about these?
Drinks that have the X Factor! Do you agree?
Louis – is a new kid on the block so how about one of the latest trends – a speciality water infused with spices of his choice?
Robbie – is known as much for watching his weight these days as his chart-topping hey-day so a skinny latte could get a ‘yes’ from me?
Ayda is an unknown quantity – so something unpredictable could be in order. A refreshing fruity tea in an exotic flavour maybe?
On a side (and pretty hilarious!) note, the only time I have really been interested in the X-Factor is the auditions. It is here, I feel, that the entertainment really shines through. I’m not sure whether it’s the same format this year so you’ll have to help me out, but I’ll always remember the time when Sharon Osbourne chucked a glass of water over Simon Cowell in the first series’ auditions. Sure, I didn’t watch it at the time, but it’s always doing the rounds on YouTube and social media for our pleasure.
Be sure to check out that clip below and don’t forget to tell me what you think the beverages of choice are for the new X Factor judges! You can easily get involved on social media, through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Hi, I’m Alistair, and I’ve been having a little think recently. I’ve been keeping you up to date with everything that’s going on in our industry since January 2017 but I’m now keen to take it further. You may think vending isn’t anything special, but I’ve developed a few new ideas for our blog that I’m very hopeful will change your perception. Bear with me here…
When you think about it, hot drinks connect us all. How many of you cannot function without one in the morning? It’s believed that 70 million cups of coffee and 165 million cups of tea are consumed in the UK every day. So it’s clear most of you can’t!
Blog posts that are fun, engaging and informative…
It’s safe to say that our Cappuccinos, Frappuccino’s, Lattes and more aren’t what they used to be, though, so a lot of the content on here will be based around new ideas and innovations that explain the reason why. I also think it could be pretty interesting to ‘take a walk down memory lane’ as they say, and look back at how vending used to be. Photos and videos capture some truly remarkable moments!
A new style. A new face.
And so, from old and seemingly forgotten confectionary adverts to competitions and polls, I quickly became lost in all the ideas. Whilst it would be brilliant for this blog to be a source of information on all things vending, I want the posts to be clearly structured for the reader. That’s when I thought about setting a few new trends, if you like.
Get social on social media!
Everything that is posted will be shared on social media and centralised around five hashtags to get you through the working week. You may have noticed some of them implemented already, in fact. It begins with ‘Monday Motivation’ before going on to ‘Tuesday Talking Point’ and ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’. ‘Throwback Thursday’ and ‘Featured Friday’ will sign things off. Pretty much all of them are exactly what they say on the tin, so I’d like to know which one your most intrigued by…
There won’t be content every day of every week, no, but when something new does get posted it’ll be sure to carry the relevant hashtag so you can easily keep up to date. I really am excited to see where this could be heading and it’s a journey that I’d love for you to join me on.
With a coffee in hand, will you jump in and explore?
