Inspired by offering a personalized offer and quality coffee, the Belgian SME is an internationally active supplier of beverage solutions and products to diversified professional structures: from small businesses with 5 to 50 people to large multi-site accounts since 1972. The company motivation is to allow its clients' employees to be in a good mood and to be able to appreciate their work thanks to their drink solutions. The firm employs around 60 people. Its head office is located in the South of Belgium but the company has 1 site in the north of Belgium, 11 in France and 1 in Denmark in order to stay close to its customers. Besides the domestic activities, the company has a network of local independent branches in several foreign markets and more than 15 distributors in 13 countries worldwide. The company has developed innovative solutions based on hot beverage consumables and their related machines. Company targets small and medium-sized SME to subsidiaries of international firms and offers global solutions based on four actions: consumables, drink machines, services and proximity. Its activity is organized around 3 units:
(1) sale and manufacturing of products: coffees, different kind of teas, cocoa, soups, biscuits and accessories packaged depending the product in cartridges, soluble in bulk, beans in bulk and/or capsules. Some products are also dedicated to table top machines, company brand cartridge system, capsules as well as all the accessories needed to supply hot beverage services to customers. The diversified range of beverages is renowned for their high quality. The company has its own range of products but it also acts as supplier of other international and well known brands.
(2) distribution of beverage vending machines: cartridges, capsules, automatic multi-beverages machines and water fountains. The company's multibeverages system with cartridges is captive and can be used with 2 simple company brand machines: which require little maintenance, often used in industrial environment, cafetarias in companies. With the another Belgian brand dispenser, the cartridges can be used at all places where hot water is available and could f.ex. be used near a table top coffee machine to enlarge the offer of drinks. The cartridges are produces by the SME itself in Belgium.
(3) services and maintenance activities on local market.
Having an aim to develop its 16 representatives' distribution network into new markets, the company is looking to cooperate with trade intermediaries such as distributors or representatives to merchandise its beverage products and/or machines for the multibeverages system with cartridges on external markets. Cooperation will be based on a distribution services agreement. The partnership is based on trust and transparency where a win/win situation for both companies is the basis for a long lasting cooperation. Belgian SME targets a network of local distributors for their knowledge on the local market. Local distributor offers a complete range of products and accessories for hot beverage solutions but could also offer companies abroad a possibility to enlarge their actual range with some of their products. As the company has a range of products under private label, it can offer good margins to the distributor. The SME will informed their futur partners of all novelties via calls with the international key account manager. All promotional material such as samples, instagram or LinkedIn posts will be provided by the Belgian company. Depending on the local market of the distributor, the company could supply the products needed related the its complete range of hot beverage solutions. The firm offers a qualitative delivery service from its central warehouse in France, with strong focus on the shelf life.
Also, the company can act as manufacturer for white label production under manufacturing agreements