BLOG
QUALITY MARK – customer awareness
Do you notice the difference between a Fairtrade cup of coffee or its sister without a quality mark? Many Fortune Coffee customers think so. The taste is the same, the aftertaste is much better. Certified quality coffee from the vending machine: together Fortune Coffee and TB Brown set the standard in the business market.
'We see that attention to health, fair trade and sustainability is increasing among our customers. This increased awareness increases the demand for certified coffee at work. Governments are even leading the way in this. In this sector we sell a lot of certified instant coffee for vending machines. We purchase these from TB Brown. It is a freeze-dried variant with a mild taste and three quality marks: Fairtrade Original, EKO and EU-Bio.'
Valuation
'Soft or strong: TB Brown can produce certified freeze-dried coffee in basically any flavor profile. But we know quite well which taste is desirable for which target group. We see that various customers attach importance to different quality marks for different reasons. Rainforest Alliance is a very important one, which focuses exclusively on the coffee world. The Fairtrade Original, EKO and EU Organic quality mark can also be found on other products such as tea, chocolate or bananas. By working closely with TB Brown, our instant coffee range is nicely balanced. The flavor profiles and desired quality marks match the target groups in the market.'
Certificate becomes the standard
'The taste of certified or non-certified coffee is therefore comparable. However, the price is slightly higher compared to non-certified coffee. Is that bad? Conscious entrepreneurs do not think so: the aftertaste of ecological or economic misery is more unpleasant. More than three quarters of Dutch households already have a quality mark product on their home shelves. We have not yet achieved this percentage in the business market for instant coffee. But we are working hard on that. Fortune Coffee is a major player in the market. Corporate social responsibility gives us direction. TB Brown wants their entire sales to be certified within a few years. Together we are working towards ensuring that instant coffee with a quality mark will soon be the standard, also in coffee machines.'