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The 2020 Melbourne International Coffee Expo will highlight the best and brightest the industry has to offer with its biggest Product Innovation Awards to date.

Imagine the next big technological breakthrough in the coffee industry. Could it be a device that raises quality to new levels? Or will it embrace new technology like automation and telemetry? These are questions that the 2020 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) will ask during its Product Innovation Awards.

MICE provides a platform for dedicated members of the coffee sector to congregate and share new ideas and technology. These annual awards bring these new developments to the forefront.

“The Product Innovation Awards shine a spotlight on the great and creative work being done in coffee,” says MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom.

“Past winners have included energy systems, water filters, and coffee destoners that truly had something new to offer the industry, and the awards drew attention to these innovations.”

With nearly 200 brands set to be on display at MICE2020, Lauren says the next Product Innovation Awards will be to most competitive and impressive yet.

“There is going to be an increased international presence and many first-time exhibitors at MICE2020, so we’ve decided to broaden the scope of the Product Innovation Awards and can’t wait to see what ground-breaking products the industry has to offer,” Lauren says.

In past years, a panel of industry leaders judged all of the finalists and determined a top three to be awarded in the Judge’s Choice category. In 2020, however, a single award will be given out in four categories: • Coffee preparation equipment – espresso machines, brewers, roasters • Ancillary electrical equipment – such as grinders and milk steamers • Coffee accessories – such as cups, tampers and cleaning products • Specialty beverages – syrups, spirits, dairy and dairy alternatives, and other

items used in conjunction with coffee beans to create a specialty beverage.

Attendees at MICE2020 will also be able to vote in the People’s Choice category for the finalist they find most innovative.

The 2019 People’s Choice went to United Supplies for the Milkit Dual Tap System. The unit is capable of dispensing two types of milk in measured doses at once, improving productivity, consistency, and hygiene, while minimising waste. United Supplies Marketing Director Nicole Saleh says winning the award provided the Milkit Dual Tap system with an exciting launch into the marketplace.

“We entered the awards as we knew it would be a fantastic way to demonstrate the benefits of the Milkit milk tap system to the specialty coffee industry and we were really honoured to win People’s Choice and be recognised by our peers,” Nicole says.

“Milkit connected with the coffee community because it delivers a fast and cost-effective solution for cafés to achieve milk dose consistency, maintain milk integrity, and improve barista workflow. We had both the dual and single milk tap models on display at MICE, showcasing a variety of colours and running demos that allowed potential customers to experience firsthand the benefits of the system.”

The 2019 Judge’s Choice winner was the Energy Bar system by BrewBar. The Energy Bar allows coffee machines and equipment with significant energy requirements to operate from a 240-volt 10-amp supply, or without a power supply for short periods of time.

BrewBar Director Brett McKimmin says winning the award, and resulting coverage, generated significant interest in the product.

“We’ve experienced a great wave of interest and, after making a few further upgrades to the system, are gearing up to start providing the Energy Bar to

Judge’s Choice in the 2019 Product Innovation Awards went to BrewBar for the Energy Bar system.

customers around Australia,” Brett says.

“The goal with Energy Bar was to make specialty coffee more mobile and accessible. Winning the award was confirmation that the idea of taking specialty coffee anywhere and everywhere without power restrictions is provable and something the community would love to see.”

Brett encourages MICE2020 exhibtors to take advantage of the platform the Product Innovation Awards offer.

“It’s a great way of showcasing a new product,” he says. “It also means you can gauge the market’s response to new technology as well as the wider need for innovation.”

Last year’s runner-up was Rancilio Specialty for the RS1 espresso machine, which was recognised for its advanced temperature profiling system.

“Advaced temperature profiling allows us to explore and control flavour by dynamically changing the extraction temperature,” says Paul O’Brien, Area Manager – Australasia for Rancilio.

“Performance and innovation are what drives our business. Rancilio was a bit late to the market with a specialty-oriented machine, but that’s because we wanted to wait until we had something truly innovative and different.

The timing of the launch was perfect to take part in the Product Innovation Awards.”

With Rancilio presenting several new machines and pieces of equipment at HostMilano in October 2019, Paul is excited to share this technology at MICE2020, and again take part in the award.

“Coffee is a highly competitive market and people always want to see the latest and greatest. For us, the

awards drive the industry. Without innovation, we don’t progress, and we at Rancilio want to see how far we can take this,” Paul says.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect cup and trying to get there is a journey. The faster we innovate, the quicker we move along.”

For more information, visit www.internationalcoffeeexpo.com/ product-innovation-award

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Showing Appreci-ation

beanscenemag.com.au 71 The Appreci app is the modern greeting card, creating a convenient and useful way to show gratitude for daily acts of kindness. E xpressions of gratitude are displayed for a variety of reasons: babysitting the kids, shouting Uber Eats for a friend, or thanking a staffmember for putting in extra hours before a deadline.

Studies have found that those who write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone have seen higher happiness scores, with benefits lasting up to a month.

Craig Mair, Managing Director of Appreci, tells BeanScene that while it’s important to demonstrate gratitude, the way it’s being communicated is changing, with Hallmark cards a thing ofthe past.

“We make 30,000 decisions a day. You get to the end of the day and the last thing you want to do is to send a greeting card to someone. It doesn’t fit into the flow of life,” Craig says.

What does, however, are electronic expressions of thanks. One such company tapping into this market is Appreci, with an app that provides a platform to send tokens of gratitude to friends, family, and co- workers, all from the palm of your hand. With Appreci, people can send a “thanks” to someone and it can be redeemed for a coffee or two at a growing network of participating cafés across the country, such as Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters and Di Bellaflagship cafés.

“Appreci sits on your phone, it’s free to download, and easy to use. Right there, in the moment that you’re grateful for something, you can send someone a token of thanks in a couple of clicks. The receiver instantly receives a notification and can go to an activated café to grab a cup of coffee.”

The app contributes to the idea of the gratitude economy, where people yearn to feel and connect with others on a deeper level. “Consumer behaviour is shifting. Experiences are g oing to be replaced with things that make us feel,” Craig says.

“You can make someone feel really, really happy by sending them a gesture of gratitude which, in a very natural way, is a cup of coffee. It’s something that we all enjoy every day. It binds us across nationalities and geographies, and symbolises the value of being recognised and appreciated.”

Another aspect of the gratitude economy is a conscious attempt to drive users away from their screens to have more face-to-face interaction.

“We work hard to minimise time on the screen, to push people out to the coffee shop to connect with a friend. Using the technology as a vehicle to transmit something is innately human,” Craig says.

By giving through Appreci instead of a gift card, recipients have more flexibility regarding their drink choices. The monetary value is also separated from the reward. Rather, the true gift lies in the sender’s gratitude.

“It’s about meaning and purpose, not about the dollars. You would never hand a co-worker a few $2 coins to thank them for working hard over the weekend – that would be awkward. Sending an Appreci focuses on the intent of gratitude, not the cost of the action,” Craig says.

For cafés, there are no upfront costs to participate in the program and join the growing network. They just need to sign up online and then they will receive a QR code to display on the counter. Recipients of an Appreci can then come into the café to redeem their coffee or tea.

“We’re not asking cafés to discount their prices. We pay industry average and even a little more,” Craig says.

“We drive grateful consumers to your door. People who come in to grab a cup of coffee are much more likely to walk out with a higher spend.”

In the medium to long-term, Appreci hopes to provide targeted marketing services by driving consumers towards coffee shops for promotions or during non-peak hours. Appreci also hopes to provide data on consumer behaviour trends to coffee shops. Appreci is on track to gain 120,000 daily users by March 2020, with more than 100 activated cafés. The goal is to activate every café in Australia so that Appreci can be redeemed anywhere by anyone in their favourite coffee shop.

“Coffee is an international symbol of human connectivity. It doesn’t matter what language you speak. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re from, you know that if you sit down with someone you’ve never met before over a cup of coffee, you can connect with them instantly,” Craig says. For more information, visit www.appreci.io/registercafe The Appreci app enables users to send a gesture of gratitude in the form of a free coffee from participating cafés.