CRANE CONVENIENCE
The industry’s future will be shaped by solutions that bring those elements together in a meaningful way. We’re seeing the boundaries between vending, retail, hospitality, and digital commerce become increasingly blurred. Operators want equipment, payments, software, telemetry, and customer engagement tools that work together rather than existing as separate systems. The businesses that create connected consumer experiences while simplifying operations for operators will be well positioned for future growth.
Coffee has become an increasingly important category across the unattended retail sector. Why is it such a focus area for Crane Convenience? Coffee has evolved far beyond simple refreshment. In many locations today, coffee is a destination experience.
Consumers expect quality, variety, personalization, and convenience. They compare unattended coffee experiences not just to traditional vending but increasingly to coffee shops and café environments. At the same time, operators face rising costs, labour challenges,
and pressure to maximise revenue from every location. That creates a need for solutions that improve the consumer experience while remaining easy to manage and profitable to operate. Those trends played a significant role in the development of our new coffee portfolio.
Crane Convenience recently launched CALI™ 2 and COTI™ 2. How do they reflect the next chapter of coffee innovation? The portfolio was built around a simple principle: helping operators match the right coffee experience to the right location. CALI™ 2 builds on one of our most trusted coffee platforms by focusing on reliability, simplicity, and performance in demanding, high-volume environments. It combines intuitive operation, dependable performance, and simplified maintenance processes. Meanwhile, COTI™ 2 was designed to create more engaging
coffee destinations. Across Lite, Vend, Retail, and Tower configurations, the platform combines premium beverage quality, modern design, touchscreen experiences, connectivity, and operational flexibility. What excites me most is that this is not just a product launch. It is a platform strategy designed to evolve over time and create new opportunities for operators. The platform includes connected capabilities such as remote management, promotions, loyalty programs, digital content, engagement tools, and operational insights available through selected configurations.
What do you think the next decade of vending and unattended retail will look like?
I think we’ll continue to see greater emphasis on experience. Consumers will expect faster, more intuitive, and increasingly personalized interactions. Connectivity will become even more important as operators look to improve efficiency and better understand consumer behavior. We’ll also see coffee, food, vending, payments, software, and digital engagement become more interconnected. The distinction between traditional vending and broader retail experiences will continue to fade. What excites me most is that convenience remains one of the
strongest drivers of consumer behaviour. The technologies will change, but the opportunity to serve consumers more effectively remains as strong as ever.
Finally, as Crane Convenience celebrates its centenary, what message would you like to leave with the industry? Thank you. Thank you to the operators, customers, partners, and employees who have been part of this journey. Our history reflects a century of innovation, but innovation has never been about looking backward. It’s about continuing to evolve and helping customers succeed in a changing market. We’re proud of what has been achieved over the last 100 years, but we’re even more excited about what comes next.
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