Costs
How much do the machines cost?
- The espresso machines cost nothing to you, our client. We do not sell, lease or rent them. Our business is selling espresso-based beverages, not the equipment used to make the espresso.
Do we have to make any financial commitments?
- NO. We do not require any contracts, any plumbing, remodeling or installation of fixtures. Unlike some companies, we do not even ask for a vendor’s exclusivity or non-competition agreement from you. We are very confident that you will prefer our solution to any others.
- We do not require that you guarantee a specific minimum number of cups be sold – though in fairness, we do reserve the right to relocate or retrieve the system if sales are not sufficient to support the installation.
How much does the coffee cost per cup?
- The entire menu is uniformly set at about half the price of a local coffee bar, regardless of the selection. From the freshly ground Caffe Mocha or French Vanilla Cappuccino to our Classic Hot Chocolate - each selection tastes great and is consistently cost effective.
- We supply the cups, stirrers, extra sweeteners and syrups at no extra charge.
How do we pay for our espresso-based selections?
- We offer four distinct options:
- Direct bill: For businesses that already pay for an office coffee system, and wish to make this an employee benefit, the machines will simply keep a log of cups ordered. We send a monthly bill to the office manager. No fuss, no muss, no coins, no bills, no tokens. No worries.
- Subsidized vending: For those businesses wishing to subsidize the coffee, we can set up a reduced charge coin collector, and couple that with a direct bill system for the balance based on the number of servings in a given period. For example, a business might choose to cover the first 75¢ per cup, and everyone pays the difference of 50¢ at the time of ordering. We then bill the company for the number of cups ordered at the subsidized rate every month.
- Standard vending: For those who will supply the floor space, but require everyone to pay as they go, we activate the coin/bill collection mechanism with lockbox. It can also accept tokens, which adds great flexibility to our options.
- Prepaid systems coupled with vending: For those who really want it flashy, we have a wireless debit payment system option. We add an internal computerized module that will read and debit a prepaid debit card, key fob, or Swatch watch for every cup ordered. Very secure, very convenient, and quite dangerous for the coffee fiends in the office. All others may simply pay as they go.
Operations & Practicalities
How is your machine different from the pod or single-cup machines for home and office use?
- Our Mill City Espresso machine individually grinds fresh-roasted whole beans for every separate cup ordered. No selection is pre-ground waiting for an order, much less pre-ground and packaged. Our freshness is unsurpassed.
- Unlike any other brewer or pod device on the market, our machine prepares its beverages in separate chambers and uses separate dispensing tub