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How a partnership between Franke and The Common Good Coffee Company is helping to brew kindness across Australia.
The Australian coffee scene is known around the world as being a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative industry that shares knowledge and rallies around its local communities. The Common Good Coffee Company in Sydney embraces that spirit and takes it a step further by raising money for local causes and nationwide mental health projects all year around.
Since it was established in 2018, The Common Good Coffee Company has raised more than $65,000 for good causes across Australia. From every kilogram of coffee sold, the roastery donates $1 direct to Beyond Blue, a mental health charity that offers 24/7 telephone support for those who need it.
The team are so passionate about highlighting mental health that their compostable takeaway cups are adorned with uplifting messages, such as ‘think happy thoughts’ and ‘wake up and smile’.
The company also runs ad-hoc fundraising initiatives, such as donating 50 cents from every coffee sold at partner venues, as a localised response to natural disasters such as wildfires, droughts, and floods. It also supports other continual community projects like women’s refuges.
“We offer total coffee solutions, but at our core we’re a community-based business,” says The Common Good Coffee Company General Manager Kate Greaney. “We get behind our partner venues, many of which are in rural areas, to help them support their local communities.”
The company provides complete coffee solutions to more than 200 businesses across the country, from far north Queensland to Western Australia – and every state in between.
Venues range from petrol stations and convenience stores to office spaces and mining sites, with The Common Good Coffee not only providing beans but also environmentally friendly cups and automatic machines for a complete bean-to-cup experience.
“The idea is to be a one-stop-shop for our customers. We’ll recommend a machine and a blend based on their location, foot traffic, and clientele,” says Kate.
The Common Good works exclusively with Franke Coffee Systems to supply their venue partners with automatic coffee machines. Kate says Franke was the clear choice for the company because of the diversity of its range and the consistency of the machines.
“Franke leads the way in terms of technology and innovation. They’ve got such a wide range of modular units suitable for any type of setup or footprint,” she says.
“These days, customers are looking for an end-to-end experience: they want to be able to walk into a petrol station or convenience store and know they’re going to get a quality cup of coffee. They’re also looking for options, and that’s where Franke’s machines can really deliver.”
According to Kate, the Franke A600 is the most popular machine among The Common Good Coffee Company’s customers because of its ability to deliver consistently high-quality drinks.
“In times gone by, automatic machines would use powdered milk and poor-quality coffee but now customers expect barista-level beverages. The A600 grinds whole beans and can offer two different types of fresh dairy milk or plant-based alternatives, thanks to its dual milk system, and two modular powder-dosing units which give additional options of chocolate and chai,” she says.
“The user interface is very easy to navigate and allows the user to customise their order. You can create anything from a long black to a double-shot cappuccino. We recommend the A600 because of its all-round capabilities, offering a wide range of choices to cater to various preferences. With its ability to consistently deliver delicious coffee, the A600 ensures every cup is a satisfying experience for the customer.”
The Franke SB1200 Speciality Beverage Station, one of the Swiss manufacturer’s more recent releases, is also gaining interest thanks to the vast range of beverages that can be crafted from the machine.
Image: The Common Good Coffee Company
“Everything a barista can create from a café counter can be done at the touch of a button by the SB1200. With a rise in consumers choosing to avoid dairy, its ability to offer four different milks – full cream, skimmed, and two dairy alternatives – through separate lines to avoid cross contamination is greatly received,” says Kate.
The machine’s inbuilt Flavor Station is another key feature, giving users the ability to customise their drinks with a variety of flavoured syrups. It also has the option to create hot and cold varieties of popular beverages.
“The feedback from our partners has been amazing. Many are reporting that the machine’s ability to deliver the perfect cup every time is building customer loyalty, with many coming back to the venue every day just to get their morning coffee,” says Kate.
The fact that the Franke coffee machines can perform many of the cleaning tasks automatically appeals to busy venues such as office spaces and petrol stations, where staff are limited on time and will only be able to clean the machine in quiet periods.
“Cleaning the Franke coffee machines is a breeze. All the shop owners need to do is simply add the specialised Franke cleaning solutions and press a button. The machine will take care of the rest, efficiently and effectively cleaning all the internal components,” says Kate.
The team at The Common Good Coffee Company work very closely with Franke to ensure their fleet of machines run smoothly.
“It’s one thing for us to sell machines into sites, but you’ve got to have the support that goes with it. Customers can lose faith very quickly, so it’s essential to us that any technical issues are sorted quickly,” she says.
“David Downing [Business Development Director Oceania] and the team at Franke have been amazing; they feel like an extension of our own team. Problems are resolved quickly and efficiently, and our customers really appreciate that. They’ve been fantastic to work with and endlessly supportive of our wider mission.”
For more information, visit coffee.franke.com
This article appears in the June 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
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