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Audi & 200 Degrees Coffee

Audi & 200 Degrees Coffee

    A recent new partner to 200 Degrees is Audi Nottingham, part of the Sytner group.  As I pulled on to the forecourt of the ultra-modern car dealer with its acres of glass outside and shining metal work within, I could sense what was going to happen. I was swooning for a TT within seconds, jet black, oozing quality and utterly gorgeous. The parallels with our coffee became apparent. 

    Having checked in with reception I’m greeted by Matt Mills, Head of Business at Audi Nottingham who whisked me off to his office overlooking the sea of glimmering machines. 

    WHERE DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT 200 DEGREES?

    It turns out Matt and Louise his wife live only 3 miles from the city centre. He tells me; “We like local.  We're in town most weekends and we'll always have a coffee, then one day we stumbled through the doors of 200 Degrees Flying Horse walk.” They had no idea at this point they were going to save the taste buds of hundreds of coffee drinking Audi customers. “It was funky, relaxed and the coffee is fantastic.”

    WHEN DID YOU INVITE OUR BEANS INTO YOUR HOME?

    “We have a bean to cup machine at home and whilst in the store one day, we saw the beans available to buy, so we brought 200 Degrees home with us.  Even though we were drinking it in the store and at home I didn’t make the connection to buying 200 Degrees for my customers and employees.” This is despite Matt suffering “bad coffee at work”. This is a familiar story to me, like staying with the bank or credit card you’ve been with forever, when we all know we could probably get something better.   

    TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ‘EUREKA’ MOMENT TO GET 200 DEGREES AT WORK

    We had a knock at the door and my mums ex-neighbour Jim was there asking Louise my wife to do a photoshoot.” Among Louise’s talents she is a pro-photographer (keep an eye out for my blog post about the fashion photoshoot she’s doing in our Flying Horse Walk store, Nottingham, in May). 

    “Whilst we were chatting Jim mentioned he was working at 200 Degrees and I told him I drink their coffee at home.”  Knowing where Matt worked Jim then asked about the coffee at Audi and the penny dropped, 200 would be delighted to supply coffee to Matt’s dealership.  As the existing Audi coffee machine was breaking down all the time and had lower quality coffee beans it wasn’t up to the brand experience expected so this gave Matt the perfect reason to make some changes.  His passion and drive to do the right thing for the customers he knows so well and the brand he loves is apparent. 

    JIM INTRODUCED ME TO… TIM

    “Jim put me in touch with Tim” (call us on 0115 8374849 to chat to Tim about getting your business up and running on 200 Degrees Coffee.) "I’m really keen on supporting local businesses and didn’t realise you roasted in Nottingham or that you sold to companies big and small. Tim listened to what I needed, went away and came back with a proposal.” In no time at all the deal was done, and Matt goes on to tell me he didn’t delay in the switch. “I canned off the original supplier and shifted over to 200 Degrees, shortly after also switching the chocolate mix through 200 too, as it’s sourced from another local business”.

    BUT YOUR OLD MACHINE WASN’T UP TO THE JOB?

    “I put 200’s great coffee in our old machine which gave me ‘ok’ coffee, but the old machine wasn’t up to the job and still couldn’t deliver the brand experience expected at an Audi garage.  It kept breaking down.”  The machine was fairly old and as it had to deliver Audi with 100-150 cups per day, plus it had come up in satisfaction surveys too many times that the machine was often out of order, so it was hitting customers’ expectations.  It was key for Matt that the machine looked the part, worked constantly and tasted epic.  Matt continues “I told Tim I was going to replace the machine, who came up with some suggestions based on my feedback.  They’re an investment, so after doing due diligence I found I couldn’t get the machine for less than 200 could with their buying power in the coffee industry.”  The Franke machine is a pretty sexy piece of kit with its piano black gloss finish and large touch screen display that’s co-branded with Audi.

    SO YOU PARTNERED WITH 200 DEGREES FOR THE BEANS AND THE COFFEE MACHINE?

    “Yes, the brief was simple, it had to be easy to maintain and clean, reliable and had to look good.  Tim made the recommendations within the guidelines I set, I particularly like that the Franke machine is swiss made, their engineering is reliable”. For a guy used to German reliability I can understand why this is high on his agenda and realise it’s a miracle the existing machine lasted so long with such high expectations.   

    HOW DOES THE SETUP AND MAINTENANCE OF THE COFFEE MACHINE WORK?

    “Franke set up the machine with the team from 200, who meticulously ensured the setting were perfect for their coffee.” This is true, from the level of grind, to the pressure and everything in between. Tim and his team won’t leave until quality is 100%.  Matt tells me maintenance is a doddle; “The maintenance agreement was set up by 200 on our behalf, so its hassle free and cleaning and running the machine is simplicity itself.”

    200 DEGREES BRANDING IS VERY VISIBLE, HOW WAS THAT AGREED?

    We worked together to come up with an arrangement that worked for price as well as branding.  Matt sees Audi and 200 as working together in a partnership.  I wanted to show our customers we support local business, we care about quality coffee and it drives brand awareness for 200 Degrees.   

    ANY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

    It turns out Audi put on various networking events and meetings in their beautiful showroom, including one not so long ago run by RSVIP who had Alex the 200 Degrees Brand Ambassador set up making coffees as a full barista.  Matt tells me “Going forwards I'd love to have a barista in the show room for future events”.

    LOOKING FOR QUALITY COFFEE IN YOUR BUSINESS? 

    Big or small, from beans to machines, training to maintenance we cover it all.  We can talk or even visit you for a free consultation, just contact Tim, Coffee Consultant, on 0115 8374849 or pop us your details.

    Audi machine spec:

    • Franke A600
    • Bean to cup espresso - 150 cups per day
    • Easy to clean and maintain
    • Touchscreen control
    • Fresh milk
    • Grinds beans fresh - regular and decaf
    • Also serves hot chocolate and hot water for tea
    • Quality of the micro foam is better than the majority of the coffee served in the UK

    Coffee Spec:

    • Americano
    • Espresso
    • Latte
    • Flat White
    • Cappuccino
    • Hot Chocolate
    • Mocha
    • Macchiato
    • Hot milk

    You can see and taste the machine in action by visiting Audi at: 11 Abbeyfield Road, Lenton Industrial Estate, Nottingham NG7 2SZ