Need brand/quality advise on espresso machine

[thedot]

Hello folks,
I am looking to sell espresso machines.
Can you tell me the most favorable brand?
I only want to offer good quality, at a reasonable price, that is serviced well by the manufacturer.
Thank You.

 

[ozzie_jim]

Hi thedot,

One of the main things we find when selling coffee machines is brand recognition. Go to http://www.google.com.au/trends and put in a list of comma seperated brands. You'll see what the public are searching for. Otherwise get a niche high quality brand for coffee nuts and become the expert in that brand.

We chose Saeco because the greater public choose Saeco.

 

[mrgnomer]

Hello folks,
I am looking to sell espresso machines.
Can you tell me the most favorable brand?
I only want to offer good quality, at a reasonable price, that is serviced well by the manufacturer.
Thank You.

It depends, I think, on what part of the market you're looking at targeting. When I started out looking at espresso machines the thought of paying $500+ for a good machine seemed excessive. I did 'bite the bullet' and purchase a good entry level machine along with a good commercial quality grinder, the pair costing be close to $1000. I did so because I was interested in quality equipment that could produce very good espresso and after reading a lot of reviews and advice on line in coffee forums, etc...I chose machines that consistenly were considered very capable.

Many people don't want to spend a lot of money, it seems. I don't know if the consumers who don't want to spend more than say $200 for both a machine and a grinder for espresso outnumber espresso enthusiasts who are willing to spend for capability and quality. I'm assuming you're looking at targeting consumers who don't want to spend a lot of money if you're asking for advice on machines to sell. I've read that Gaggia machines and the Starbuck's Barista are inexpensive entry level machines that are capable of making o.k. espresso.

For the enthusiast, Quickmill, Expobar, Fiorenzato, Viebiemme, Isomac, Astra, Elektra, La Spaziale, Rancilio....all make very good espresso machines that sell any where between $800-$2500+ retail.

Personally, after experiencing very good espresso I wouldn't consider spending upwards of $2000 excessive at all. You get what you pay for and excellent espresso is worth investing in. A much less expensive machine is less expensive for a reason and by design its less capable of making excellent espresso. Good espresso is like fine wine, fine cars or good art; they all require an investment.

If you're considering selling espresso machines you'll need to consider grinders as well. Espresso is most often as good as the grind and, like machines, the better the grinder the better the espresso. In fact, there's no way of getting good espresso without a good grinder. Rancilio, Macap, Mazzer are a few of the names that come to mind that make grinders that can be paired with capable machines.

 

[ozzie_jim]

One other important item to consider is the price competition. People these days go to a site with great descriptions to find out which machine they want and then they price shop using google or price comparison sites.

If you can find a niche machine or an importer that maintains the same price for all resellers then you'll do OK. Where you get unstuck is if an importer sells 1000 machines to bargainsRus.com at a huge discount and you can't compete on price. It happens to us all the time. We also get importers who sell directly to the public or list their machines directly on auction sites just to move the quantities. Again, we can't compete on price and are shafted.