| Nom : | Coffee Nation |
|---|---|
| Date de premier investissement: | March 2008 |
| Pays : | UK |
| Montant Investi : | €10m |
| Activité : | Leading provider of self-service gourment coffee machines |
| Type de transaction : | Secondary buy-out |
| Chiffres d'Affaires : | €24m |
| Taille de transaction : | €30m |
| Membres du conseil : | Philip Conboy and Colin Granger |
The Business
Coffee Nation was founded in 1999 and was the first to recognise that a shift in consumer tastes had created a demand for premium quality, gourmet coffee, then only available in coffee bars. As a result Coffee Nation pioneered the original concept for self-serve gourmet coffee looking to combine premium quality barista coffee with the consistency, availability and ease of vending.
Coffee Nation now provides self-service gourmet coffee machines to a variety of locations such as motorway service stations, petrol forecourts and large retail stores throughout the UK. It has national contracts with a number of retailers including Welcome Break, Moto, Esso and Sainsbury’s.
The Management
The Coffee Nation management team is led by Scott Martin who has been with the business since its early inception in 1999. He was previously the COO before taking over the role of CEO from the original founder in 2006. Scott has over 15 years experience in the food and beverage industry and before joining Coffee Nation he worked for Unilever.
Scott is supported by Simon Vardigans (Finance Director) and Carl Jackson (Sales and Marketing Director). Simon joined in 2007 and has had a successful career in a number of previous private equity backed businesses including Jigsaw Group and the Kirker Travel Group. Carl joined in 2005 and his previous roles include the Sales and Operations Director at Fired Earth Interiors and the Retail Director for Birthday’s Ltd.
Michael Tait has joined the Coffee Nation board as non-executive Chairman. He brings with him a wealth of experience and has worked with Philip Conboy on the successful exit of Claims Management Group Limited.
Strategic Development
The business currently has over 550 machines in operation and generates revenues of €24m. The Milestone backed plan is to more than double the installation base over the next 3-4 years through both increased penetration of existing clients as well as winning new clients within existing and new channels.
