Nescafe Alegria vs Nescafe Milano Coffee Vending Machines: Which is better for your business?

Nescafe Coffee Vending Machines have been one of the most popular vending machine brands worldwide since their inception. From the click and drink Nescafe Café Bar machines to the famous red and black Lioness vending dispenser, Nestle has certainly been on the forefront of vending technology since the very beginning. Their most recent machines to launch are the Alegria and Milano units and in this post we give our two cents and compare the Nescafe Alegria vs Nescafe Milano Coffee Vending Machines.

Which Vending Unit Is the Best?

Let us start my mentioning that neither is distinctly better or worse than the other but rather each dispenser has their pros and cons and suitability for different environments. Which unit is the right fit for you depends on factors like usage volume, budget, location intention (office or restaurant), space availability, aesthetic preference and drink requirements which we will discuss below.

Brief Overview of the Nescafe Milano:

The Nescafe Milano is Nestlé’s premium version of their vending machine. Characterised by its black and silver finish, the Milano is in our opinion the best looking Nescafe Vending unit to have ever been released. Although one can use any coffee and milk powder of their choice inside any vending unit, there is a specially designed Milano instant coffee and freeze dried milk powder intended for the Milano which gives “as close a bean coffee taste” as one can get form an instant coffee machine.

The Milano comes in three models: 6-30, 8-60 and the 8-120 with the first number denoting the number of drink selections and the first number denoting the number of cups it can produce between fillings.

Because the Milano range is particularly intended for restaurant and coffee shop use, it comes with a number of menu and table talker options to help push sales.

Brief Overview of the Nescafe Alegria:

The Alegria Vending range (not to be confused with the domestic version of the Alegria) is Nescafe’s current entry level range of vending machines. They look very similar to the Milano range with the black trimmings replaced by the more traditional red of Nescafe. The Alegria again can be operated by using any ingredients but the more common choice is Nescafe Classic or Nescafe Gold rather than the Milano range.

The intended use of the Alegria range is primarily offices and for this reason the menu and table talker promotional items are replaced with coffee machine stand and cup options.

There are the same three models available in the Alegria range as there are in the Milano one.

Nescafe Vending Cost Differences:

The costs of all Nescafe machines and products are selected by each individual operator selling the machine therefore it is hard to give a blanket pricing for all the options. In general however the Milano is around 20% more than the Alegria on rental and the vending consumables are on average 25% higher on the Milano vs. the Alegria.

Coffee Vending Machine Dimensions:

Although both machines are similarly sized there is slight variations between both models. If you only have a limited counter space please view the following dimension sheets carefully.

NESCAFE ALEGRIA VENDING MACHINE DIMENSIONS

NESCAFE MILANO VENDING MACHINE SPECS

Coffee of Vending Ingredients on Both Machines:

To reiterate one is free to use any coffee in any coffee machine however the intention is that you stick to the Milano range for the Milano machine and choose anything else for the Alegria. The Milano vending range of products is shown below:

NESCAFÉ MILANO COFFEE 

The Nescafe Milano instant coffee is made from 100% Arabica coffee which is quite rare for instant coffee (even freeze dried dried coffee). Milano coffee is unfortunately not available at supermarkets.

NESTLÉ MILANO MILK – 100% SKIMMED MILK POWDER

The Milano Milk powder is made entirely from freeze dried skim milk powder and contains no creamer. To read up more about the contents of different milk powders please read our link here : Vending Milk Powders Compared. In short pure skim milk powder gives the best froth out of any of the milk powders without adding the saturated fats which are present in creamers and creamer based milk powders.

NESTLÉ MILANO HOT CHOCOLATE

Nestle Hot Chocolate is made from a combination of sugar, coffee and milk powder and contains only 1% of fat. The hot chocolate when mixed with water under high pressure in a vending machine has a rich frothy texture and is practically prone to clogging.

Beverage Options Difference:

Both vending machines can be configured for different options but the standard setup on both units is the same.

Storage Capacity Difference:

The second number in the model number Milano 8-60 or Alegria 6-30 denotes the storage capacity and the daily intended usage. There is the same storage capacity across each model range

Promotional Material:

The Milano is accompanied by a number of different promotional items. We have tested the difference on a number of sites with and without promo material and it is quite remarkable the difference in sales when promo material is used. In some instances this might be reason enough to elect the Milano over the Alegria.

Looks Department:

In our opinion the launch of the Alegria and Milano range signify a huge step forward in the looks department as far as vending machines are concerned. Coffee Vending Machines used to be found solely in factories and petrol stations and were designed for such. In today’s market, where vending machines are created to be used in the fanciest of offices and the most up-market restaurants, they have certainly stepped up a level to better fit in, in the fanciest of environments.

Conclusion:

Both the Alegria and Milano represent a big step forward in the coffee vending world and both have their intended uses. If you are opening a restaurant or coffee bar and are happy to go the instant route rather than beans the Milano might be the machine for you. In case you are also trying to decide whether bean or instant coffee is a better route for you to go, please have a look at the article Instant vs. Bean Coffee Vending Machines

If on the other hand you are looking for an office coffee solution for the first time or want to upgrade your existing coffee machine and want to give great coffee without the spending exorbitant amounts on capsules or coffee beans then the Alegria might be a great fit.

As always we suggest trying any coffee machine before committing. To try a coffee vending machine for your office or to ask any coffee related question please complete the form below:

Prices,specs and rental terms were acquired at the time of the writing of this posted and can vary from company to company. Each supplier or Nescafe operator reserves the right to vary prices, terms and conditions to his/her own discretion. Nestle and Nescafe are not brands of Aquaspresso or affiliated to Aquaspresso in any way.