Nestle Nescafe Coffee Vending Machine Prices: Alegria and Milano Costs
Nescafe coffee vending machines pioneered the coffee vending industry in the early 1990’s and the red and black lioness Nescafe vending machine has become synonymous with vending machines worldwide (pictured below).
As time progressed, the cost structure of Nescafe coffee vending machines and vending machines, as an industry, changed significantly from a buy-only business model to a rent-only one. The Nescafe Lioness vending machine used to sell for around R 6000.00, when it first was launched in South Africa (which was one of the reasons for its ubiquity in petrol stations and offices alike.)
Today, however, a rent only option for the Alegria and Milano professional models and only a buy option still exists for the domestic Alegria version, meaning it has become more difficult to afford one of these icons unless you are a business or restaurant outlet of a considerable size.
In this article we will try to give a comprehensive overview of all the costs and pricing involved in renting one of the professional vending units as well as the pros and cons of both models.
Nescafe Professional Vending Machines: Alegria and Milano Professional
Nescafe Alegria Specifications and Pricing (professional versions):
The Nescafe Alegria comes in 3 versions; 6-30, 8-60 and the 8-120. The first number refers to the number of buttons or drink options the machine has (6 in the case of the 6-30 and 8 in the case of the 8-60). The second number after the dash refers to the number of servings or cups per day the machine is rated for. The Nescafe 8-60 is rated for 60 cups per day whereas the 8-120 is rated for 120 cups per day.
The specifications of all Alegria models are shown in the table below:
NESCAFE ALEGRIA VENDING MACHINE SPECS
SPECS | |||
Model | 6-30 | 8-60 | 8-120 |
Height (mm) | 540 | 605 | 605 |
Width (mm) | 490 | 610 | 610 |
Depth (mm) | 300 | 450 | 450 |
Weight (kg) | 20.4 | 35 | 35 |
Voltage (V) | 230 | 230 | 230 |
Power Consumption (W) | 1400 | 1400 | 1400 |
Water Requirement | Mains Supply | Mains Supply | Mains Supply |
Water Pressure Required | 1-8 Bar | 1-8 Bar | 1-8 Bar |
Nescafe Alegria Pricing:
In South Africa only the 6-30 model and 8-120 models are available. Both machines versions are only available on a monthly rental over a period of 24 months. The rentals are R650 and R950 for the Alegria 6-30 and 8-120 respectively (at the time of writing as per customer surveys). One does need to buy all products from Nestle (at a price a little bit over supermarket prices) and one must buy at least one box of coffee, milk powder and hot chocolate per month from Nestle bringing the overall costs to a little over R2500 per month in total. The Alegria is designed for offices and for this reason promotional material like branded cups and paraphernalia is not included but one can rent a coffee machine stand for and extra couple hundred Rand per month.
The Good (our two cents):
The Alegria is a great put together machine and is manufactured by Rhea Vendor. (The Italian based Vending machine specialists) The machine is relatively compact and has great looks and ease of use styling. The products required to be used in the machine are all Nestle products which are of good quality albeit at a higher price than at which sold for in the supermarkets. If you can do the minimum monthly usage requirements and you enjoy the product, the Alegria could be a great option for you
The Bad (Our Opinion)*:
The Alegria machine has all the popular options from espresso to vanilla cappuccino but the machine is not customizable for individual requirements. If you want the machine to dispense just sugar or just milk options for factory environments, it is not possible.
The Nescafe product is good product but people sometimes are left feeling hard done by when they see the disparity between supermarket pricing and vending consumables pricing direct from Nestle.
Lastly, Nestle are quite strict with their 2 year minimum term which means if you are unsatisfied with the machine, product or service you do need to bare it for the entire 2 years.
Nescafe Milano Specifications and Pricing (professional version):
The Nescafe Milano coffee vending machine often gets mistaken for the slightly smaller Alegria unit. The Milano is almost identical in looks and comes in exactly the same 3 models (6-30, 8-60 and the 8-120) The Milano however is intended primarily for restaurants and cafes and boasts a more premium range of ingredients. The Milano can be recognized from its signature black trim as opposed to the red trim which is found on the Alegria models. In South Africa only the Nescafe Milano 8-60 model is available.
The specs on all the Milano models are shown in the table below:
NESCAFE MILANO VENDING MACHINE SPECS
Model | 6-30 | 8-60 | 8-120 |
Height (mm) | 575 | 658 | 720 |
Width (mm) | 470 | 569 | 607 |
Depth (mm) | 300 | 458 | 460 |
Weight (kg) | 21 | 35.8 | 37 |
Voltage (V) | 230 | 230 | 230 |
Power Consumption (W) | 1400 | 1400 | 1400 |
Water Requirement | Mains Supply | Mains Supply | Mains Supply |
Water Pressure Required | 1-8 Bar | 1-8 Bar | 1-8 Bar |
Nescafe Milano Pricing:
In South Africa only the 8-60 model is available. The machine is available on a 2 year termed contract for R1050 per month (at the time of writing this according to our surveys).Most rental plans also require minimum monthly usage amounts however there are cases when this is not set in stone.
The cost of the consumables is higher than those used in the Alegria but they are of a higher quality. It is required to use only Nescafe Milano vending products when taking out the Milano solution.
Also because the Milano is intended for coffee shops, promotional material is included in the price.
The Good:
The Milano is almost identical to the Alegria but comes with a whole host of branded options. It’s a great ease-of-use machine for cafes and restaurants however the coffee is still instant coffee so the quality is not that of a high-end establishment which would typically insist on coffee beans or even pods. Prices are in line with those of manual or semi-automatic traditional restaurant machines.
Aesthetics are, like the Alegria, superb and the black finish with the backlit buttons make it a great showpiece in any restaurant environment.
The Bad:
Although the cost of the machine (at around R1000 per month) is inline with most restaurant commercial machines, the cost of the product (even being instant) does work out to be more expensive than most coffee beans. The Milano is a premium instant coffee however it still is instant,and most high end restaurants shy away from a non-coffee bean solution. For take-away shops and small cafes it is often not too big a concern however. Like with the Alegria, there is no outright purchase option and you are bound into using their product for a minimum of 2 years.
Summary:
The Nescafe Coffee Vending machine options are famous around the world and in many instances are great solutions for restaurants and companies alike. There are many other coffee vending machines however which offer more features at lower prices, however if you are a brand conscious person and love Nestle products then their the Nescafe Alegria or Nescafe Milano could be a great option for you.
For help in deciding if the Nescafe Vending machine is right for you or to get a more comprehensive overview of the Nescafe Milano vs Nescafe Alegria, fill out the form below and we will give you a call.
* 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 Necafe operator reserves the right to vary prices, terms and conditions to his/her own discretion.