Canteen and our partners are innovating every day to bring the safest, cleanest, and newest technology to your break room. This month, we met with Bill Duprey of de Jong Duke to talk about the changing nature of coffee, and what they’re doing to lead a charge in contactless office solutions.

How has COVID-19 led (and is continuing to lead) innovations in De Jong DUKE coffee machines?

Because of the concern people might have to touch equipment we initiated the development of our touchless selection option at the end of March in 2020. With a rapid development we were been able to introduce the software by June 2020. The economically challenging situation is likely to impact not only volume going through the machines but also increases the time a machine is on location and put pressure on equipment pricing. Reliability of the equipment, durability and performance have been reinforced in our focus and innovations are going to serve these goals as well.

 

How do you like your coffee?

My choice is a double espresso with sugar. Sweet, hot, and strong. For Saturday-mornings I make my own filter coffee preferably from different origins and varying ground sizes.

 

Can you give us a brief walk-through of de Jong Duke’s new touchless operation?

The machine software is programmed to display a dynamic QR-code that allow the user to scan the machine specific code opening a user interface with the machine’s selections on a mobile device. As soon as the selection is made and provided a cup has been placed beneath the outlet, the machine will start the beverage preparation. In order to make life a little bit easier a second cup can be made through a unique code displayed on the machine that allows the re-use of the cached user interface on your phone.

 

What does it mean to you and de Jong DUKE to handcraft each machine?

Being involved from design to delivery of many of our current machines is a challenging but also a very satisfying experience. Seeing numbers of machine coming of the production line for many years after the introduction creates not only a tremendous pride but a sense of nostalgia as I look back to opening our North American facility 10 years. We’re hopeful that in 2021 our 10 year anniversary sees a return to normal for our country, customers and colleagues across the globe.

 

What does it mean to be “in it for the long run?”

With a history of 123 years the aim of the company and family is to continue to improve and grow the organization by re-investing the majority of profits back into the company. The concrete and visible examples of this are our efforts in energy preservation, use of recycled materials and establishing a refurbishment/re-use program.

 

As an innovator, how do you see coffee and the way we consume it, changing in the future?

I believe that premiumization, hassle-free, connectivity and sustainability are the key drivers of all developments in our industry. The increasing knowledge about and appreciation of coffee beverages by consumers and the growing demand for ease-of-use will encourage solution providers to improve the offering. It is anticipated they will introduce both higher quality equipment and more variation of coffee beans to the consumers whether they are in a coffee shop, a convenience store or the office coffee lounge. With regards to I-o-T, our ConnectMe platform with a full 2-way communication is not only currently the most advanced connectivity solution available but more importantly an important aspect of future development and product offerings as well as a great tool to monitor, manage and reduce performance and cost in the whole value chain.

 

Has that outlook changed over the past year?

The covid-pandemic and subsequent economic crisis will have an impact on the way people work. We will work in the office, from home and in other places all of which will require coffee solutions. With a higher emphasis on face-2-face meetings after all the video-calls and team/zoom meetings we have had, the coffee experience and coffee quality will be more appreciated and more important than before as the moments that these meetings represent become increasingly ‘special’ or meaningful for colleagues and business partners. Not only the location and ambiance but also the equipment and coffees on offering will become more important in the future.

 

Any last thoughts about de Jong DUKE or Canteen?

We are proud to be a partner of Canteen for coffee equipment and appreciate the open and future oriented cooperation we have with people throughout the Canteen organization. The innovative and performance-driven approach from Canteen with regards to for example ConnectMe not only positions Canteen to be ‘future-proof’ but also helps both of our organizations to improve the quality of the hardware, the service, and most importantly the beverage offerings and consumer experience when they enjoy a drink from one of many Canteen provided coffee solution featuring a de Jong DUKE machine.

 

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