West vs. East Coast C-Store Trends

Interview with David Papineau & Patrick Savoy

Times are changing. Gone are the days where you walk into a convenience store and pour yourself a big cup of burnt coffee or watered down tea. In 2019 customers want something more. To learn more about c-store trends across the US we interviewed two Newco salesmen.

What is your name, position, and experience at Newco?

Portrait of Davide Papineau, salesmen on the east coast discussing c-store trends

Hello, my name is David Papineau and I’ve been a sales representative for Newco Enterprises for 8 years. My territory includes Northeast US inclusive of Virginia, Ohio, PA, NY, NJ through New England.

David Papineau  // Newco Salesman 

Hi, I’m Patrick Savoy, Regional Sales Manager for the West Coast.  I’ve worked at Newco for 4 years and have been working in the coffee and tea industries for 20 years.

Patrick Savoy  // Newco Salesman 

West coast vs. East Coast c-store trends

What are some examples of rising trends in the c-stores in your territory?

Portrait of Davide Papineau, salesmen on the east coast discussing c-store trends

Some c-stores have started to use bean-to-cup systems to provide fresher, better quality coffee on-demand for their customers. The bean-to-cup system doesn't require as much active participation from employees in the brewing process; however customers can be held up a bit on filling their large cups of coffee.


Others offer many standing thermal dispensers filled early to accommodate the rush of early customers. Employees have to monitor the machines, pulling them off the registers at times. The coffee is not as fresh and the thermals have to be isolated during the brewing process to avoid customers drinking from partially brewed coffee batches.

David Papineau  // Newco Salesman 

I am seeing more bean-to-cup brewers in c-stores in the last few years.  With a push of a button you can have a true cappuccino, latte or just a hot cup-o-joe in less than a minute.  Consumers are creatures of habit and if c-stores don't have a system to deliver a great coffee drink with several options and flavors they won’t continue to shop there. 


Another trend I'm seeing in c-stores is a wider variety of iced teas and frozen drinks. Customers are getting used to seeing flavors like Green Tea, Pomegranate, and traditional black tea with flavors of all varieties. A fresh brewed iced tea program can set a location apart from those with limited or no offerings in this category."


Patrick Savoy  // Newco Salesman 

What type of machines can help meet these c-store trends?

Portrait of Davide Papineau, salesmen on the east coast discussing c-store trends

The Dual TVT is good for both fresh coffee and tea, one machine can brew two different beverages at one time. As for the bean-to-cup trend the VKI bean-to-cup would be an asset to any convenience store. The VKI grounds fresh coffee beans and with the easy-to-use touch screen the customer can select a number of specialty drink options.

David Papineau  // Newco Salesman 

The VKI Touch, Momentum and Bistro 10 brewers are great options for c-stores to give their customers a wide variety of drinks in a small footprint. Another great approach is the Newco Bistro 10 T-3, it utilizes liquid concentrated coffee and powdered mixes to prepare specialty drinks that are better quality compared to the basic powdered cappuccino machines. For tea equipment Newco’s NK-TVT Dual is a great solution for brewing multiple types of tea.


Patrick Savoy  // Newco Salesman 

Chat with one of Newco's salesmen about the latest c-store trends at one of our upcoming trade shows. Or contact them via email.