Nestle rolls out touchless coffee machines, new flavors

Nestle rolls out touchless coffee machines, new flavors

Published 22 Mar,2021 via Bloomberg Technology & Innovation - Nestle SA is preparing for post-pandemic coffee growth as the world's largest food company rolls out touchless machines for the office and bets new flavors will win over more consumers making coffee at home.

The maker of Nespresso and Nescafe is planning a wider introduction of machines that can be controlled via smartphone, catering to concern about viral transmission, David Rennie, head of Nestle's coffee brands, said in an interview.

Coffee was one of the motors of Nestle's sales growth last year and makes up the bulk of the company's $24 billion beverage business. Following a lukewarm introduction of Nespresso in the late 2000s, Nestle has made some bolder steps to boost its U.S. coffee business in recent years. The company splurged $7.15 billion on a partnership with Starbucks in 2018, and now Nestle makes the coffee chain's products for at-home use worldwide.

That was a boon during the pandemic, when