With 800 coffee machines in operation, from Østerdalen in the north of the county through Vågå and Nordberg and then down to Kongsvinger and Harestua in the south, and with an unwavering belief that it is a high service level which makes all the difference, Selecta’s service vans traverse 150,000 kilometres of asphalt each year all in the name of good coffee at the workplace.
Selecta is a market leader within self-service solutions for food and drink with over 425,000 points of sale all over Europe. Here in Innlandet County, the company turns a profit of NOK 18 million and enjoys even distribution both east and west of the mighty Mjøsa Bridge. With its different product concepts for coffee and water and its tailored solutions from instant coffee machines through to more advanced products which can prepare proper Italian coffees, the company provides workers far and wide with their much-needed hit of caffeine right from their newly refurbished and modernised offices in Raufoss Industrial Park.
Selecta has been resident at the park since 2006 under various different names and coalitions. Their presence at the park was spread across several buildings and this was something that gradually came to be impractical and an impediment to further growth. The company began looking beyond the park for new premises but eventually discovered that their best prospects still lay within the Raufoss gates. Over the winter of 2020 and in collaboration with Raufoss Industrial Park, the company has built and optimised an area of 400 m2 under the one roof for more streamlined operations and future growth.
Customisation
"Raufoss is a place which understands that the most important thing for any company is the need to turn a profit", says Eskil Strandlie who has been along for the entire journey within the coffee industry ever since the park was established. "Additionally, they are well aware that the industrial park cannot just be a place for the big-hitters, but that it also needs service-oriented companies who can assist and serve the giants of industry. Having been at the park for many years, we have borne witness to great progress; we’re now in a whole other era characterised by local and assertive ownership. At Raufoss everything is in order and so all we need to do is focus on our own business", says Strandlie.
"The roads are all shovelled and cleared well before the lights go up in Raufoss Centre", says Jim Van Dijk who is responsible for ensuring that all machines always produce a great cup of coffee.
Us culture
"We probably could have saved a few bob by moving out, but the one thing you can’t pack up in your suitcase is that special 'us' culture which has been built up at the park over many years. People here truly do wish each other well and we all bask in each other’s success. We all give each other a boost. The big-hitters at the park need service-oriented companies around them who can deliver good quality"
, Strandli stresses. Of their entire turnover today, around 15% is connected to companies present at the industrial park.
The way forward
With the industrial park as its base, Selecta intends to grow by offering a healthier selection of products and even better food and coffee experiences for all. They are placing particular focus on the hospitality and catering market, in addition to business deals with the largest chains on a national level. Innovation and technology are important even within the coffee sector; their equipment and services need to constantly innovate in order to conquer market shares. "Within industry, the mentality of zero errors in all projects is so deeply ingrained and that is something that small companies like us can learn from as well. We believe this is the reason we have only had one breakdown this year across all 800 of our machines at customer premises throughout the Innlandet region. We need to have complete control over every last detail and our level of service needs to be impeccable even if this means visiting each customer at least every eight weeks. If we are to serve three to four cups of great coffee to every last employee then everything needs to work as it should every single day", concludes Van Dijk.
