Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Majority of people working in the communications industry I meet at conferences and festivals in the region tell me they start their day with a coffee and reading the Media Marketing portal. Morning coffee and the MM portal? Sounds like an excellent combination. Therefore as the year approaches it seems logical for me to write a story on coffee. Grand kafa celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. And since he is the leader in the coffee market in the Adriatic region and the leader in the communications industry the jigsaw pieces fell into place. All I needed from Andrej Bele, the Director of the Strategic Business Unit Coffee with Atlantic Group, is to find some time in his busy calendar to answer few questions.
I met Andrej in Planika (Slovenia) during a ski jump competition. It was either in 1990 during the World Cup or in 1994 during the World Ski Jumping Championship in Planika. That was the year the 200 meter jump was achieved.
Andrej Bele started his business journey as a trainee with the mineral water company Donat Mg in Rogaska, in a small town Rogatec which still to this day his official residence, although for the last six years he’s been living and working in Belgrade. Twenty years ago (1997) he relocated to Kolinska as a Manager for Beverages and Complete Range Sales. After three years he moved on to Zito and then returned once again to Droga Kolinska as the Beverages Manager. He remained in that position till 2011 when he moved on to become the Director of the Strategic Business Unit Coffee with Atlantic Group. He moved to Belgrade for six months and six years later he is still there.
Media Marketing: This year is the 20th anniversary of Grand Kafa. What is your position in the coffee market of the Adriatic region?
Andrej Bele: This twenty years is a significant period during which a lot of time and effort was put into the business. We improved all the processes, enhanced the quality control system, and judging by all the feedback from the market our product fits the needs of the modern consumer. During the earlier days our communication strategy was original; we arrived on the Serbian market with the TV spot starring Dragan Nikolic and a big coffee cup. The aroma and the taste is a slogan that lingers on.
We tried to combine the tradition of giving gifts and attentiveness with a distinct concept of enjoying the coffee and with that we gained the trust of millions of coffee lovers and became a leading brand in the region.
However, it has been hard work reaching the top, and even harder staying there. Both the expectations and the responsibility are greater, because the Atlantic Group is a leading coffee producer in the region dominated by Turkish coffee consumption. The foundations for our leading position are a strong product portfolio, regional know how, flexible business practices, an assortment of quality coffees – Turkish, instant and espresso with carefully crafted brands satisfying different consumer needs. Over a year, SPP Kafa places around 24 000 tons into the regional market, 12 000 tons of which goes to Serbia.
In Serbia, taking into account all our coffees: Grand kafa (Gold, Aroma De Luks, plus B&E i instanti), Bonito i Barcaffe espresso, we reached 53 percent of market share. The largest Grand kafa coffee roasting house is in Belgrade, and Grand kafa brands are also produced in Glavicice near Bijeljina in BiH (Republika Srpska)distributing to the BiH region, there’s also Skopje coffee roasting house covering Macedonian and Montenegro markets. Our Barcaffe brand is produced in Izola our second largest plant supplying Slovenia and Croatia with traditional and instant coffee, and our Barcaffee espresso is the brand for all regions. Barcaffe has 71% share of of the Slovenian market. Broken down into categories – Turkish coffee commands 89% of sales, espresso 6%, instant 3% and other coffees 2%.
Media Marketing: How did you mark the jubilee? You promoted the new packaging, was there anything else?
Andrej Bele: We dedicated the Grand kafa jubilee to socially responsible business practices and our consumers. In the first part of the year we promoted a monograph dedicated to Dragan Nikolic, An Artist and Gentleman Rake; we wanted to pay our respects to the great artist for the friendship and many years of working together and at the same time show his work.
On the actual day of our anniversary we distributed coffee overnight between 23rd and 2th October to the staff in hospitals, A and E, on call radio volunteers at emergency control centres, street cleaners and the association Dimnjacar. So, we dedicated the day to all those looking after us and making sure we are safe while we sleep and who make our cities better places to live. We wanted to show them how much we care and appreciate them.
We are also continuing our collaboration with Atelje 212 as a part of our support for culture and music events. As of last year we are the main sponsor of the Barcaffe Musicology festival, it’s a festival where world renowned musicians play a specific style of music.
Media Marketing: Recently, you were in Brazil on business. Did you renew your contracts there or found new suppliers or you were there for some other reason?
Andrej Bele: Visiting Brazilian plantations is a part of our job, 80% of our coffee is supplied straight from the coffee growers, we are in direct contact with the farmers. By visiting the plantations we get better picture of what to expect for the future. We want to choose the best coffee possible, we visit Brazil after the harvest when the warehouses are full. By doing this we maintain the quality of our coffee for the rest of the year. This period gives you an idea what to expect of the next harvest. During our stay lasting about the week, we try to visit all our suppliers, talk to them, our tasters test the coffee samples thus ensuring the selection of best beans and maintaining the quality of our product.
Media Marketing: What are your experiences with the new brand Black’n’Easy? Did the younger generation as a target group accept it?
Andrej Bele: Although it’s the latest brand in Grand kafa palette, I’d say that it is not seen as new on the market any more. During the first year after the launch I had to explain again and again the “revolutionary” concept of the new coffee brand. Today, you can find B’n’E in any office, student room and it’s the coffee to take with you when travelling. It is a truly real turkish coffee made in an instant adapted to the fast pace of life. In the first year and a half we sold 15 million saches and we continue to improve the concept of enjoying the B’n’ E coffee. We introduced Make it yourself concept on HoReCa channel, and now you can make your own Turkish coffee in a coffee bar, the way you like it, with a sachet of B’n’E for the true experience. Even older generations accepted B’n’E because it is so easy to make.
Media Marketing: The new product is Jazzva, a Turkish coffee capsule. What is the market response?
Andrej Bele: It is very difficult to innovate in a very traditional market segment of Turkish coffee, but we have to be ready for all the challenges of the fast pace of modern life. We can come up with new ways in coffee preparation but also new ways of enjoying the “me moments” or when in company of dear friends.
Media Marketing: Bedouins roast coffee beans when they fancy a coffee. They say a coffee should be red hot and bitter. How do you like your coffee?
Andrej Bele: We all have our favourite way of making coffee. I personally enjoy espresso. Barcaffe is a part of my morning routine, a ritual I don’t want to give up.
Media Marketing: Even those who don’t drink coffee noticed Grand kafa initiative in publishing “An artist and the gentleman rake” monograph dedicated to Dragan Nikolic as an homage to 20 years of working together. How did the monograph come about?
Working with somebody for over 20 years is no mean feat. Especially when a business relationship becomes a friendship. That was our relationship with Dragan Nikolic and Milena Dravic. I got the idea for the monograph when I realised that Dragan didn’t have a complete biography which would present all his great artistic achievements. The book is an homage to his art, to him as a person, to all his endeavours, his nobility and many years of friendship we wanted to preserve and share for all those who respected him, who enjoyed his art, who knew him but also for the new generations to find out about the great Gaga Nikolic.
The promotion which took place in Atelje 212 and was an excellent occasion gathered many of his friends, directors, actors and admirers of his work and we are very proud that we managed to mark his work in this manner.
Media Marketing: Grand kafa always tries to fulfill its promises to their consumers. You’ve started several loyalty programs: Vidim ti siguran dobitak, Nameštaj život po svom, Noć Arome , 18 000 people attended Vlada Georgiev’s concert in Kombank Arena organised by Grand Kafa for their consumers. Are consumers loyal to your coffee brands, is your market share growing?
Andrej Bele: Honest relationship with consumers is one of the most important things to understand their needs and habits. One way messages are thing of the past, however creative they are. You must be aware of the needs of your customers and you mustn’t give empty promises.
People are often mistrustful. Although, once you show them that you trustworthy and you don’t betray that trust you win their loyalty. The customer must be aware of the brand and its quality, but we mustn’t forget the network of associations that links a consumer to the brand. The combination of the two creates an additional emotive tie and that’s what consumers recognize. Thanks to that relationship we create new brands and new categories which offer more enjoyment to our customers, because on all markets coffee means I want it now and I want it how I like it. We know what our customers want and we will always give it to them. The promotions you mentioned are only a part of what we do. We are always “cooking up” new ideas and projects in our “laboratory”.
That’s why every second coffee drank in Serbia came out of one of Grand factories. Grand kafa is number one in the market in BiH and Macedonia, Barcaffe is drank by 7 out of 10 Slovenians, and in Croatia it has 13% of market share and sales growth of 31%.
Media Marketing: You are seen as one of the most creative advertisers in Serbia, it is proven by many accolades you have won. Two years ago you were the Advertiser of the year and you won 13 UEPS awards. In December last year you won seven awards. I presume, the advertising investment pays its dividends. Are you satisfied?
Andrej Bele: Of course, each campaign requires a lot of work – research, insight defining, campaign goals formulation and the executions of the final creative output as a crowning glory of the whole process. It is very important that the message is clear, consistent with the brand, relevant to the consumer, attractive and unique. Using different channels of communication intensifies the campaign effect and allows us to reach more consumers and for them to hear our message several times through different channels.
The awards are a professional recognition of the fact that we communicate with our customers in a correct manner that takes into account their needs, interests, intelligence and emotional engagement. I must point out that our successes come from a team effort. The awards we received are the best proof of our joint enthusiasm, positive energy and a carefully planned strategy . We are proud of our results and all of our co-workers.
Media Marketing: Of all the awards you have won, probably the most important ones would be the two Effies in Serbia: the silver Effie for the campaign “Coffee for the new generation” for your new product Black’n’Easy (Idea Plus Communications) and the bronze Effie for the Grand kafa Gold campaign “One more circle around the cup” (FCB Afirma)
Andrej Bele: All awards are important, but Effie awards are close to our heart, because it’s based around efficiency meaning what has been achieved by what has been spent for the marketing campaign. And we won two! The silver for Grand Black N’ Easy is an additional confirmation just how innovative this product is. Our original ideas and creativity always find a way for getting through to the consumer and they are the main source of inspiration. The Effies were the pinnacle of our joint efforts with agencies and gives us the momentum to continue coming up with new projects and push the boundaries of innovation. We are particularly pleased to have received these awards in what is our Jubilee year, and that is one more proof of our leading position in all areas, from the quality of our product through to our relationship with our customers.
Media Marketing: UEPS awards are to be held in two days. Have you entered your campaigns?
Andrej Bele: It has become a tradition for us and our partner agencies. Professional associations are important to all, to us in product development and to agencies who help us build brands. UEPS is a reminder of the importance of communication. The best persist leaving us with knowledge of proper methods of using the communications system.
Media Marketing: What are your plans for next year?
Andrej Bele: We will continue developing new brands and new products. We will pay special attention to espresso category with a view to expanding it in the region. Espresso arrived in the nineties in the region, and Barcaffe has 6-7% of our portfolio. In the last couple of years it has expanded in Serbia. Recently, we launched a new product Barcaffè D.O.T. capsules (New dimension of taste). New dimension of taste, made for enjoyment, produced from carefully selected coffee beans ripened in the sun of Brazil, Ethiopia, Columbia and India, prepared in ideal conditions to ensure top quality and perfect balance of taste. This latest and sophisticated product line is available to all coffee lovers in Serbia. Our long search for a perfect cup of coffee at any time brought us this fantastic combination enhancing those relaxing moments at home. Barcaffe DOT capsules are compatible with most of home espresso kits. We are continuing strengthening our on the go trend, which is represented by Barcaffè&Go, a modern and popular concept allowing freedom of movement combined with top quality Barcaffe espresso.
Media Marketing: You are Slovenian, working for a Croatian company and heading the Atlantic coffee kingdom in Belgrade. How did you manage that?
Andrej Bele: I must admit it wasn’t easy in the beginning. I had planned to stay in Belgrade 6 months to a year max. As it turned out, jigsaw pieces fell into place and here I am still here after six years. I still listen to Slovenian news in the morning and read Slovenian papers. Old habits die hard and you pick up new habits as you go along. If you really wish to achieve something, nothing is impossible. After 20 years of work I still wake up with new ideas and go to work with pleasure and that’s the key to success.
Media Marketing: What do you do in your free time in Belgrade?
Andrej Bele: Unfortunately, I have very little free time but I try to spend it with people dear to me, friends and family. Like all of us. Like any of us incomers to Belgrade, we view the city differently, we get to know it quickly because we are not stuck in routines. I am still inspired to explore it more and it still impresses me. Simply, Belgrade is the city of never ending surprises.