EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, right after water. Nevertheless, unless you are at a restaurant, there is no way to buy high quality tea in public. We want to change that by introducing the "Teezeit" Tea Vending Machine which serves freshly brewed, high quality tea in a variety of flavours.

Opportunity

Universities, hospitals and other public places are traditionally very well equipped with coffee vending machines. For those who prefer fresh tea over coffee, however, no satisfying solution exists. Considering the popularity of tea, there is a potentially considerable gap in the market. Coffee vending machines sometimes do offer a small number of tea options. But like specialised tea vending machines on the market, they produce tea out of a concentrate. In terms of quality, these concepts cannot compete with freshly brewed tea.

In short: Millions of tea consumers in this world simply do not have the chance to take a time-out from their stressful lives and relax with a nice cup of tea in their hands.

Solution

The "Teezeit" Tea Vending Machine solves this problem: A beautifully simple machine that delivers a cup of freshly brewed water, a bag of high quality tea out of a variety of flavours, milk, sugar and a spoon. The customer selects all those ingredients and has the liberty to prepare the tea in exactly the way he or she prefers it. The selection includes a number of high quality, sustainably produced tea, from green tea over fruit teas to black tea. Information about the tea's origins, flavours, attributes and best ways to prepare are provided at the machine. And last but not least, the exterior is crafted in solid wood to convey a feeling of nature and relaxation. All these little pieces are meant to engage the customer in the process of buying, preparing and enjoying the tea he or she wants. We want to give our customers a moment in their increasingly stressful lives to step back, take a deep breath and relax: We call this the "Teezeit"!

Where are we and what's next?

Good News: The Tea Vending Machine is on its best way to become real!

Besides the detailed concept, a first dummy prototype exists and is being tested in the field the very moment you read these lines. We currently focus on the optimal location and the eye-catching design of the machine in order to boost conversion rates. The Tea Vending Machine will mainly target public locations. In other words: Universities, train stations, airports, libraries and most importantly, hospitals. For this reason we are negotiating agreements with several hospitals to set up a future prototype at their locations. Simultaneously, this leads to the next crucial step: The production and field testing of a fully functional prototype. At the moment we are in the planning and preparation phase of such an undertaking: Detailed blueprints, parts lists, cost structures and necessary agreements are being worked on. If things work out, and we are sure they will, the "Teezeit" Tea Vending Machine will be out there soon! For any questions or remarks, please contact us at TheTeaVendingMachine@gmail.com

Contact Person

• Josef Fink
  090josef.fink@gmx.at

Student Team

• Josef Fink (WU)
  Azad Mudaffer (TU)
  Georg Schwarzl (WU)