By James Wells
SYDNEY: Two major brands within the Australian coffee market have both defended their reputations against claims made by Sunbeam yesterday that it is driving the value of the coffee category.
In a report published yesterday by Current.com.au, Sunbeam marketing manager – kitchen appliances, Damian Court, claimed that much of the recent growth in the espresso category was attributable to the Café Series EM6900 machine which received a strong boost in sales following a controversial report aired on A Current Affair in late April.
Breville general manager – marketing, Cameron Searle, said the statistics supplied by Sunbeam are selective.
“Breville received the GfK award for the leading share of coffee makers in 2005. We are still the leading manufacturer in this GfK category,” Searle told Current.com.au.
“Sunbeam chose to report their results in the pump espresso market segment specifically, where they are performing well.”
“In the overall espresso machine market, as reported by Gfk, Breville gained share in April and May, reflecting a strong Mothers’ Day result,” Searle said.
“On a 2006 moving annual total from June 2005 to May 2006 basis, GfK recorded Breville ahead of Sunbeam with 20.6 per cent against Sunbeam’s 18.4 per cent. So it’s a case of selective reporting; a little like the controversial ACA report which has driven Sunbeam’s recent performance.”
Saeco national sales manager, Andrew Kremmer, also responded to the information circulated by Sunbeam.
“Saeco has consistently achieved pleasing results from the category over the past 10 years,” Kremmer told Current.com.au.
“The Saeco brand is arguably the most recognised coffee machine brand in the market, and has performed consistently over the years. Saeco’s proven ability to produce innovative products that lead the way in coffee extraction technology are the major contributor to the brands success. The Saeco name is synonymous with premium coffee.
“We don’t rely on purchased advertorials to sell our products because they sell themselves.”