By Patrick Avenell
Cruise Bar at Sydney’s Circular Quay was the setting last week for the launch of Jura Australia, a joint business venture between Global Coffee Solutions and the Swiss-based Jura company. Included on the guest list were a number of leading retail figures, all out to be impressed by the newest big hitter in the category.
A spectacular view of Sydney Harbour and the Opera House was on show for guests, who began the evening by sipping Kahlua-based coffee cocktails and feasting on grilled pawns. Among those transfixed by either the alcohol or the scenery were head office and retail store representatives from Harvey Norman, Clive Peeters, Domayne and David Jones.
Global Coffee Solutions has been the distributor of Jura in Australia for some time now, and has so far experienced great success in its commercial division, with the supplier fitting out most McDonalds restaurants in the country with Jura coffee machines. This event was about the retail sector, however, and with the retail groups in attendance, Jura Australia was looking to impress.
To that end, the latest range of Jura fully automatics was lined up on the venue’s verandah, with models such as the C-5 Platinum, J-5 All White and ENA 5 Crema going head-to-head with Sydney’s stunning waterfront for best on show. In addition to the night being a potable-infused meet-and-greet, Global Coffee Solutions also unveiled the new Jura Impressa C9 One Touch.
To celebrate this occasion, a number of delegates from the brand’s European head office flew in from Basel, Switzerland for the event. So they would not feel too homesick, the Swiss Consulate General, Ernst Hofstetter, and two members of the Swiss-Australian Chamber of Commerce were there conversing fluently in English, German, Italian and French – the latter three are all official languages of Switzerland.
At the end of the night, a top-of-the-line Jura, signed by Swiss national hero Roger Federer, was raffled off to one lucky attendee. The rest of us made the quiet trip home to lie in bed all night, unable to sleep for all the caffeine we’d just consumed.
