Tassimo

Tassimo is a consumer single-serve hot-beverage system first introduced in France in 2004. It combines dedicated countertop brewing machines with proprietary, non-reusable T DISC pods. The system is designed to prepare one-cup portions of filtered-style coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, latte and other milk-based beverages. Its principal point of differentiation is the barcode printed on each T DISC. When a disc is inserted, the machine reads the code and automatically adjusts brewing parameters such as water volume, temperature, brewing time and beverage strength. This allows one machine platform to prepare different drink formats without requiring the user to manually set the recipe. The brand was originally developed by Kraft Foods. Early Tassimo machines were manufactured by Saeco and distributed by Braun. The appliance supply arrangement changed during the late 2000s: after Procter & Gamble began phasing out Braun kitchen-appliance sales in North America, Bosch was announced as the manufacturer for a new generation of Tassimo machines in August 2008. The change helped preserve the system's hardware availability while the pod business continued to expand. Kraft Foods also reported double-digit growth in Tassimo coffee T DISC sales during the period surrounding that announcement. Tassimo's consumable range has historically been marketed through a mixture of company-owned coffee and beverage brands, regional brands and licensing or retail partnerships. Examples cited for the system include Gevalia, Maxwell House, Mastro Lorenzo, Nabob, Carte Noire, Jacobs, Suchard and Kenco, although availability differs by country and ownership of individual brands has changed over time. In the United Kingdom, Costa Coffee-branded T DISCs were introduced in 2012. In Canada, the range has included products associated with Second Cup, Tim Hortons, McCafé and supermarket private labels. Milk-containing discs use UHT milk rather than powdered milk in the formulations described for the system; product availability and recipes vary by market. The platform serves both home users and, through Tassimo Professional, office and trade customers. Domestic machines differ in price, design, colour, display and filtration features, but compatible machines are intended to prepare the same beverage from the same T DISC recipe. Brewing generally takes between approximately 30 and 60 seconds, supporting Tassimo's convenience-oriented proposition. The T DISCs are proprietary and are not designed for reuse, making the ongoing availability of compatible pods central to the brand's value proposition. Ownership is geographically divided. Tassimo is owned and operated by JDE Peet's in most of the world, while Kraft Heinz has ownership responsibility in North America according to the referenced description. The brand remains positioned around convenient, portion-controlled preparation of varied hot drinks rather than around a single coffee origin or café format. Its principal competitive strengths are recipe automation, broad beverage variety and the ability to serve different drink preferences from one machine. Its principal limitations include dependence on proprietary pods, regional differences in product availability and the environmental and cost considerations associated with single-use packaging.

Tassimo is a portioned hot-beverage platform developed by Kraft Foods and introduced in France in 2004. Rather than selling a coffee machine limited to a single beverage style, the system was designed as a multi-drink platform. Users insert a proprietary T DISC into a compatible machine, which reads the disc's barcode and applies the recipe encoded for that drink. The machine can therefore alter water quantity, temperature, brewing duration and strength for different beverages. This architecture supports coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate and milk-based drinks such as cappuccino and latte. The original hardware was manufactured by Saeco and distributed by Braun. Tassimo's early development reflected the growing market for single-cup preparation, in which convenience, consistency and reduced preparation time were central selling points. The system's brewing process generally takes between 30 and 60 seconds. Its proprietary disc format also created an installed-base model: the value of the machine depended on the availability of compatible pods, while recurring T DISC sales supported the broader platform. A major hardware change occurred in the late 2000s. Procter & Gamble, Braun's parent company, began phasing out Braun kitchen-appliance sales in North America. In August 2008, Kraft announced that Bosch would manufacture the next generation of Tassimo machines. Around the same period, Kraft reported double-digit growth in Tassimo coffee T DISC sales for a second consecutive quarter, indicating that the consumables business was expanding while the appliance production arrangement was changing. Tassimo subsequently became available across a broad group of European markets, including France, Andorra, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The system also operated in North America, where product ownership and brand portfolios differed from those in Europe. T DISCs were sold under a mixture of coffee, beverage and chocolate brands. Examples include Gevalia, Maxwell House, Mastro Lorenzo, Nabob, Carte Noire, Jacobs, Suchard and Kenco. Regional availability was important: Nabob was associated with Canada, while Kenco was available in the British Isles in the cited material. The platform also used external brand relationships. Costa Coffee-branded T DISCs were sold in the United Kingdom from September 2012. Canadian offerings included products associated with Second Cup, Tim Hortons, McCafé and supermarket private labels such as Irresistibles, Our Finest and President's Choice. These partnerships broadened the range of recognizable beverages available through the system, although individual products and licensing arrangements were market-specific. Tassimo experienced a significant product-safety event in 2012. On 9 February, recalls covered approximately 900,000 machines in Canada and 835,000 in the United States after reports that brewers could spray hot liquid, grounds or tea leaves. Four million T DISCs were also recalled over reports that discs could burst during brewing. A replacement component was sent to participating customers to reduce the risk of contents spraying if a defective disc burst. In addition to domestic machines, Tassimo offers a Professional system intended for offices and trade environments. Professional T DISCs are designed for that equipment and are not interchangeable with domestic machines. Across its markets, the brand's proposition has remained centered on automated preparation, drink variety and speed. Ownership is divided geographically: JDE Peet's owns the brand in most markets, while Kraft Heinz owns it in North America according to the referenced account.

• 2012

  Costa Coffee T DISCs launched in the United Kingdom

  [1]Tassimoen.wikipedia.org

  Costa Coffee-branded T DISCs became available through the Tassimo system in the United Kingdom.

• 2012

  Coffee-maker and T DISC recalls

  [1]Tassimoen.wikipedia.org

  North American recalls addressed reports of hot-liquid spraying from coffee makers and bursting T DISCs during brewing.

• 2008

  Bosch announced as new machine manufacturer

  [1]Tassimoen.wikipedia.org

  Kraft announced that Bosch would manufacture a new generation of Tassimo machines following Braun's parent company's decision to phase out kitchen-appliance sales in North America.

• 2004

  Tassimo introduced in France

  [1]Tassimoen.wikipedia.org

  The Tassimo single-serve hot-beverage system was first launched in France.

Convenient, automated and varied at-home hot beverages, with barcode-controlled recipes and a broad range of branded T DISC drinks.

• Coffee and hot-beverage machines

  Tassimo home-use machines

  Countertop machines designed for domestic preparation of compatible T DISC beverages. The cited range includes models such as the T20, T46, T47, T55 and T65, with differences in price, colour, filtration and display features. Despite hardware variations, the machines are intended to prepare the same recipe from a given T DISC. Some models and model variants have been discontinued or are unavailable in particular markets.

• Single-serve beverage pods

  T DISC

  Proprietary, non-reusable plastic pods containing portions for coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate and milk-based drinks. A barcode on each disc communicates the required recipe to the machine, which adjusts water volume, temperature, duration and strength. Disc recipes and branded availability differ by market. Some milk-containing discs use UHT milk rather than powdered milk.

• Commercial hot-beverage system

  Tassimo Professional

  A version of the Tassimo platform intended for offices and trade or hospitality environments. It uses Professional T DISCs designed for the corresponding equipment. These discs are not intended for use in domestic Tassimo machines, separating the commercial system from the home-use product range.

• 2012

  North American safety corrective actionOther

  Background

  Reports indicated that some brewers could spray hot liquid, grounds or tea leaves, and that some T DISCs could burst during brewing.

  Action taken

  Recall programs covered approximately 900,000 Canadian machines, 835,000 United States machines and four million T DISCs. Customers participating in the machine recall received a replacement component with installation instructions.

  Aftermath

  The replacement component was intended to reduce spraying if a defective T DISC burst during use.

  Source

• 2008

  Move to Bosch-manufactured machine generationGeneration change

  Background

  Braun's parent company, Procter & Gamble, was phasing out Braun kitchen-appliance sales in North America, requiring a change in the manufacturing arrangement for Tassimo hardware.

  Action taken

  Kraft announced Bosch as the manufacturer of a new generation of Tassimo machines.

  Aftermath

  The announcement coincided with reported double-digit growth in Tassimo coffee T DISC sales, while Bosch became associated with subsequent machine production.

  Source

1. 1Tassimoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tassimo official websitetassimo.com