⭐ Questions about your background and experience
- Javier has more than 30 years of experience in the sector and 23 within Laqtia. What would you say has changed the most in the industry since you started?
We would end by saying that it has not changed, and the only thing that has not changed is the desire, effort and dedication of almost all the professionals who make up this sector, the machines, the products, the perception of society, the payment systems, etc. etc., everything has become much more professional. - What key learnings has leading markets as diverse as Latam and Key Accounts given you?
The main lesson he has given me is that each market, even having the same central conception, is very diverse, and that no market is perfect in everything, but it is not imperfect either, knowing different markets enriches you, and gives you a great openness to your way of seeing things and acting, I have tried our products that I did not recognize, because of the way they are combined in other countries when creating their recipes, customers - How do you think Laqtia has evolved in these two decades and what role have you played in that growth?
I sincerely believe that Laqtia has had the most significant evolution of almost the entire global market of manufacturers of soluble products, we have several divisions in our company that address sectors
Very disparate, and we are well known as suppliers of products for Vending, Dispensing, OCS, Hospital and Hospitality, but we manufacture many products for various types of industry, and some private labels that many would be surprised to know that what goes into the stock market of some companies is our product
⭐ Questions about your experience in previous editions of HIP
- You have lived through several editions of HIP. What differences would you highlight between those first participations and the current edition?
I think that HIP is a very clear example of doing things very well on the part of the organizers, for companies like ours it allows us to meet new customers, and find new ways of business, at the same time as greeting many of our traditional customers, this last edition has been a clear example of this, It is a much more powerful edition, with a much greater influx of professionals, and many new fronts have opened up for us that more than justify the effort of having our own stand and moving more than a dozen employees of the company to be present at the stand - What lessons has HIP taught you in previous years that you have applied this year?
Mainly having the ability to be receptive, the first editions were raised concerns by the professionals who visited us, which at first we were not sure were interesting, but we explored them and today they are realities, without that ability to be receptive and work on these new projects, We would not have been so receptive to new ideas and new players appearing in the market - What has been the most relevant moment or anecdote that you remember from other editions?
Well, the most interesting anecdote, for me, was a Venezuelan businesswoman, based in Spain, who came to visit us at the stand, and when I offered her some products to try she told me that she knew them perfectly, because she usually took them in an automatic machine at Barajas airport, and that she was so “addicted” to them, that she had come to the fair just to visit us, to explore avenues of business in your home country with our WOW line
⭐ Questions about new products and catalog
- Laqtia presents important new features this year. Which products would you particularly highlight and why?
The entire WOW line, without any exception, it is true that the market mostly knows products such as Matcha Latte, but the variety of the WOW line, and the extraordinary quality they have, has made many professionals from the hospitality sector come to this fair, planning their visits to our stand and demanding these products - How has the strategy behind these new launches developed?
We have created a specific division for this line of products, and we are promoting them in three large segments, on the one hand, coffee roasters, distributors and restaurant chains, and all this accompanied by the development of automatic machinery to dispense these products. We carry out information campaigns in these sectors, although there are many times that many of these professionals are the ones who train us, that enriches us and feeds us continuously - What market trends have prompted you to create these new products?
As I said before, the lessons that traveling for more than twenty years to fairs around the world with our own stands give us, made us have a broad vision, and discover very different trends on all continents, when you plant and set up your own stand, in China, USA, Morocco, Germany or Panama to give a few examples, you discover two things, on the one hand a change in consumer tastes and on the other hand the entry of new generations into the market that seek, demand and demand new trends, and hence the motto of renew or die that we have assumed since the day we founded this company - What response are you seeing from distributors and large accounts to these new features?
At first they did not see it, however, in the large chains of catering establishments, everyone knew that there were a huge number of consumers who are willing to pay five euros for a drink different from what the market demanded until now. Today, with the increasingly narrow margins that are worked on in traditional lines, distributors and many customers, large, medium and small, are already following these new products more closely, and are beginning to market them, with very satisfactory results for them, for us and especially for those who really rule. what is the final consumer
⭐ Customer and market questions
- From your position, what are the main needs or demands that Latam and large account clients are raising today?
Increasingly natural products, more sustainable manufacturing processes, flavours different from traditional ones, and training, a lot of training - What differences do you see between the demands of the Spanish market and those of the Latin American market?
Very few, can change the flavors, you adapt your concepts to the demands of each country or each area of each country, when you explain to a customer that you have more than fifty types of dairy preparations, they are surprised, but we develop à la carte products, and with these new products we also face the challenge of adapting them to the tastes of each country, that is, the trunk is the same, but the branches vary depending on the market - What kind of solutions are customers looking for today that were not previously considered a priority?
The healthy and the sustainable, combined with the variety of flavors, which is like a garden full of sensations, where each sip is a surprise that awakens the senses, when we only made milk, cocoa and chais, I remember with Alfonso, and a group of friendly operators, being in Paris at a metro stop to go to Notre Dame, and we began to take out all the drinks that were available from a vending machine and we didn’t know any, and we were surprised that they drank those drinks, here the cappuccinos were coffee, milk and cocoa, that opened our eyes twenty years ago, today the market demand is infinitely higher, and our response and speed in having the answer to that demand, so is
⭐ Questions about audience acceptance during HIP
- How is the public reception of Laqtia’s products in this edition of HIP?
Extraordinary, it is a spectacularly rewarding relationship, they return interest, gratitude and affection, and that feeds our enthusiasm, commitment and dedication - Is there a product or line that is particularly surprising for its reception?
I couldn’t highlight any of them, the whole wow line, our special cappuccinos, our 100% whole milk, cocoa a la taza etc. etc. - What comments or feedback are the most professional visitors, such as distributors or purchasing managers, giving you?
That we continue in this line, that we can be their strategic partners, and that they want to do new projects with us
⭐ Questions about improvements and challenges
- From your experience, what aspects do you think Laqtia can continue to improve to strengthen its position in the market?
To remain globally one of the leading suppliers of soluble products - What challenges do you consider most important for the coming years in the sector?
It would be almost a synthesis of everything said so far, new generations of consumers who demand different products, flavors that until now were inconceivable, and a dizzying speed in changes
consumer constants - How does Laqtia address innovation and sustainability challenges, especially for international markets?
With a lot of enthusiasm and with a lot of open-mindedness, with an R+D+I team that is enviable for its professionalism and capacity for development, and with a commercial force, for me the best in the sector, with many years of experience, but with the enthusiasm that you have when you start
⭐ Reflection and closing questions
- If you had to summarise in one sentence what Laqtia brings to the sector, what would it be?
We are the result of listening and learning a lot, and working with effort, with enthusiasm, with open-mindedness, honesty and passion - What motivates you personally after so many years to continue promoting projects at Laqtia?
Enjoy, I am fortunate to work in what he likes, and surrounded by a team of professionals from factory, administration, laboratory and commercial who are just like me, anyone who has visited our factory can attest to it - What is your main takeaway from this edition of HIP?
That we will be back next year, and that we have to continue studying learning day by day - What message would you like to convey to the team, customers and collaborators after this fair?
Here I will be very brief, the message is very short: Thank you, thank you very much!!!