Celebrating Progress, People and Purpose in 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s a wonderful moment to pause and reflect on a year marked by growth, innovation, relationships and community. Coinadrink has continued to push boundaries in workplace refreshment solutions, while staying grounded in the values that make us who we are: quality service, a supportive culture, and a deep respect for the people we work with every day.

Here’s a look back on the moments that made this year truly special.

January – A healthy beginning

We kicked off January by exploring how healthier eating and living can be embraced through thoughtful vending choices.

Our guide for employers shared how a carefully curated selection of better-for-you snacks and drinks in vending machines can support wellbeing at work, encouraging teams to think about balance and nutrition in a way that still feels convenient and enjoyable.

In the midst of this, we also marked Blue Monday with an internal event for the second year running, offering support, good conversation and a reminder that looking after one another is just as important as offering great refreshment solutions.

February – A fresh office for a fresh new year

After the flood damage that affected our premises in autumn 2024, early 2025 became the perfect opportunity to invest in our workspace.

We completed an extensive renovation project that has transformed our upstairs area into a more modern and functional environment. This includes a dedicated space for video calls and meetings, a larger collaborative zone for our marketing team, upgraded sales and IT areas with better lighting, and new desks to create a fresh, inspiring setting for our team.

Downstairs and in reception, similar enhancements have given the whole office a brighter and more welcoming feel, a space we’re excited to work in every day.

February also saw us champion National Apprenticeship Week, highlighting how apprenticeships, a pathway that many of our own management started on, are integral to our culture of lifelong learning, development and opportunity.

April – Sustainability, standards, and celebration

April saw the business proudly retained our 5-star Food Hygiene Rating, a testament to the high standards we maintain as a trusted fresh food operator as part of our wider vending service.

Later in the month, our Managing Director Tom Williams travelled to Madrid to visit our Café Casa milk partner Laqtia, strengthening supplier relationships and exchanging ideas and best practice overseas.

Finally, to bring the team together after a busy start to the year, we hosted an Easter buffet, a joyful afternoon in our showroom filled with delicious food from Westwood’s Kitchen, warm conversations, and the fun tradition of everyone choosing an Easter egg to take home.

 It was a lovely way to thank the team for all their hard work so far into the year.

May – Industry leadership

May brought another proud milestone as our Managing Director, Tom Williams, took on the role of Treasurer of the Automatic Vending Association (AVA).

This is particularly meaningful for both Tom and the company, as his late father and our founder, Roger Williams, held a similar position for over three decades. Tom’s appointment continues this family legacy of leadership in the vending industry.

In this role, Tom contributes to important strategic conversations around standards, sustainability and future trends that benefit the wider sector.

June – Awards, accreditations, and inspiration

June was a month of recognition and progress.

At The Vendies 2025, the industry’s premier awards ceremony, Coinadrink was delighted to celebrate winning Best Large Operator and Excellence in Communication, while also receiving high commendations for Best Family Business and Best Vending Project for our Smart Fridge solution, a project that continues to redefine workplace refreshments.

Meanwhile, retaining our key accreditations in Health & Safety, Environment and Quality gave us further reassurance that we’re operating responsibly and professionally, and was a real team effort to achieve.

Finally, we shared creative ideas for workplace coffee stations in collaboration with Flow Office Furniture, helping workplaces think about how to make break areas more inviting and productive.

July – Exploring trends and supporting future talent

July saw us looking at exciting developments in drinks trends, including how matcha might find its place alongside traditional coffee and tea options in our vending and coffee solutions.

It was also a great pleasure to host George Collins and Lavanya Pinchabaduge for work experience. George and Lavanya spent time with various teams, learning how a dynamic business operates from the inside, and bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the projects they worked on.

Lavanya’s enthusiasm was highlighted later in the year when she chose to return for a two-week placement, spending much of her time working with our sales and marketing team. Here, she gained real hands-on experience in digital content creation and business communication.

August – Innovation and summer discoveries

August saw the beginning of an exciting era as we shared news about smarter vending and live AI insights, bespoke tools that began to further elevate our service delivery and customer experience across the board.

The team also enjoyed discovering some of the world’s most unusual vending machines during their summer holidays, from Nasoni water fountains in Rome, a Disney vending machine at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, a cluster of machines in Budapest, to even a wine vending outlet in Greece.

These fun finds, shared across our social media channels, reminded us of the global creativity in refreshment solutions and sparked plenty of conversation back at the office.

September – Connecting, rewarding, and giving back

The start of a packed September saw us reintroduce Lavanya into the business, welcoming her back after her initial placement, and it was brilliant to see how much she had developed in her skills and confidence during her time with us.

The end of month again saw us support a cause close to many hearts. Our Macmillan Coffee Morning raised over £80 thanks to an incredible spread of cakes and bakes… and the enthusiasm of our team in supporting this important charity.

Our annual Long Service Dinner at the plush Brockencote Hall in Kidderminster celebrated team members who have dedicated 25 years or more to the business. This long-standing tradition is a heart-warming reminder of the commitment and loyalty that shape our company.

Finally, we hosted our second staff social event back at Flight Club, Birmingham. Having already done this the year before, it was back by popular demand, bringing the whole team together for laughter, connection and relaxation.

It was lovely to enjoy each other’s company outside the workplace and strengthen the bonds that make our culture so special.

October – Community, fair pay, and local support

October started with Coinadrink out at the Greater Birmingham Business Expo 2025 at Edgbaston Stadium, meeting other businesses, sharing insights on workplace refreshment services, and talking through how self-service solutions can support staff wellbeing as the cooler months approached.

Through our Express Refreshments subdivision, we were proud to support the health and wellbeing efforts of one of our Micro Market customers, who wanted to promote a healthy eating initiative to their team. We also sponsored Darlaston Town Citizens Under 13s football team, as a way to back local sport and encourage young players in the community.

This month also reaffirmed our commitment to our team as a Real Living Wage Employer. Supporting fair pay is something we value deeply, and we’re committed to creating a workplace where dedication is acknowledged and rewarded.

November – An act of bravery and kindness

November brought inspiring news from our warehouse team, as Kerry “Kez” Cooper bravely announced she will be taking on Brave the Shave in support of Macmillan Cancer Support in early 2026. Kez’s commitment to raising funds and awareness is a wonderful example of the generosity and heart that runs through our team. And we couldn’t be more proud of her.

We also wished a very happy retirement to long serving Route Operators, Kim Vickers, who left us after 15 years and 7 months. We surprised her with a banquet buffet and some gifts in our showroom, with the whole team there to show our appreciation for all her hard work over the years. Some of her family members also joined us for the celebrations, and it was a lovely moment when she walked in to be greeted by us all.

December – A festive finale

December has been a joyful month, full of festive spirit and togetherness.

We’ve marked the start of the season with office decorations, team treats, and a sense of celebration that builds as the year draws to a close. From festive lunches and seasonal drinks shared together, to thoughtful small gifts, charity contributions and cosy moments in the office, this month has been about appreciating one another and ending the year with warmth.

We also updated our customers and community on seasonal offerings and reflected on the year’s successes in our newsletters, a reminder of all that we’ve achieved together.

Looking ahead to 2026

To every member of our team, every customer, supplier and supporter: thank you. It’s your trust, energy and creativity that make Coinadrink what it is.

As we step into 2026, what will be our 64^th year trading, we do so with pride in what we’ve achieved and excitement for the journey ahead. Here’s to another inspiring year together.

From everyone at Coinadrink and our divisions, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year!

01922 640777

sales@coinadrink.co.uk