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It’s not
every day, you can stumble upon a totally different
approach to retailing hot food.
Yet that’s what took place early on
in 2002 at the IE Library in Singapore, when
Hotbake’s Managing Director, Dr. Ken
Davis, came across a news article about a new
food vending machine invented in Catalonia,
Spain. This vending machine advertised itself
as dispensing hot toasted sandwiches within
sixty seconds.
It seemed too good to be true.
Hot and nutritious
sandwiches dispensed anytime and potentially
anywhere; pre-packed for take-away.
A micro food factory, into which fresh sandwiches
could be delivered daily and toasted within
seconds of making payment. What a convenience
to the consumer!
No more waiting and queuing
at shops or restaurants when only a quick bite
of hot food is required.
No more looking in vain
for hot food after-hours when retail food outlets
are shut.
No more soggy microwave food, as these
sandwiches are crisp because they are toasted
by hot plates.
That same day, Ken contacted Jiwi
Ho. Jiwi had years of experience in the food
industry
and was formerly R&D chief of SE Asia’s
larger bread manufacturer. Jiwi’s enthusiasm
for the new vending concept was identical.
Thereafter followed some 15 months of research
in Japan and Europe to evaluate how this toasted
sandwich machine compared with other alternatives.
End conclusion – the machine was unique
and could be modified to suit the particular
needs of the Singapore/SE Asian marketplace.
But
there were still the food safety preparations.
A cold chain had to be established from the
very moment the sandwiches were produced, through
to transportation of sandwiches to machine
via cold truck, right up to moment sandwiches
are placed in the chiller storage of the vending
machine. There were also the extensive preparations
for new sandwich formulations. Using a variety
of different fillings and often unique breads
(viz tahini bread), Jiwi Ho created a whole
new range of sandwiches not previously seen
in Singapore in any format – toasted
or untoasted.
Naturally, a completely novel
machine of this nature had to be licensed by
the Singapore
authorities. Ultimately, for its production,
distribution and vending operations, Hotbake
has acquired regulatory approvals from the
National Environment Authority (NEA), the Agriculture
and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Muslim
Religious Council (MUIS).
In July 2003, after months of struggle and discussions, Director Gareth "Buck" Davis was contacted and brought in from the US to oversee the operations and establish Hotbake as a truly unique and revolutionized form of hot food and vending. Subsequently, the first Hotbake 24/7 sandwich vending machine was installed at KKH hospital in Singapore, it was quite possible that this was the first vending machine in Singapore history to be put under such intense scrutiny!
Thankfully though you can try these sandwiches and rely on them for freshness, hygiene and good taste! |
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