Vita-Mix –– one of the leading innovators in blending machines –– can sum up their business philosophy in one word: partnership. Managing to stay ahead of the curve in the blender industry for more than 70 years, the success of Vita-Mix is not based on making a fast buck, but rather listening to customers’ needs and responding in kind. In essence, Vita-Mix creates a partnership with its clients.

Durability, Economy and Surety  
    “We’re not trying to just stay ahead of the competition; we’re trying to help our customers’ businesses grow,” says Tom Poje, food service marketing manager for commercial and international. “We are trying to make them more profitable.”
    Keeping their ears open and their scientific brains fine-tuned, these blending machine pioneers have come up with some of the most practical ideas to better serve the bartender, which ultimately better serves the bar owner. Vita-Mix began in 1921 as a manufacturer of at-home blenders. In the past decade, it has  discovered the industry desire for high-performance blenders that deliver durability, economy and surety. Their first high-performance blender hit the streets in 1991, and it now is available in 65 countries.
    Today’s quieter blenders generate a product with consistency. With built-in timers, these machines can guarantee a smooth finish every time because every drink is blended for the same amount of time.
    The company’s latest development in high-performance blenders is the Bar Boss Advance, which has six programmable settings. This allows the bartender to tell the blender how to make six different drinks –– from a Margarita to a Daiquiri to anything else frozen or blended –– allowing the bartender the flexibility to tend to other tasks instead of supervising the blender.

The Theme’s the Limit
    Poje says nightclubs have begun using these machines to create theme nights. “There are so many different recipes, it makes it easy to build a theme night,” he says. Vita-Mix’s Blending Station Advance series has responded to the need for durability in blender products. Vita-Mix developed an advanced container that pulls less power from the machine, eliminating any overheating problems. It also comes with 34 pre-programmable settings that will blend a bar owner’s specific recipes. These systems also come with the ability to measure the amount of ice they distribute in each drink or multiple drinks, and the makers have kept in mind space constraints and created a product that fits in better with the bar.
    “We’re innovating things that the customers don’t even see,” says Poje, citing an example of accessories such as the container brushes, which remove any residue inside the container.  
    “With Vita-Mix, you are getting a full solution and not just a blender,” he says. This outcome results from the fact that Vita-Mix constantly and consistently is forging relationships with its clients. Vita-Mix’s products are the result of the distinct, hard-earned relationships the company’s people maintain with the people they commit to serve.
    “We have talked with the bar owner. We have talked with the bartender, and we’ve asked them, ‘What would make your life better?’” Poje says. “It’s an advantage to work with Vita-Mix.” NCB