Austrade media release

24 July 2008

Compact Designs owners Manfred and Clare Jokuszies, worked in the café industry for years before realizing the business potential for a clean-up method of used coffee grains from espresso machines. 

"During the hectic days spent in the cafe, we would often curse the inefficient, cumbersome and often messy ways in which coffee grinds were disposed," Mr Jokuszies said.

Spurred by recurring thoughts of there must be better way to do this, Mr Jokuszies spent much of his spare time at his desk and in his workshop trying to find a solution.

"A common feature in many successful designs is they address a need by providing a simple solution to a common problem," Mr Jokuszies said.

"I knew from experience there was definitely a common problem and I also knew the market for coffee around the world was huge. Therefore, if I could find a simple solution, the potential demand for this product would be enormous," he said.

Mr Jokuszies invented the waste disposal unit which then led to developing new and modern accessories for the espresso machine, suitable for use in the home or for commercial use.

The company has branched out to produce a complete range of espresso machine accessories including its innovative new The Coffee´s Been. The Coffee´s Been is available in a large commercial size or as a bench top domestic model - giving it a broader market range and the design has a unique splitting system for easy cleaning.

Compact Designs exports currently  to New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK and to Scandinavian countries including Sweden. They have also exported to, Germany, Greece, Fiji, Bali, Spain and the US.
 
One of its most lucrative clients was Kitchen Aid, the electrical company and largest white goods manufacturer in the world.

With an international contract now signed with a company in Italy, Compact Designs are looking to further their market within Europe.

"New Zealand provided a testing ground for our products in the exports market," Mr Jokuszies said.

 
"We began exporting to New Zealand in 2004, one year after establishing Compact Designs in Australia. 

New Zealand is like the Australian market - of very high standard," he said.

While Mr Jokuszies did not encounter challenges in the New Zealand market at first, he’s found it to be a more competitive environment over the last few years.

"There has been a lot more competition, but there is no other company at present which produces the same amount of different accessories. We have sleek and elegant designs that are high quality and reliable. Our parts and accessories are available in eight colours that match appliances produ
ced by major manufacturers," he said.

Austrade's Senior Trade Commissioner for New
Zealand, Michael Crawford, said New Zealand was a frequent choice for Australian businesses with more than 17,000 companies exporting to the country every year.

"New Zealand is Australia's closest neighbour and also Australia's most popular export destination," Mr Crawford said. 

 

"Austrade can help Australian companies such as Compact Designs familiarise themselves with local market conditions, as well as assist in developing export opportunities through a range of in-market and Australian-based services," he added.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first of Australia's bilateral agreements, the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Agreement.  In the time since, the two way trade in goods between Australia and New Zealand has expanded at an average annual growth rate of nine per cent. 

Mr Jokuszies said the Closer Economic Agreement played a part in Compact Designs’ export success and commended Austrade for helping to establish a link between the company and its New Zealand customer.

"Our international market has grown quite substantially over the last five years through the help of all the Austrade people in the various markets. Without Austrade, this I believe would have been almost impossible to achieve.  Austrade has been of great help," he said.

Compact Designs has engaged a distributor for Australia-wide which has given Manfred and Clare more time to concentrate solely on overseas markets.

"Through working with Austrade we hope to push into some new markets.  We plan to introduce new products to compliment our range, but of course all this takes time and money so in the interim we’ll look after the customers we have, expand into new markets and countries, while always thinking ahead."

MEDIA CONTACT:  Caroline James 0413 481 579 or email: caroline.james@austrade.gov.au

ENDS

Media contact

Caroline James
Mob: +61 413 481 579

For further news and information from the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) visit www.austrade.gov.au/mediacentre.