SUSTAINABLY SAVE COSTS WITH"MERCURE HOTEL"AND HALM

 

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Dear Mr. Gebhardt, you have been using the HALM glass drinking glass straws since May 2018. What made you switch to reusable drinking straws back then??

Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):

First and foremost, we were concerned with sustainability, since the Mercure brand stands for regional manufacturers. Disposable was out of the question from an ecological point of view alone, since straws are made of natural fiberfaAlthough they are recyclable, they still produce waste and repeatedly release emissions during production. The second step was the increase in quality through the use of reusable drinking straws. Afterwards, there was also the aspect that it is also more economical than working with disposable straws.

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Why did you choose drinking straws made of glass and not another material back then??

There weren't many alternatives back then. The HALM product was one of the first products that was ever available. It was important for me to switch as quickly as possible. Because every week that we switch earlier, we can avoid waste. At that time there was only the alternative of metal or glass and we decided on glass because the quality is simply better. The mouthfeel when drinking is much more pleasant with glass straws than with metal straws.

HALM range

 

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Are you still satisfied with your decision today?

Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):

Yes, in any case. In advance, I had calculated a shrinkage rate (breakage and unnatural shrinkage/theft) of 5 percent, since there were no guideline values at the time. In the first year (2018), shrinkage was only 2 percent - even less than expected. As a result, the acquisition costs were already amortized in November 2018 instead of May 2019, as previously calculated. Of course, it should also be noted that the shrinkage is always a bit larger in the first few months: It is a new product and the employees and guests first have to learn to deal with it.

More information on cost savings with HALM

 

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Of course, we are very pleased that HALM not only creates an advantage for the environment, but also for you economically.

Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):

Exactly, that's right! We were later able to reduce the unnatural shrinkage caused by theft, since we also sell our branded straws here in the house as give-aways for guests. The guests will be informed of this in advance. Since we sell them very cheaply, guests will think twice about pocketing the straws or getting their own gift set.

The gift set is very well received, as the guests are convinced of the quality of the straws. In fact, we have received a lot of positive feedback about the quality of the HALM glass straws and the quality of the drinks. The guests are consistently enthusiastic: mouthfeel, haptics, taste of the drinks.

HALM for resale

 

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Do you train your staff in any way how to HALM? If so, what exactly does it look like?

Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):

Staff training is of course the be-all and end-all, straight since we work at the bar with some cocktails containing milk and cream. There is the issue that you should soak the straws so that the coconut flakes don't dry on the HALM . But you can easily counteract this by soaking the straws in a bucket of water, as with cutlery. Then you can easily clean it in the glass washer. Of course, they must also be washed standing up in the cutlery basket. And if you still have stubborn deposits, there is always the dishwashing brush.

More information on cleaning HALM glass straws

 

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Many thanks Mr. Gebhardt for the friendly conversation and the insightful experience. If you had one more tip for your colleagues in the catering industry, what would it be?

Peter Gebhardt (Mercure Hotel):

The most important thing with the glass straws is to let the guests participate in the ideological thought and to share the idea behind it. That's half of the success, because the guests actually thank you. You can see that in the guest comments, it works wonderfully. I would also recommend the idea of HALM as gift sets, as it has put a huge strain on our shrinkage.

Lea Predeek (HALM):

Thank you Mr. Gebhardt for the great interview!

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