5 automations systems you should apply to your cafe in 2023

Imagine you could cut the time you spent making coffees in half. We’re no math mathematicians but if you’re pumping about 30 coffees during peak hour, you could be doing double the production within that same hour, whilst saving on labour costs. 

If you have yet to implement any automations to your café operations, 2023 is the year to do so. There are many benefits to automating, from lowering your operating costs all the way to increased production output. In other words, automation is here to make your life easier, and the best thing about it is that it’s a long term investment that becomes an asset for your business. If you’re ready for some café automating, here are some tools you may want to look into: 

Please note that we are not affiliated with any of the products listed below, we just think they are great machines.

1. Gravimetric grinder

Are you still using time-based grinders? If you answered yes, then you’ll want to keep reading. As a barista, your goal is probably to extract the perfect espresso, every time. Well, Gravimetric grinders that grind coffee by weight, will not only help you in keeping your coffee consistent, but also saves a lot of time when you don't have to do trial and error on how long it would take to get to a certain amount of grams. How does it work? A gravimetric grinder measures the coffee’s weight as it drops into the portafilter and will automatically turn off when it hits the programmed weight. Having the ‘grinding’ part of coffee on automation, means you’ll have more time to complete other tasks. 

If you’re interested or intrigued in gravimetric grinder, we recommend you have a look into the Grindie Solo - It features a double clump crusher system that allows you to get a uniform ground, a touch screen with user profiles where you can lock in certain settings and a noise absorption system that sound proofs the machine (No more loud grinder noises!). 

2. Auto-tamping machinery

To fully automate your coffee process is a win for your café. Moving on from the coffee grinders, you should also consider auto-tamping machines that will ensure you get the exact same coffee taste, all day long. Automatic tampers are self-levelling tampers that are an easy way for your café to minimise wastage and also saves you time (You probably get the drift by now).It consists of a motor, tamper, transmission system, pressure monitoring system and sense to monitor the portafilter. It’s a common struggle to keep the settings in correct order when there are multiple baristas using the same machine, however with auto-tampers you're able to set it and be confident that you’ll get the perfect shot every single time. 

You might spend 10 seconds to try and get the tamp even and another 30 seconds just to find out the shot was over extracted and that you need to re-do the whole process. That might be only 40 seconds in total, but overtime that amounts to hours being wasted on something that could have been completed in just a few seconds. When your customers are in a hurry and it’s rush hour, they will thank you for it! If you’re ready to level up your tamping game, have a look into the Puqpress Q2, also known as the ‘king of consistency’ - It features a 1-30kg pressure range, settings for all the profiles you want, a non stick tamper finish and you’re able to do endless amount of tamps! 

3. Milk frother/steaming system

Another crucial element in the coffee process that can easily be automated. The lines are getting longer for coffee and you’re starting to feel the pressure from all these coffee orders. However, with an automated grinder, tamper and now a milk steamer machine, you’re able to pump these coffee’s out in no time. It’s as simple as it sounds, a single milk steamer machine where all you have to do is fill up a cup, press some buttons and voila…you’ve got some perfectly steamed milk that compares with any experienced barista. Sounds like a dream? Have a look into the café assist milk steamer, it’s a self cleansing machine that was made to make your life 10x easier. Implementing a machine like this means that you never have to sacrifice quality for efficiency. 

4. Automatic batch brew on tap

You’ve probably seen a lot of places that have an automatic water tap system where customers are able to go up and refill, now imagine that but with batch brew. If you’re a café that is big on batch brew then you may want to consider having an automatic batch brew on tap. Not only does it save you the hassle of constantly having to remake the brew throughout the day but it also gives you a competitive advantage amongst others. I don't know about you but if we heard a café had batch brew on tap, we’d be all over it. This idea also benefits your café if you’re already offering bottomless batch brew as it saves you time from having to go back and forth to fill up customers' cups. 

5. Automatic pour over coffee system

Coffee pour overs take time and patience, however when you're running a bustling coffee shop you may be limited with those two things. Thankfully, technology advances enable us to enjoy the beautiful things in life without the effort (we’re talking about automatic pour overs here). An automatic pour over can handle the smaller details of this brewing method by giving you the exact hot water temperature and speed for your pour. This means you don’t need to be a professional to be able to make a great cup of coffee through the pour over method. Whilst pouring by hand can be trial and error, you can have confidence that an automatic pour over will achieve consistent results every time. 

With all these new and innovative coffee machinery being introduced into the market, you now have the tools to elevate your espresso game. Since the pandemic, there has been a shortage of staff within the hospitality industry, however with these new automation systems you’re able continue making the same amount of coffee but with less expenses - Automation is the future for  the hospitality industry.