Sponsored post

Bakeries around Australia are changing up their businesses when it comes to quality coffee. Tech has arrived to help anyone create the perfect cup every time.

If there’s one thing that goes perfectly with a warm, freshly-baked croissant, it’s a barista-made cup of coffee. Automated systems delivered by Barista Technology Australia are changing the way businesses create the perfect cup of coffee that keeps customers coming back for more.

The  Puqpress machine is the world’s first precision coffee tamper that adds to the speed and consistency of a great coffee. Puqpress takes the strain out of ensuring the perfect amount of coffee is tamped each time. “Automation is part of our society now,” says Barista Technology Australia’s Director Brett Bolwell. “Humans are still there to provide a level of customer service and share their knowledge, but I think if businesses aren’t looking to include at least one automated product in their line-up, then they’ve completely missed the boat.” He adds that businesses need to consider their longevity and survive in an inflationary economy where small operators, in particular, are at risk of shutting doors if they can’t find ways to save or diversify. For a bakery, providing consistently well-made coffee to enjoy with their baked treats is an additional service that customers welcome.

Milk texturing is one of the most time-critical—and tricky—components of coffee-making. If an average coffee extraction is 28 to 32 seconds, texturing a jug of milk takes, on average, 40 seconds. Rather than doing each step sequentially, Brett says a barista could use a machine called the Perfect Moose to texture the milk and use their hands-free time to prepare the next order or take customer payment. Having an automated foaming device reduces the workload pressure on staff. If a new staff member “ups and leaves” after a month, the replacement can instantly maintain the brand’s quality output because the Perfect Moose is such an easy and consistent device.

“With the Perfect Moose, you can make 100 coffees in a row, and the milk will come out the same 100 times over. Previously, there would have been so many inconsistencies, such as burning the milk,” says Brett. With the Perfect Moose machine, you can easily adjust the temperature range of the milk as many people on the way to work or on the way home want their coffee extra hot because it needs to last while driving.

“Barista-made coffee is so prevalent in Australia. We’re fortunate in this country to have a high calibre of coffee consumers who expect good coffee no matter where they are, ” Brett says. “Only now is there the realisation that the petrol and convenience markets, including bakeries, provide an incredible opportunity for growth over the next three to five years due to the market size.”

Barista Technology Australia is currently supplying many outlets with equipment that helps support workflow, speed, and consistency. Brett estimates that about 11,000 Puqpress machines have been sold in Australia over the past two years. He says the automated tampers have become “a benchmark” and “non-negotiable” for any new business. Brett says a further 750 outlets now have the Perfect Moose, and that figure is set to jump considerably.

Flow telemetry software is the newest product in the Barista Technology Australia distribution range, with 100 already on the market and 500 about to be installed in a prominent chain outlet. Installing Flow has become an integral element in coffee quality management, and the number of sites across Australia using technology is increasing.

“With Flow, everybody can make amazing coffee because it gives them a level of competence and control,” says Brett. “Technical knowledge is not really needed because it’s almost abstracted by just looking at the Flow screen and seeing the numbers highlighted ‘green’, meaning they’ve accurately hit the recipe, or ‘red’ to show they haven’t.” And it can even work as a second set of hands during busy periods.

Mike McGill of BP New Zealand says that before installing Flow, the petrol chain believed it was making great coffee, but upon seeing the data via Flow, it quickly realised it was not.

“It was a real eye-opening experience. We went to work using the Flow data to improve the coffee our customers were receiving. In what felt like no time at all, met recipe percentage was increasing, and so was the positive feedback from the customers,” Mike says. “We were constantly being told by the customers how they loved the new bean. Only there wasn’t a new bean. We were just making the coffee how we were supposed to from the start.”

“Coffee making has to be simplified. We want people to be able to make their own on-site

adjustments really easily, and simply. We don’t want them to have to call a technician or ring up a helpline to ask how to change the texture of the milk or how to add more coffee into the basket,” Brett says. The future of training is now, and its future, is in video format. “My goal, is to convert a three-hour face-to-face training session with a three-minute video, and democratise training across the entire industry,” he says. And training—especially in an industry with high staff turnover—is a cost.

For bakery businesses looking for the full suite of automation packages, Puqpress, Perfect Moose and Flow telemetry are key products that should be on the workbench. “We’re committed to making coffee more accessible and consistent,” Brett says. “What we’re seeing now is more bakery businesses coming to us wanting to put together a good coffee offering, but they don’t want to increase staff. Our system removes the guesswork and the hours spent training as a barista. The goal will be a speedy service and excellent quality coffee.”

No longer will it just be the freshly baked goods that draws customers into bakeries but intertwined with that will be the aroma of fresh ground coffee. What a combination.

For more information, visit the Barista Technology website.