The way hospitality businesses fit out their venues with coffee-making equipment is changing, and service specialists such as Coffee Machine Technologies are stepping in to fill the gap.
Australia’s coffee landscape is shifting. The recent high green-bean prices, rising rents, and general increase in costs has impacted businesses right across the supply chain, with roasters in particular feeling the hit over the past 12 months.
These challenges have seen some roasters change the way they do business. While for the past 20 years many cafés and hospitality venues secured coffee-making equipment through free-on-loan agreements with their coffee provider – in which equipment is loaned in exchange for a commitment to purchase a volume of beans over a specified period of time – industry pressures have seen many roasters move away from this model.
“Green bean, freight, and labour prices have all gone up and that’s putting heavy pressure on coffee companies,” says Carmelo Corallo, Coffee Machine Technologies (CMT) National Sales Manager.
“There’s definitely been a shift from roasters away from the free-on-loan model. Back in the day, they would loan a café an espresso machine if it committed to 20 kilograms a week – now it would have to be 30 kilograms plus. Because coffee prices are so high their profit margins are much lower.”
With more than 20 years’ experience as equipment and service providers, CMT has supplied many of Australia’s roasters with the espresso machines, grinders, milk steamers, and automatic tampers they have loaned out. However, as coffee companies tighten their belts, Carmelo says more café and hospitality customers are being passed directly to them.
“When the economy is good, roasters will put out machines because they can get return on investment. When things are tight, they slow it down and it’s harder for them to sell machines,” he says.
“Whereas for us, we are only in the business of supplying and servicing machines. It’s in our nature. We’re able to give them a range of options – whether it’s buying, leasing, or financing equipment – and be on hand for any servicing or maintenance needs, while the roasters can focus on providing great coffee.
“This shift is actually a great thing for cafés, because it gives them more protection when they partner with CMT and the coffee roaster. CMT looks after the equipment independently and the roaster their beans. This three-way partnership ensures the café the utmost attention on growth and quality of equipment servicing and maintenance.”
Where to start when kitting out a new venue
CMT works with a diverse range of businesses across Victoria and beyond that are looking to add a coffee offering to their venue, office, or retail setting. For those looking to establish a coffee-making setup, Carmelo suggests getting in touch as early as possible so the team can provide the best solution.
“If a new business reaches out to us, we’ll try and work alongside their architects and shop fitters to make sure the space is set up for the most productive workflow. We’ll not only share our recommendations for equipment to fit their needs but also on the placement to maximise efficiency and draw customers in,” he says.
“If the new client has bought an existing venue, we don’t need to be involved so early, but we can still advise on anything they need help with to make the coffee side of their business successful.”
Choosing an espresso machine
Whether it’s a café, hotel lounge, or office kitchen, the espresso machine is often the focal point of the bar. While in years gone by many venues prioritised style and spent tens of thousands of dollars to have the latest and best-looking model on their counter, Carmelo says the current climate means owners are looking for quality-yet-affordable options.
“A decade ago a $10,000 machine was expensive, but now that’s middle to lower end of the market. Most people we work with are looking for entry- to mid-level machines as they no longer have huge budgets to play with,” he says.
“However, the standard of an entry-level machine has improved greatly. It’s now expected that these machines have all the tools needed to produce great coffee such as shot timers and volumetric dose programming.”
From CMT’s collection, Carmelo highlights the Brugnetti Viola Compact as a great, affordable espresso machine.
“The Viola is a real work horse. The compact two-group machine operates on just 10 amps and has its own water tank,” he says.
“It’s very popular with coffee carts and other mobile venues. We’ve also had great success with it in offices of around 20 to 30 people, who need a bit of a faster setup for the morning rush.”
Its sister product, the Brugnetti Luna, has been another successful addition to the business’ range. Designed to be a reliable option for a variety of venues and businesses including those in remote locations, the two-group machine with semi-automatic functions enables users to manually make coffee without the electronic touchpads if a problem occurs.
Also introduced as an advanced mid-level option this year is the Elektra Evok, which Carmelo says has been extremely popular with a wide range of hospitality venues.
“The Evok captures a very subtle entrance into automation. Only the key features essential to the barista employ automation and there’s the option to add additional support depending on the business’ needs,” he says.
“At the same time, it still looks quite classic. It has wood-handled steam levers and portafilters, Teflon steam tips, and espresso-cup supports. It’s not bulky like many of its competitors in the field either.”
Adding the accessories
While the espresso machine is the main event, you can’t make coffee without a few necessary additions. There are a multitude of grinders on the market with a huge variety of features, yet Carmelo rarely recommends anything other than Fiorenzato’s Sense range for those looking for quality and value.
“In late 2023, we released the AllGround Sense commercial home grinder and the reaction since has been incredible. Throughout 2024, we couldn’t keep up with the demand,” he says.
“In January 2025, we launched the F64 EVO Sense PRO, an evolution of the XGi series. Because there are a lot of small- to medium-size venues in Australia, it has quickly become very popular.
“The final part of the trilogy is the F83 E Sense PRO, which is designed for larger venues getting through 40 to 70 kilograms per week. This new model has found the sweet spot. It offers speed, consistency, and reliability without breaking the bank.”
Alongside the grinder, Carmelo recommends introducing an automatic tamper such as the Auto Press T100.
“Having a quality tamper that’s reliable is hugely important to the workflow of a barista. Introducing automatic equipment like an Auto Press not only increases speed but also precision,” he says.
“Workflow isn’t the only benefit either. A great tamper will improve the consistency of the coffee and work alongside the other equipment to create the best possible cup.”
Finally, for venues producing a high-volume of milk-based coffees, Carmelo suggests the addition of an automatic milk steamer, such as the Viper, which CMT developed in Australia to provide baristas with greater flexibility and output.
With its own dedicated under-bench boiler, the Viper delivers steamed milk on demand while also ensuring pressure isn’t taken away from the espresso machine.
“It’s designed for any business that demands the very best from its equipment and strives for success. The Viper milk steamer adds value to the coffee machine while saving businesses time and money,” he says.
“We are in the business of providing solutions and like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shop. And that support doesn’t stop once a venue has chosen its equipment: we’re there for all their servicing and maintenance needs – we’re a long-term partner for businesses that serve coffee.”
For more information, visit coffeemachinetechnologies.com.au
This article appears in the October 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
