Coffee Machine Technologies introduces the Luna to its collection of Brugnetti espresso machines, a reliable option for a variety of venues and businesses including those in remote locations.
An espresso machine breaking down during the peak morning rush is a pain for any venue serving coffee. While managers or owners of city establishments can usually secure a technician or engineer within an hour or two to fix the problem and get the machine back up and running, for those in regional parts of Australia an issue could means days without being able to serve coffee easily.
With customers all over the country in a wide variety of locations, Coffee Machine Technologies noticed a small gap in its catalogue for a fail-safe machine that would not only be able to keep running if the main touchpads cut off but was also simple to maintain to avoid unnecessary break downs and repairs.
“At Coffee Machine Technologies, we have a diverse range of customers and over the years that’s included a lot of cafés in remote areas that want to provide coffee made on a traditional machine for their clients or staff,” says Carmelo Corallo, Coffee Machine Technologies National Sales Manager.
“These remote sites are located right across Australia and even abroad in places like Fiji and Bali. Firstly, it’s not easy to send a technician to these rural locations and, second, sites such as these often rely on generators for their power. If the electricity supply is temporarily cut off, you may disrupt sensitive electronics which can fail once switched back on, therefore not allowing you to prepare coffee.”
To provide a solution for these customers, Carmelo and team sought to introduce a new machine to their collection that would be a “fail-safe” semi-automatic option that enables staff and users to manually make coffee without the electronic touchpads.
Working with heritage Italian machine manufacturer Officine Brugnetti for more than a decade, they chose its two-group Luna model, which offers both manual and automatic espresso delivery in a compact design.
“Brugnetti is a beautiful business featuring three generations of the same family – one of the last original family-owned businesses in Italy. We’ve worked with them as their Australian distributor for more than 15 years,” says Carmelo.
“We have stocked the Brugnetti Giulia two- and three-group manual push-button machine for a while and it’s been very successful. The Luna is an extension of this – it’s a mid-size machine with a 10-litre boiler, dual steam wands, and integrated shot timers. Yet, the reason we introduced a semi-automatic into the collection was to be able to offer a machine that can manually operate the groups should the touchpads fail or have an issue.”
The idea isn’t to run the machine manually long term, but instead to have the backup option to allow the operator time to rectify the supply issue or organise for a technician to fix the machine. Carmelo says that even some of the most expensive brands on the market don’t have this option.
What’s more, the power requirement for the Luna is lower than many other espresso machines of its size and output.
“The Giulia is 20 amps, as are most of the two-group machines we supply, yet the Luna is only 15 amps, which is useful in settings where they may be a restriction of power,” he says.
“It’s also compact in size, which is essential in many of these workplaces or bars where they are fighting for bench real estate – wasted space on bars doesn’t make money.”
As well as having a small footprint and providing a more efficient power option, the Luna has been developed to be extremely straightforward to use and provide the barista with all the essential tools they need to operate. Carmelo says its internal design is simple, meaning minor repairs can be completed by engineers and technical staff already on-site.
“Like all Brugnetti machines, it’s not a complicated build – it follows the company’s philosophy of being very simple yet providing all the tools the user might need,” he says.
“If a small part needs to be replaced, we’re able to send it to the site and talk their technician through the fitting over the phone. Obviously, we don’t recommend people with no experience start taking the machines apart, but skilled tradespeople should be able to make minor repairs easily.”
Coffee Machine Technologies doesn’t just see the Luna as a good fit for regional sites though. According to Carmelo, the entry-level machine, which will retail for around $6500 when it comes to market in June 2025, is ideal for sports clubs, bars, night clubs, and hotels that want to offer a barista-standard coffee offering, without taking over the bar.
“The machine is built for a range of venues and is simple to use – no matter the team’s experience,” he says.
“It has programmable volumetric dosages with an integrated shot timer for precise extraction control, E61 groups for optimal thermal stability and uniform extraction, and two cool-touch steam wands for perfect milk frothing, among other useful functionalities.”
For venues considering updating or introducing a quality offering, Coffee Machine Technologies recommends pairing the Luna espresso machine with the Fiorenzato F64 EVO Sense grinder.
“The F64 EVO Sense is now our go-to grinder – it’s the gold standard. For a user who may not know a lot about coffee, it will change their whole perspective and show them the importance of weight in the final extraction in a very straightforward manner,” says Carmelo.
“Most grind-by-weight grinders cost around $5000, but the F64 EVO sense is less than $4000, so it’s a great value proposition too.”
When the team bring the Brugnetti Luna to market in June, they’ll also be introducing a new financing model designed to offer a tailor-made finance solution for commercial coffee roasters.
“Effectively, we’ll be offering customers a 12-month term for equipment purchases at zero interest. These fixed monthly payments are outside the standard brokering finance much of the coffee industry is used to,” he says.
“It’s just one of the steps we’re taking to support the coffee industry at what is quite a challenging time.
For more information, visit coffeemachinetechnologies.com.au
This article appears in the June 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
