Franke’s new Mytico Vario PrecisionFoam automatic coffee machine is about to launch in Australia, giving users the opportunity to have as much – or as little – control over their latte art as they desire.
There are days when there’s the time to gently steam milk, give it a moment to settle, and then carefully pour a perfect rosetta; and there are others when time is of the essence and a quality coffee is needed at the touch of a few buttons. Many machines can offer either of these routes to that essential cup of coffee, but few allow the user to switch between different levels of automation within seconds.
Inspired to design a versatile machine to cater to the demands of the many different users that would encounter it each day, the engineers at Franke in Switzerland developed a coffee machine that blended automatic efficiency and traditional manual control. After years of development, the result is its new PrecisionFoam technology, arriving in Australia in winter 2024.
Part of Franke’s Mytico line, the Vario PrecisionFoam is a professional automatic machine that enables baristas to craft high-quality drinks with little training, during high-volume peak times, or both. The difference between this new version and the rest of the Mytico line, however, is that the barista has two options when it comes to milk preparation: fully automatic, where a coffee is selected from the touch-screen interface and prepared from start to finish by the machine; and semi-automatic, where the machine produces the espresso into the cup and delivers ready-steamed and texturised milk direct into a jug.
“The Vario PrecisionFoam is a multifunctional machine that allows you to do everything,” says David Downing, Franke Business Development Director Oceania.
“The most exciting part is that users can press a button and get pre-programmed, texturised milk dispensed into their jug. This enables them to finish the drink with their desired latte art while saving the time needed to steam the milk themselves.”
There are two PrecisionFoam spouts on each coffee module, which can deliver up to four different milks from individual lines stored in milk fridges underneath the bar. This means baristas can swap from dairy to oat to soy at the touch of a button, without the risk of cross contamination.
“Whether the machine is delivering the milk directly into the cup or the barista is using the PrecisionFoam spout, each type of milk is pre-programmed to produce the desired texture and mouthfeel. It’s also pre-dosed as part of the programming, meaning only the exact amount of milk is used, which reduces waste compared to traditional preparation,” says David.
Working with hospitality venues across the world, when designing the Mytico line the Franke team considered the industry’s biggest issues. The Vario PrecisionFoam aims to optimise workflow, reduce time spent crafting drinks, and minimise the training needed to operate it.
David believes the new machine is a great tool for a wide range of venues in Australia, from high-end cafés and restaurants to bars and hotels.
“I see it fitting into top-end cafés that want quality, consistent textured milk, but might not have access to training for their baristas. The ability to switch from manual steaming to automatic also means in busy periods the workflow can be sped up with help from the machine,” he says.
“The system is easy to use. It’s very automated and delivers a quality beverage every time.”
To test the market and garner user feedback, the new version was launched in Europe in 2023. According to David, as word has got out about the machine and users have shared positive experiences, interest has gained moment. In Australia, one of the key focuses will be connecting with the roaster market.
“The roasters have to be confident in the system’s capabilities to deliver their product in the best form possible,” he says.
“We’re getting a lot of positive feedback so far. In recent years, the perception of automation has changed greatly as we’ve seen innovations such as automatic steam wands and software-controlled brewing times being adopted. A lot of what we see in the café scene now has been incorporated in the Mytico.”
With many people returning to the office post pandemic, David has also seen demand for high-quality, intelligent coffee options in corporate settings.
“One of the drivers for people to return to work is having quality coffee in the office,” he says.
“We have a corporate client in New Zealand where the office workers hold their own barista competitions, competing to prepare the best latte art and posting the results on Instagram. Having that quality coffee offering in the office, the management have actually seen an improvement in productivity as the staff aren’t leaving the building to go and buy coffee. They’re turning the mid-morning coffee break into their own barista experience and boosting morale.”
In all settings in which the machine is installed, users benefit from an automatic cleaning system which requires minimal input from the operator. Even the cooling units have a self-cleaning function that utilises a self-dispensing cartridge of cleaning products.
David also highlights the design of the Mytico line as being a huge selling point of the product.
“We’ve recently won more than half a dozen prestigious awards for the Mytico line, which are a great testimony to the system. It’s not just the technology, but also the design and look of the machines,” he says.
“I think that has appealed to a lot of the companies that have purchased them, whether they be roasters, architects, or restaurant owners.”
Those recent awards include the Red Dot: Best of the Best in Product Design award, the highest accolade from the international design competition.
“We are particularly pleased to receive this exclusive award,” says Marco Zancolò, Franke Coffee Systems CEO.
“The Red Dot Award is one of the most coveted quality labels for design. And with the Red Dot: Best of the Best award, not only has Mytico’s innovative design and exceptional quality been recognised, but it is also a reward for everyone involved in the development of this game-changing coffee machine.”
David and the team are excited to share the new Vario PrecisionFoam with the coffee lovers of Australia, with the first machines landing in August 2024.
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This article appears in the August/September 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.