From fax to Franke

Peter Wolff reveals how technology has advanced the industry over the past 40 years and why he believes automation is coffee’s next frontier.

Over the past century, technological innovations have continued to change the course of history. From planes to penicillin, floppy disks to freeze-dried coffee, inventions constantly pivot the way we live and work. For Peter Wolff, Founder of Wolff Coffee Roasters in Brisbane, the introduction of the fax machine in the 1980s was one of those game-changing moments.

“I remember when we got our first fax machine, which gave us a much-faster method of communication with the farmers we worked with at origin who we’d previously contacted via telegram or letter,” says Peter.

“One of our producers in India would send a young lad from the farm to the post office on his bike to pick up our faxes and send replies. They were so expensive to send we’d cram as much as we could on one page. It blew my mind.”

Being in the coffee industry for more than 40 years, the seasoned roaster has witnessed huge change throughout the sector – from communicating with farmers to brewing technology and consumer preferences. Alongside the fax machine, he also fondly remembers unboxing his first espresso machine.

“When I started out in the industry in Queensland, pourover coffee was the standard brewing style. When our first espresso machine arrived from Italy, all the instructions were in Italian. We didn’t have the internet as a tool to translate, so we had to ask an Italian man who worked down the road to come and help us out,” he says.

“We had the same issue if we wanted to speak to the espresso machine producers in Italy, as they didn’t speak any more English than we did Italian. But these challenges turned out to be a good thing because they forced us to be creative and problem solve.”

Today, the innovation that’s changing the course of the coffee industry is automation, something Peter is also embracing. He believes several factors are paving the way towards an almost fully automated coffee culture.

“Automation is absolutely the future of coffee, especially espresso machines. We’re at a point in time where there isn’t a strong desire for careers in hospitality,” he says.

“This is amplified by an appetite for convenience and being able to access coffee in a wider variety of venues, alongside the pandemic that saw a lot of people buying machines to prepare coffee at home. There’s now a wealth of information available to make great coffee from your kitchen.”

Over the past five years, the Wolff Coffee Roasters team have trialled a range of super-automatic espresso machines for their wholesale customers in out-of-café settings such as care homes and corporate. While Peter quickly saw automatic machines as the ideal solution for these clients, he didn’t find quite the right partner until he started working with Franke Coffee Systems in 2024.

“Traditionally, if a coffee doesn’t taste right we’ve blamed the barista or the water or anything to avoid blaming the way the beans have been roasted. What I like about super-automatic machines is that you’re removing the possibility of human error, which allows the coffee to shine without any excuses,” he says.

“After working with several other manufacturers, Franke piqued my interest. Working with a new company I was cautious at first, but to the Franke team’s credit they were great. They gave me a machine to play with and said to take my time to make my decision.”

Peter was impressed by Franke’s A line of super-automatic machines and first installed an A1000 at Whitsunday Coast Airport. He says the team quickly fell in love with using the machine.

“One of the best things about the A1000 is the telemetry system. The team at the airport can call me up and say, ‘I forgot to add a babyccino to the menu’, and from the Wolff Coffee Roasters HQ in Brisbane I can dial in the exact recipe for their cup size and setup,” says Peter.

“The ability to build the recipes and ensure our coffee tastes exactly how we want it to taste – wherever it’s being prepared – is incredible. We’re able to control all the parameters from our dashboard – from the dose to the water temperature.”

He also highlights how the heat map on the dashboard enables his team to suggest the best automatic cleaning times for each venue.

“This allows us to advise the client when the sweet spot is to set the machine to self-clean. It’s essential to select a time that won’t impact business, so having this information to share with them is extremely valuable,” he says.

The roastery now has more than 30 Franke super-automatic machines in the field, all part of the A line. Fourteen of those units are at one major Queensland company, which has multiple offices and locations.

“The team at Franke and its service partner Bloomtec visited the client with us and helped to create a bespoke solution to serve its needs. Some of the locations operate 24/7, while others are only nine to five, and some don’t have access to plumbing. Therefore, there were lots of different challenges to address,” says Peter.

“Having that technical support presale, not just after sale, was valuable for both us and the client. They were transparent about servicing and maintenance from the start too, which meant I could be transparent with my client about when costs would occur.”

Peter says the business sector has been a growing market for Wolff Coffee Roasters as employers look for ways to entice staff back into the office.

“Many employers want to make coming into work an enjoyable experience for their staff and having a great coffee offering is a nice thing to reward them with. It’s great to be able to provide a solution for these businesses by installing a Franke super-automatic machine that’s simple to use and provides quality coffee,” he says.

As his company continues to embrace automation, Peter is exploring how machines like those in Franke’s A line can further advance the industry.

“Convenience is going to continue to be a huge driver for the coffee sector. Last year, we installed a coffee bean vending machine outside for hours when the roastery is closed and it’s been hugely successful,” he says.

“Our next project is to introduce a customer-facing automatic machine that will allow the consumer to make their own drink if they choose, which will be linked to a prepaid coffee subscription. The Franke team have been very open to our suggestions. When we come to them with an idea, instead of saying ‘that can’t be done’, they’ll help us find a solution.” 

For more information, visit coffee.franke.com