The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) has announced winners for the 2022 Product Innovation Awards, in the categories of Coffee Accessories, Coffee Preparation Equipment, Ancillary Electrical Equipment, and People’s Choice.
The LaCimbali M200 won the award for Coffee Preparation Equipment. The M200 espresso machines one touchscreen and two mechanical interfaces with in-touch or button mode are in alignment with the barista’s hands and eye movements to optimise workflow and maintain best ergonomic practices at high volumes. The large steam knob is made with a soft touch material and the steam arm is flexible and carefully positioned in line with the machine’s low profile.
“It is with great happiness that the Service Sphere team celebrate the Product Innovation Award for The La Cimbali M200. The winning of this award is recognition of the evolution of high-quality coffee output, blended with well-considered design and barista ergonomics,” says Service Sphere Director Maurizio Marcocci.
The Compass from Nucleus Coffee Tools was awarded the Product Innovation Award for Coffee Accessories. The Compass temperature reader is suitable for reading temperatures in different beverages with the option to set it up in Celsius or Fahrenheit degrees.
Compass creator Angus Mackie was inspired to manufacturer the product by wanting to connect everyday people with complex coffees.
“The more time I spent with coffees, the more I realised they do have moments where the taste best, and often those moments are lost by drinking the coffee too slow or too fast. Once I realised how much hard work goes into the cup, I realised I wanted to create a tool that makes it easier to savour those moments,” says Angus.
“It’s great to win the Product Innovation Award and have the recognition for all the hard work that’s been put into the creation of the Compass over the past several years. It was a nice surprise and extremely validating.”
Weber Workshops Unifilter won the People’s Choice award. The portafilter is made of a single piece of stainless steel for an optimal extraction geometry.
“We’ve tried to make a thoughtful product that hadn’t yet been released in the industry. The Unifilter is a critical part of making espresso and many big industry players use and love it,” says Weber Workshops CEO and Founder Douglas Weber.
Eureka Grinders’ Prometheus grinder won the Ancillary Electrical Equipment award for its advanced technology features, such as its touch screen display and ability to grind with three programmable doses, extra dose mode and maintenance alerts.
To see more information on the winners or to nominate your product in the 2023 MICE Product Innovation Awards, visit the MICE website.