See some of the best commercial coffee machine brands from across Europe for your coffee business
With an estimated two billion cups of coffee being consumed every day, it is easy to see why coffee is the most popular drink worldwide and with estimated retail sales of $ 5.18 billion a year in the US alone, coffee is big business.
Despite its popularity, customers won’t just drink any old coffee that is served. You still need to ensure your customers are getting a quality cup of coffee, one that is tasteless and insipid or takes an age to make is not going to do your business any good.
But what are the best commercial coffee machine brands?
Some of the best commercial coffee machines are made by Italian brands such as Nuova Simonelli, La Marzocco and La Cimbali who have been producing top-quality espresso machines for nearly 100 years produced. Other quality commercial brands from across Europe include Jura, Conti and Fracino and Crem.
In this article, I go into more detail about what set these brands apart from other commercial coffee machine manufacturers and why they produce some of the best products in the world so you can make a smart decision about the best commercial coffee machine for your business.
Contents:
- Nuova Simonelli
- La Marzocco
- Jura
- Fracino
- Conti
- La Cimbali
- Crem
- Key takeaways
1. Nuova Simonelli
This Italian company has been producing award-winning espresso machines since 1936 and has an impressive array of different models under its belt. With over 80 years of experience, it’s easy to see why Nuova Simonelli needs to be included in the list.
From its conceptual and innovative “1936” model with its 2-group column, electrical heating, and mains supplied water, they have incorporated and adapted this technology to produce some beautifully designed and technologically innovative coffee machines that you would be proud to have stood on your countertop.
Their machines include the 2003 Microbar which was included in the 100 Best examples of Italian design as well as being recognised for the prestigious Compass d’Oro awards. While their Aurelia and Aurelia II machines were both selected as the official coffee machines to be used in the World Barista Championships in 2008 – 11 and 2012 – 2014 respectively.
With an advertising by-line of “a unique combination of quality, productivity, and reliability. The coffee machines you can trust”, it is easy to see why Nuova Simonelli is one of the best commercial espresso machine brands in the business.
Whether you are purchasing for a trendy coffee corner in your store or for use in a full-on busy coffee house, you cannot go wrong with purchasing a Nuova Simonelli machine, and with their portfolio of designs you are sure to find one that suits your business needs.
2. La Marzocco
Another of the best commercial Italian espresso machine manufacturers is La Marzocco. With an industry first, La Marzocco was the first to patent a coffee machine with a horizontal boiler. In 1939 this was a technological breakthrough from all the other existing vertical boiler coffee machines and has since become the industry standard.
Other technological firsts include the introduction of the auto brew ratio allowing the Barista to program and dose based on weight. The Reverse Osmosis 3-stage treatment water system and the “straight-in portafilter system, allow maximum work-flow for the Barista whilst removing unnatural movements. All whilst still providing a quality cup of coffee.
The machines are so good, that they were the official espresso machine sponsor of the World Barista Championship 2000– 2008.
3. Jura
From Italy to Switzerland – Not just famous for its Rolex watches and luxury chocolate, Switzerland has also brought its quality and expertise to the Coffee machine world. The Swiss company Jura has become a leader in top commercial coffee machine brands.
Originally set up in 1931 to produce a variety of electronics, “Jura Elektroapparate AG” made Switzerland’s first automatic coffee machine in the 1980s. Knowing they were on to a winner they changed their production lines, they started focusing and specializing in automatic coffee machines in the 1990s. Thus, re-inventing themselves as “Jura”.
With their aims of innovation and becoming design leaders, they increased their foreign sales from 20% – 70% bringing their highly desired coffee machines to the masses for both commercial and domestic use.
Their automated easy-to-use machines have helped to revolutionize coffee trends, bringing with it the idea of the coffee machine not just being a functional machine to sit on the side, but also to be a highly desired quality piece of interior design kit.
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4. Fracino
From its humble beginnings in a UK shed in the 1960s, springs a multi-award-winning manufacturer of Cappuccino and Espresso coffee machines.
Fracino may have started from small origins but is a mighty player in the coffee maker world, with their machines being utilized at the G8 summit and even favored by members of the cabinet. – Let’s face it, if a Fracino machine can grace the kitchen sides at no 10 and hold its own between brands such as Mini and Jaguar at the awards ceremony, you don’t have to wake up to smell this coffee!
Fracino may not have such longevity as the likes of Italian-born Nuova Simonelli and Swiss Jura, but their quality British craftsmanship utilizing skilled engineers and British materials are combined to produce award-winning coffee machines and grinders that are imported and respected around the world.
With over 50 machines in their portfolio, they are sure to have at least one that will suit any commercial eventuality. Whether you need your coffee machine to be Electric, LPG or even powered by a 12v battery. Fracino can provide coffee machines for all different types of commercial setups.
So, whether it’s to serve a mobile espresso on the go from your street food truck or after-dinner coffee from your restaurant, their variety of products and budgets are sure to deliver.
5. Conti
One of the best commercial espresso machine brands needs to be mentioned is Conti. Originally set up in Paris France in the 50s, it wasn’t long before they were invited to move their manufacturing facilities to Monaco, settling in a building overlooking the start of the world-famous Formula 1 Grand Prix site.
Their manufacturing techniques and business increased and progressed, incorporating new colors and designs into their commercial coffee makers. As the competition intensified they utilised a more international approach to become one of the leading manufacturers of espresso machines in Europe and the Northern African market.
Conti has always endeavored to fight for a place at the top with technological advancements. However, it wasn’t until the 2000s that they developed their relationship with the perfumeries of Grasse and focused on the subtleties of the aroma and taste of espresso, developing their process of flavor extraction.
Their coffee machines, utilize this technology and are designed “to extract the best flavors and aromas from every cup” making their coffee machines ideal for coffee shops or restaurants, where the aroma is as much of the experience as the taste.
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6. La Cimbali
With their range of traditional and automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines, La Cimbali machines are worth a mention. Another Italian-based coffee machine manufacturer, this time offering a solution to busy or less-than-experienced baristas whilst still providing quality coffee.
La Cimbali manufactures a range of commercial automatic coffee machines with touch-screen menu options, utilizing traditional coffee machine technology interlinked with the latest Wi-Fi and touch-screen menu digitalization.
La Cimbali has even developed a downloadable app from Google Play and the App Store that works in conjunction with their S range Machines. So, in a commercial setting, you can control and organize drinks via Wi-Fi from your POS units, tablets, or even smartphones.
7. Crem
As a result of a blend between Spain’s Expobar, the Coffee Queen of Sweden, and German company Spengler in 2015, Crem was created. A somewhat near-perfect collaboration of skills and expertise with an extensive product range to rival other market leaders and provide a comprehensive commercial coffee solution.
Their product range includes a range of automatic, traditional espresso, and manual filter machines as well as the additional accessories of grinders to complement their range.
Despite the more faceless corporate image their products are well built and functional, with easy-to-clean units, and single contact point processes, and designed for constant usage suitable for coffee shops and restaurants.
Key Takeaways
From our coffee journey through Europe, it is clear that Italy is a front-runner for producing some of the best commercial brands of Coffee machines, like Nuova Simonelli, La Cimbali, and La Marzocco.
However, there are some great quality commercial machines that cannot be disregarded or taken for granted by Swiss companies like Jura or Francino in the UK.
When choosing your next commercial brand of machine, it pays to do your research and to see what product is going to suit your particular business operator and customers most. Despite manufacturing techniques being on par these days, there is something to be said for a good cup of coffee, when drunk it speaks for itself.
