“Italian craftsmanship and know-how are fundamental to the production of traditional coffee-making machines: it is something foreign markets demand of us, fascinated as they are by the passion and artistry that goes into Italian coffee,” believes Marco Brutti, chairman of the board, CEO and partner of Bfc and Espresso by Royal. “Of course you can also gain a foothold in some foreign markets, such as Asia and the USA, through technology. Innovation concerns internal electronic control systems that adjust pressure and temperature and make it possible to choose the method to extract the best possible coffee from the blend used. The machines also show on the display when maintenance is needed and signal any malfunctioning.” So the future looks bright for coffee, with an ever-growing client base. “The foreign market is exceptional in terms not so much of demand for espresso, which is typically Italian, but for cappuccino and other versions of the beverage. Champion baristas and latte artists can now be found all over the world, and many young people are attracted to the sector.”
The product – the machine – needs to keep pace with consumer trends, and this is true of all types of equipment, including blenders, as Lisa Klein, vice president of commercial sales for the US firm Vitamix explains. “Blended drinks such as fruit smoothies, cocktails and coffee-based beverages are growing in popularity. Blended food and drinks are taking on more and more importance in all areas of catering. In addition, new mixing techniques are coming onto the market, with a variety of frothy drinks and smoothies of different consistencies now available. Innovation for us is all about the quality of the blend, speed of service, a constantly high level of quality in different context, durability and reliability.”
Sometimes, ideas from the last century can be the most lasting (think of bicycles, for example), and at the opposite end of the spectrum from hi-tech innovations there are the slow preparation techniques. This is a point dear to the heart of Heike Schimanski, German firm Vaihinger: “We make our machines by hand and have never used automation. Back in our earliest days, we invented the first machine to whip cream without compression (in 1954), and have always sought to construct machines with low energy consumption. We manage to achieve this thanks to excellent insulation (a patent of ours) and other functions that we have been using for decades.”
So, from coffee machines to blenders…to yes, especially tabletop….you can expect to see plenty of creativity and craftsmanship at Host 2017 in Milan. Make plans now to attend in just a little over a year from now. For more information on Host, go here:
