¿Pueden automatizar las cafeterías mientras todavía conserva el toque humano?

Put at reading time: 7 minutes

Key takeaways

- Automation shouldn’t replace barista skills, but it does push operators to ask which machines better support their staff.

- La San Marco’s LA 125 and the WMF espresso NEXT offer two approaches to espresso: one built on manual control, one on automated consistency. - Today’s beverage trends, from cold brew and plant-based menus to signature iced drinks, depend on technology to execute at scale and speed.

- The most successful coffee operations blend both approaches, treating barista and machine as collaborators, not competitors. Automation in coffee shops is polarising.

Barista skill has long defined the café experience, and for many coffee professionals, the idea of automation taking over feels like a direct challenge to the value of their expertise. Its growing prevalence in coffee as well raises concerns about job security. But the more the trade debates, the clearer it becomes that the question isn’t whether or not to automate.

Instead, café operators should consider which areas of their business benefit from automation and which ones belong firmly in the hands of skilled baristas. “Automation is not intended to replace the artistry or passion that defines great coffee, but rather to support and elevate it,” explains Tharyn Estevez, Global Marketing Manager at SEB Professional Beverage. “The future of coffee is inclusive, and there is room for both tradition and innovation to thrive side by side.”

You may as well like our article on how automation can better support baristas.

Why coffee shops are increasingly turning to automation

The economics behind automation are hard to ignore. Labour costs now account for up to 35% of operating expenses, and staff turnover in the hospitality industry averages 65%.

For independent operators, staffing ranks as the single biggest challenge. Consumer expectations compound the pressure.

Iced coffee, plant-based alternatives, matcha, and customised signature drinks have moved from seasonal options to permanent menu staples. Executing them consistently, at speed, across a team with varying skill levels is where manual preparation alone starts to show its limits. “We see this shift as structural rather than cyclical,” Tharyn explains. “Consumer expectations are evolving at an unprecedented pace, with demands for greater variety, premium quality, and seamless convenience becoming the norm.

“Automation shouldn’t be used as a shortcut. It allows operators to maintain process stability and beverage quality regardless of fluctuations in staff expertise or availability.” Sustainability and cost control reinforce the same argument.

Automated systems reduce waste and optimise component use, which matters for both margins and the transparency that younger buyers increasingly expect.

No two cafés apply automation in the same way

Concerns about automation replacing barista skills are valid, but how and where coffee shops automate depends on their size and service model. In some cases, automation is nearly invisible.

Intelligent systems optimise grinding, tamping, and milk dosing behind the scenes. In others, such as robot barista café concepts most prevalent in Asia and the US, automation is the experience. With brands including WMF, Schaerer, Curtis, La San Marco, and Zummo, SEB Professional Beverage covers the entire spectrum from fully automatic to fully manual, meeting a range of customer needs.

“This one-stop-shop approach enables businesses to select solutions that align with their brand identity, operational scale, and customer promise,” Tharyn says. “A premium specialty bar and a multi-site convenience chain can both find the right answer within the same portfolio, without having to reconcile their ambitions with a supplier’s limitations.” In specialty cafés and premium hospitality environments, coffee quality is the reason why diners return.

Both machines and barista skill are central to this. “Founded in Italy in 1920, La San Marco played a formative role in the development of lever espresso machines,” says Giovanni Fucili, Managing Director, La San Marco, SEB Professional Beverage. “The brand evolved from early electronic machines in the 1970s and 80s, through a design-meets-technology era in the 2000s, to its integration into Groupe SEB in 2023,

bringing over a century of espresso expertise into a global ecosystem. “Within our portfolio, La San Marco is the ideal choice for operators who embrace manual espresso preparation and baristas who want a machine that responds to their skills,” he adds.

The LA 125, for example, features individually controlled brew groups with electronic temperature regulation accurate to ±0.1°C. Insulated boilers ensure thermal stability, and the machine is available in both standard and tall-cup versions to accommodate different service styles.

Solutions for multi-site operations

Not every café can build its service model around a highly skilled barista team.

High staff turnover, peak-hour pressure, and the realities of multi-site operations create real constraints. Tharyn explains that the WMF espresso NEXT was developed for these contexts. “The semi-automatic portafilter machine combines the visual. Operational feel of a traditional espresso machine with automated grinding, dosing, tamping, and extraction. “Baristas interact with it as they would with a conventional machine; the processes that most affect stability run in the background.”

This allows operators to serve espresso-based beverages with minimal training while maintaining consistent extraction and savour profiles throughout every service period. For multi-site businesses, the benefits extend further.

Baristas can pre-programme and replicate standardised recipes, which reduces training requirements and ensures predictable performance throughout the day. Integrated systems as well monitor key extraction parameters in real time, ensuring each shot meets predefined standards.

This offers a level of control that supports standardising quality across multiple locations and creates a coherent brand experience.

Automation is becoming the infrastructure behind today’s beverage trends

Beyond espresso, automation has become the driving force behind current beverage trends.

Though it’s less visible than the barista-versus-machine debate, it’s arguably more consequential for operators planning menus and equipment over the next few years. Cold brew, iced coffee, plant-based milk menus, matcha, and flavour-customised signature drinks don’t just reflect changing consumer tastes, but operational complexity. Most are difficult to execute consistently at scale through manual preparation alone, so the beverage trends right now driving advance are, in large part, technology-dependent.

Tharyn explains that SEB Professional Beverage’s product range addresses this directly. “The WMF 1500 F with Cool Brewed technology delivers cold extraction on buying interest: a hot pre-infusion is followed by extraction with water at ambient temperature, producing coffee served below 25°C. “The Schaerer Hot & Cold system, meanwhile, cools coffee during dispensing to create a consistent base for iced drinks,” she adds.

For milk, WMF 2-Milk and Schaerer Twin Milk handle two milk types simultaneously – including plant-based alternatives – with automatic cross-contamination-safe rinsing, while the WMF Syrup Station manages up to four syrups and powders via touchscreen. “For operations that want to blend automated and manual milk preparation, the Schaerer Coffee Soul with 2-step configuration offers three steam wand options that cover the full range of barista skills,” Tharyn explains. “These include the fully automatic Supersteam, the partially automated Autosteam, and the manual Powersteam for teams with full barista skills who want complete control.”

How coffee shops can bring automation and craft together

Leaving automation out of the picture risks being left behind, but it doesn’t require a full operational overhaul.

The most successful coffee shops are those that deploy it thoughtfully, ensuring that technology complements, rather than replaces, the human expertise that still defines specialty coffee. “The practical implication is straightforward: treat equipment selection as a strategic decision, not a procurement exercise,” Tharyn states. “A café that invests in the LA 125 needs highly skilled staff. A multi-site chain using the WMF espresso NEXT is making a different, equally deliberate choice about reliability and scalability across locations.”

The coffee trade isn’t necessarily facing a choice between tradition and technology, but rather navigating how to bring both together in ways that are commercially viable and true to its values. “Every customer and every barista can define how espresso should be prepared – whether through automation, manual skill, or a combination of both,” Tharyn concludes. “Our role is to provide the tools that make this choice possible, without compromising on quality or authenticity.”

Operators who approach automation as a strategic tool, choosing equipment that matches their concept, serves their team, and supports their menu, will be best positioned. Then read our article on how automation can help the coffee trade evolve.

Perfect Daily Grind

Please note: SEB Professional Beverage is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind.