Opening a café or coffee shop is a major undertaking, and the logistics involved can be daunting to a first-time business owner. To set yourself up for success, you’ll need the right equipment and barista tools to create a quality coffee menu. Nothing will delight your customers more than a latte or espresso made with a professional touch.
Acquiring the necessary equipment is one of the first things you’ll need to do if you plan on starting your own coffee shop. To help you narrow down the choices, here are a few recommendations which are all conveniently available at Visions Espresso:
A commercial-grade espresso machine
All good cafés use espresso as a base for many of their drink offerings. A good espresso machine is therefore one of the most essential items, and a necessary investment. At Visions Espresso, you can shop for commercial espresso machines from well-known brands such as La Marzocco, Slayer, Mavam, Kees Van Der Westen, Nuova Simonelli, and more.
How you choose an espresso machine will largely depend on your menu, clientele and budget. A semi-automatic espresso machine is a fine choice for baristas who like to manually start and stop their shots. Auto-volumetric machines will extract to a programmed volume, while some machines offer scales to extract even more precisely by weight.
A high-quality coffee brewer
You can’t have a functional café without a reliable commercial coffee brewer. You’ll therefore want a reliable machine that can keep up with the demand year after year. Like a commercial espresso machine, a good coffee brewer is also one of the most indispensable pieces of cafe equipment to have on hand.
Visions Espresso offers coffee brewing machines from brands such as Marco, Fetco, and Modbar, among others. Give your menu and bar layout a look to determine which type works best for your setup.
Commercial coffee grinders
Freshly-ground coffee beans are the backbone of every successful coffee shop. Pre-ground options simply won’t do if you want to present yourself as a café that’s serious about coffee. Fresh-ground coffee for filter or batch-brew will give you an edge over your would-be competitors.
At Visions Espresso, you’ll find a wide selection of espresso and coffee grinders to suit your needs. A grinder from Mahlkonig, Ditting, Anfim, Hey Cafe, Mazzer, or Victoria Arduino can make your coffee offerings much more competitive in the local coffee scene.
Tampers and Puq Presses
Tamping coffee properly is essential to pulling the perfect shot. Tampers are requisite barista tools that will allow your staff to pack espresso grounds evenly into the basket, allowing your espresso shots to pull evenly and consistently. The correct size tamper can make a big difference when preparing espresso, from a smaller 57mm size to larger, 58.4mm tampers used with many commercial portafilter baskets.
Puq Press auto-tampers, available on Visions Espresso, minimize human error when it comes to tamping. Automatic tampers offer more consistent results over manual tampers when preparing espresso, converting casual customers into regulars for your café. They also significantly minimize the fatigue your staff experience with the repeated motion of manual tamping.
A hot water dispenser
No one likes a lukewarm cup of coffee. Kettles and coffee brewer spigots can’t keep up with tea and americanos in a busy cafe. It is prudent to invest in a hot water dispenser specifically designed for medium-to-heavy food and beverage preparations in a commercial setting.
At Visions Espresso, you can shop hot water dispensers from brands like Fetco and Marco. Whether it’s hot, cold, or sparkling water you need, you can count on them to deliver.
Visions Espresso is your #1 source for everything you need to start your coffee business. Visit their website now!
