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AI, automation all set to transform coffee preparation
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Monday, 21 September, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Anurag More, Mumbai
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AI, automation and connected technology are set to play an increasingly important role in transforming coffee preparation across homes, cafés and restaurants, according to Abhinav Mathur, CEO, Kaapi Machines. He said technology would make coffee preparation more consistent, measurable and accessible while enabling businesses to improve operational efficiency.
According to Mathur, automation can reduce dependence on individual skills for repetitive processes in cafés and restaurants, while connected equipment can enable operators to monitor performance, manage recipes and identify service requirements. At home, technology is making speciality coffee easier to reproduce without requiring professional expertise. “The larger shift is from equipment being a standalone appliance to becoming an intelligent part of the coffee ecosystem,” Mathur said.
He noted that consistency is becoming increasingly important for cafés and restaurants amid rising labour and operational costs. Smart coffee equipment can standardise variables such as temperature, flow, dosage and extraction, thereby reducing variations between operators and outlets. Connected equipment can also monitor usage and performance, helping reduce wastage arising from incorrect preparation, over-extraction and inconsistent recipes. For multi-outlet businesses, even small improvements in every cup can translate into meaningful operational savings at scale, he added.
Mathur said one of the biggest challenges for cafés and restaurants investing in high-end coffee equipment is evaluating the investment beyond the initial purchase price. Operators need to consider utilisation, consistency, maintenance, downtime, training and the revenue potential of their beverage programme.
“A premium machine makes sense only when it fits the business model,” he said, adding that equipment selection should be based on expected volumes, menu, workforce and long-term operating requirements rather than simply choosing the most expensive machine.
The expansion of café culture into Tier-II and Tier-III cities is also creating new opportunities for the coffee equipment industry. Mathur said emerging-city entrepreneurs are increasingly experimenting with speciality coffee and differentiated café formats, although their requirements may differ from metro markets in terms of investment, space, consumer pricing, service infrastructure and menu preferences. He said the opportunity was not to replicate metropolitan café models, but to develop solutions suited to individual markets.
Mathur also highlighted the importance of local manufacturing and India-specific product development for the next phase of growth in the coffee equipment industry. India, he said, has a distinctive combination of climatic, operational, infrastructure and consumer requirements. “Local manufacturing allows us to respond faster to these requirements, improve serviceability and develop products at appropriate price points,” he said.
He added that Kaapi Machines' R&D and manufacturing initiatives are focused on creating solutions relevant to Indian businesses rather than simply adapting international products.
Sustainability is another area where equipment manufacturers can contribute, according to Mathur. Improving energy efficiency, reducing warm-up and standby consumption, optimising water usage and minimising preparation wastage can help cafés reduce resource consumption. He also stressed that longer equipment life and serviceability are important, as extending the usable life of machines can reduce the environmental cost associated with replacement.
As India's café ecosystem expands, Mathur said training and skill development would remain fundamental to improving coffee quality. Baristas need to understand extraction, calibration, milk texturing, hygiene, workflow and equipment maintenance. “Even the best equipment cannot compensate for an inadequately trained team,” he said.
Mathur, who has also been associated with initiatives such as the Latte Art Championship India, said competitions, training programmes and community initiatives can help raise professional standards. Competitions allow baristas to benchmark themselves against peers, while training provides a technical foundation. Community-building brings together baristas, roasters, café owners, equipment companies and consumers, supporting continuous learning across the ecosystem.
Mathur said speciality coffee, premium cafés, QSRs, delivery-led businesses and at-home brewing should not be viewed as competing categories. Instead, they serve different consumption occasions while increasingly influencing one another.
Home brewers are learning from cafés, cafés are responding to more knowledgeable consumers, QSRs are making coffee more accessible, and speciality coffee is raising quality expectations, he said. Together, these segments are expanding the addressable coffee market and creating a more informed consumer base.
For new café entrepreneurs, Mathur identified equipment selection before understanding the business model as one of the most common mistakes. He advised entrepreneurs to first assess expected volumes, menu, space, workflow, staffing and target consumers. Training and after-sales service, he added, should also be considered alongside machine features.
The growing willingness of Indian consumers to invest in premium coffee machines reflects a broader shift in coffee consumption, according to Mathur. Coffee is increasingly becoming an experience rather than simply a beverage, with consumers investing in products that support their interests, rituals and lifestyles. He said premiumisation is also being accompanied by greater consumer education, with consumers increasingly learning about coffee beans, brewing methods and equipment.
Looking ahead, Mathur expects speciality coffee to reach more cities, home brewing to become more mainstream and technology to become increasingly embedded in cafés. He sees opportunities across cafés, equipment, training, roasting, technology, manufacturing and community-led businesses.
He identified the convergence of Tier-II and Tier-III expansion, speciality coffee, home brewing and automation as a potential driver of the next phase of industry development. While emerging cities can broaden the market, speciality coffee can raise quality expectations, home brewing can educate consumers and automation can help businesses scale consistently.
Mathur also cautioned against adopting technology simply for its own sake. “Technology needs to solve a genuine operational problem,” he said, noting that not every café requires the most automated or connected equipment.
Mathur said connected automation could have a significant impact on cafés over the next five years by combining automated preparation with connectivity and giving operators greater visibility into equipment performance, recipes, usage and maintenance. This could be particularly relevant for businesses operating multiple outlets.
He also emphasised the need for a broader ecosystem around coffee equipment. The quality of the final cup depends not only on the machine but also on coffee, water, recipe, barista skills, workflow and maintenance.
As a result, Kaapi Machines has expanded beyond equipment supply into consulting, café design, training, installation, service and technology. Alongside this, Something’s Brewing focuses on the consumer side through products, education, experiences and community. “Our larger vision is to help build a stronger coffee ecosystem in India—from the professional café to the home kitchen,” Mathur said.
He added that the long-term opportunity lies not simply in selling more coffee machines, but in helping build a coffee culture in which Indian consumers understand coffee, experiment with it and increasingly demand better quality.
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