How much is a commercial coffee machine?

Dean Cartwright

18th Jul 2022

3 minutes for reading

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How much do you need to spend on a commercial coffee machine?

Let’s be honest, most business owners aren’t looking to spend the most they can on a coffee machine. They are looking to purchase a reliable coffee machine that will cope with their level of demand, save their staff time and produce consistent shots for many years.

On the other hand, some coffee business owners do want the prestige of having the best machine on the market. If you happen to be in that bracket, you are looking at a five figure sum. In our previous article on the best commercial coffee shop brands, we picked out La Marzocco and Slayer as the industry heavyweights. The best of these come in at over £25,000.

The good news for those coffee shop and restaurant owners on more modest budgets is that you can slash those costs by a factor of ten and still end up with a very good espresso machine.

One brand of commercial coffee machine we often recommend are La Spaziale. How much is a commercial coffee machine from La Spaziale? At the time of writing this article, you could purchase a single group machine for under £3,000.

If this is still too steep for your budget, don’t despair. There are entry level espresso machines we would be happy to recommend.

How much does an entry level espresso machine cost?

When you drop below £3,000, getting hold of a reliable commercial coffee machine that will produce consistently good shots becomes a bit hit and miss.

However, the popular brand Expobar are an exception. Despite their wallet-friendly price tag, these espresso machines are well built and good value for money.

How much is a commercial coffee machine from Expobar? At the time of writing, you could get hold of a decent single group espresso machine for less than £1,700.

Have you considered hiring a bean-to-cup machine?

How much is a commercial coffee machine to hire? As coffee bar and cafe owners have looked for efficient ways to run their businesses, bean-to-cup machines have grown in popularity.

As detailed in our blog on bean-to-cup machines, there are a range of benefits to choosing one. These include greater consistency (even with novice baristas), a smaller footprint and easy cleaning.

It is also possible to hire bean-to-cup machines for a few pounds a day, so if you’re short on working capital but are confident that your trade volume will cover the hire costs, this is an option definitely worth considering.

How much is a commercial coffee machine on eBay?

Some business owners, especially those selling fewer than 300 drinks a day, are tempted into the second hand market. While it is possible to pick up a bargain for a couple of hundred pounds (or less) on eBay and other auction sites, this is a very risky strategy. For every amazing deal there will be dozens of machines that are faulty, unreliable or even downright dangerous. Read our companion blog post for more on the perils of buying coffee machines online,

If you are really keen on sourcing a second hand espresso machine, have a word with Cartwright Coffee first. We sometimes have pre-loved machines for sale, and you can rest assured these will not be a false economy.

Otherwise, we recommend you browse our range of commercial coffee machines for a model that fits your business needs.