New eco-efficient and healthy professional espresso coffee machine

Project Information

ECOBREW2

Grant agreement ID: 717497

DOI

10.3030/717497

Project closed

EC signature date 31 March 2016

Start date 1 May 2016

End date 30 April 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 2 306 908,75

EU contribution

€ 1 614 836,13

Coordinated by

IBERITAL DE RECAMBIOS SA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECOBREW2 (New eco-efficient and healthy professional espresso coffee machine)

Reporting period: 2017-05-01 to 2018-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world.Current professional espresso coffee machines are based on traditional technologies, are energy inefficient and, due to the materials used, generate unhealthy metal impurities, which are passed to the drink. Furthermore, they are not using modern technology and have ignored internet connectivity.

Espresso coffee has always been closely associated with social culture and fashion. One of the fastest growing segments in this market is specialty coffee. Consumers are increasingly returning to take coffee as a social activity. The preparation of coffee is a key aspect of this social experience, with espresso coffee machines and the baristas that use them, considering them as important as the coffee itself. There is a growing number of coffee connoisseurs willing to pay a premium for coffee that is not only of high quality, but has also been professionally prepared and sourced in an environmentally and socially responsible way. A recent study found that 75% of coffee drinkers were concerned about the environment and were willing to pay up to 25% more for environmentally responsible coffee.

With the ECOBREW2 project, IBERITAL proposes an innovative healthy and energy-efficient professional Espresso Coffee Machine, that is also connected.

IBERITAL is a 40-year-old company that produces professional espresso machines in the Barcelona area. With 56 employees, it had an annual turnover of 12,4 MEUR in 2016, 65% of which are exports; and has recently invested in a new 6000m2 factory. IBERITAL’s main goal is to launch the ECOBREW espresso coffee machine to the global market, duly tested and certified. The excellent results obtained during the feasibility study in SME phase 1 (GA651039) have reassured the company in two conclusions:
• The proposed technical improvements are feasible: The alfa prototype developed showed potential energy savings up to 40-50%, and content of lead lower than 10 ppm
• The existence of a great market demand for a new generation of energy efficient healthy coffee espresso machines. The possibility of reducing energy consumption is a vital buying driver, while the concept of eco-friendly and heavy-metal-free coffee is extremely welcomed by final users.

The overall objectives of the ECOBREW2 project were to:
- perform final product design and development and construct beta prototypes and pre-series
- perform the industrial up scaling
- certify the machine for commercialization in target countries
- test and demonstrate its performance with distributors and final users
- prepare and launch a worldwide dissemination and commercialisation of ECOBREW espresso coffee machine

The result of the ECOBREW2 project is the Iberital VISION espresso coffee machine, an outstanding disruptive espresso coffee machine that has harvested admiration in all the trade shows, events and demonstrations in which it has been presented. The three technical objectives have been well achieved, and the final pre-series machines even present a higher reduction of power consumption.
Iberital VISION has won several international design awards:
- Winner of the 2018 Green Good Design, awarded by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design- USA.
- Platinum A’Design Award 2018 – Italy
- Gold 2018 Excellence in Design Award, by Appliance Design magazine – USA
- Nominee to 2018 Delta Award at ADI-FAD – Spain
- Nominee to 2019 German Design Award – Germany

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

IBERITAL has finished the pending tasks, reached the objectives and milestones and submitted the Deliverables. A summary of work and results is:

- Final specs: after the proof of concept and feedback of the beta prototypes, the final specs were written. IBERITAL decided to position the machine in the top segment with premium technical features, while focusing on the original wanted features: energy efficiency; healthy drinks; and connectivity.

- Design and product development:
o Hardware: Mechanics, aesthetics, materials, finishes, hydraulics, electronics, cabling.
o Software: ECU+display firmware, tablet App, IoT platform webpage.
o Versions: 2,3,1-group; normal & extra height; basic and profiler.
o Accessories, packaging, manual.

- Industrialization:
o Closed final product documentation: blueprints, BoM
o Closed purchasing of components and subsystems
o Production documentation: assembly instructions, plant layout

- Iberital has manufactured pre-series machines and sent sample machines to their destinations, and performed the planned tasks with them:
o Trade shows and events
o Demonstrations at customers
o Certification labs

- Iberital has developed the Operation Strategy, the Marketing Strategy and the Investor Ready Business Plan.

- IPR strategy: registration of VISION trademark, the design and utility models for the inventions.

- Iberital has executed the dissemination and communication plan with all the marketing activities:
o Content: videos, product photography
o Product website
o Trade shows: the “Vision on Tour” presented the product in Italy, China, Singapore, Japan, S.Korea UK, Greece and Spain, and EU.
o Printed material: catalogues, brochures
o Articles, publicity in media
o Social networks

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Innovations introduced by ECOBREW2 and its impact are:

1. Reduction of energy required to prepare coffee
IBERITAL aspires to lead a new trend in energy efficiency in the professional coffee machine market. Studies predict a 30-50% reduction in power consumption in HORECA businesses. Considering that a traditional coffee machine is the machine with the highest consumption in a coffee shop, the reduction of consumption will translate into a significant reduction of consumption in the sector.
The long-term impact is important; it is estimated that only Spain has 350,000 bars/cafeterias with a 3-5 Kw coffee machine. A reduction in power consumption of 30-50% in all professional machines along Europe will have a significant impact.
We have seen that in the latest trade shows in Europe, coffee machine energy efficiency has become an important issue.

2. Healthier heavy-metal free beverage
The market has been unaware of this matter until recently, when US passed new regulations. IBERITAL has introduced new materials and a new design of the hydraulic circuit that reduces dramatically heavy metal content in coffee and infusion water. The intention is to lead the migration of the sector into healthier practices regarding heavy metals. VISION is the first step into an era with healthier coffee, and Iberital has launched projects to migrate to lead-free components in all machine in its portfolio.

3. Connected machine
IBERITAL has introduced a new system based on IoT Connectivity and web and App interfaces that offer information to the barista about brewing process, machine maintenance, and connection to social networks. The impact of this is difficult to forecast but we have hints: reduction of maintenance visits, improvement of uptime, optimization of energy saving mode, reduction of fraud, improving coffee logistics...

Both the VISION machine and the dissemination and communication campaign that Iberital has executed have impacted the company: Iberital is now seen as a disruptive and technological player, a reference whom to watch; new customers have approached the company with interest in the product, and in the innovations that have been proposed. Phase 3 is going to be very exciting!

Iberital VISION - Black version - Front view

Iberital VISION - Detail

SME Instrument Innovators Summit, by EASME, Brussels, Oct 2016

Iberital VISION - Detail base

Iberital VISION - Black - detail of groupheads

Iberital VISION - Barista - detail of groupheads

Iberital VISION - Detail panels

Iberital VISION - Black 2 version - Front view

Iberital VISION - Detail on tablet & App

IBERITAL published in La Vanguardia newspaper

Iberital VISION - Black version - Rear view

Iberital VISION - Barista version - Front view

Iberital VISION - Glass version - Front view