Franke Coffee Systems CEO Marco Zancolò and VP Technology Christof Hurni reflect on the company’s four decades in coffee and look ahead to what’s next.
What’s needed to serve great coffee – not just once, but thousands of times per day in a range of settings from cafés to hotels to convenience stores, right around the globe?
That’s the key question that has driven Franke Coffee Systems to create and improve automatic coffee machine technologies for more than 40 years.
For its team of industry professionals, the answer is rooted in precision engineering and influenced by the heritage, technology, and understanding of real-world coffee operations that have been fostered within the company throughout its four-decade journey.
In 1984, the Swiss manufacturer acquired FA Augsburger, a small company that specialised in professional coffee equipment. The decision was driven by Willi Pieper, who took over the company in 1975 from his close friend Walter Franke, son of the original founder. Pieper envisioned a future in which technology would elevate hospitality by making great coffee more accessible and consistent.
Now, more than four decades on from the acquisition of FA Augsburger, Franke Coffee Systems CEO Marco Zancolò, who’s been with Franke since 2019, says the values the company was built on in the 1980s remain a relevant and guiding force today.
“Heritage is something we build on – not something we rest on,” says Zancolò. “From the very beginning, our goal has been to combine Swiss precision with innovation that truly supports our customers’ ambitions.”
Built on bold steps
In 1994 under the leadership of Michael Pieper, Franke released its first fully automatic coffee machine, the Swiss Mambo. The name came from a desire to combine Swiss precision with Latin flair.
Just two years later, Franke became the first company in the world to introduce a fully automatic system with an integrated milk frother. This technological advancement ushered in the start of a new era of consumer convenience and laid the foundations for the fully automatic machines of today.
In 2005, the Franke Development Centre was rebuilt to boost the business’ in-house research and development capabilities.
Another major facility expansion in Aarburg, Switzerland, followed in 2008, driven by the development of new product lines and growing international demand for Franke’s coffee solutions.
The company’s next milestone in fully automatic coffee machine technology came in 2015 with the launch of the A Line – a new generation of machines designed to combine performance, modularity, and visual clarity, starting with the A600.
Since its release into the world, the A Line has become the most successful product family in Franke’s portfolio with, according to Zancolò, consistent year-on-year growth and wide adoption across the globe.
He says the journey from the Swiss Mambo to the A Line and beyond reflects Franke Coffee Systems’ desire to create change in the industry.
“Innovation at Franke has always been rooted in real-world needs,” says Zancolò.
“It’s not about complexity for its own sake: it’s about solving real problems for our customers.
“The A Line gives us a platform that works across segments and consumption patterns. It helps us support small cafés and global chains alike and gives operators the confidence they need to grow.”
Although its initial launch is now a full decade in the past, the A Line’s design, interface, and material finish remain almost identical to when it was released. Zancolò says as the product’s life cycle approaches a natural conclusion, it’s more important than ever for Franke to remain innovative and build on its heritage to satisfy customer demand.
“In our business, the typical product life cycle is eight to 10 years,” he says. “Even when customers have been completely satisfied, they don’t want to replace their machines with the exact same model.”
“They expect something new, something that not only improves performance but also reflects changing needs and emerging trends. That’s why the next step is so important.”
When coffee takes the spotlight
Franke’s engineering department is where the vision and strategy outlined by the company’s decision-makers become reality. Christof Hurni, VP Technology, has more than 20 years of experience in helping shape Franke’s coffee systems portfolio.
“At Franke, we believe the best coffee machine is the one you don’t notice,” says Hurni. “It works intuitively and reliably, allowing staff to focus on what really matters: their guests.”
From coffee extraction technologies such as iQFlow that enables customers to personalise flavour profiles, to milk systems like FoamMaster technology designed to better combine the flavours of the coffee with the milk foam, and IndividualMilk which enables consumers to choose their preferred choice of milk from the machine, that user-centred ethos is what drives Franke’s roadmap.
Hurni says the focus when developing machines is always on consistency, scalability, and operational ease.
“Good design isn’t about showing off. It’s about making excellence look effortless, and that takes serious engineering behind the scenes,” he says.
The road ahead
As the coffee world evolves, so do expectations. Sustainability, digitalisation, and shifting consumer habits are shaping what the future holds for the industry.
With preparation for the international biennial hospitality tradeshow Host Milano now well underway, the coffee world will soon descend on Milan to unveil the latest technologies and innovations that will help shape the future of the industry.
Zancolò remains tight-lipped about Franke’s new and exciting machinery and features that will be showcased at Host in October, but he says the world-renowned tradeshow has long been marked as a key date in the calendar.
“Technology can’t be static. We need to support our customers, not just today but also tomorrow – whether they are entering new markets, adapting to staffing challenges, or looking to differentiate through experience,” he says.
“The next chapter in our journey is ready. We’ve been working on something transformative. It’s innovative, bold, and built for the future of coffee, and we are proud to officially unveil it at Host Milano on 17 October.” GCR
For more information, visit coffee.franke.com
This article was first published in the September/October 2025 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
