Great coffee should be accessible to everyone, and Schaerer is embarking on a change that will help more people use its Coffee Soul machines.
In the pursuit of creating a world fit for all who inhabit it, it can be the simplest of acts that foster the greatest sense of independence.
For some people, this independence can be achieved through things many take for granted, such as having a job or driving a car. But, for others, it can be as simple as getting your own cup of coffee.
The rise of automatic coffee machines has made quality coffee more accessible than ever. From offices, hospitals, and convenience stores to universities, mechanics, and car dealerships, good coffee has become a service expectation around the world.
Yet, this growing accessibility to high-quality coffee is not necessarily available for all, even if there is a machine to use. With menus and controls often located towards the top of machines on high benches, independent access for wheelchair users is often difficult – if not impossible.
Schaerer has been at the forefront of coffee machine innovation for more than 100 years, and the manufacturer is now seeking to improve the accessibility of its Coffee Soul machines with a new Easy Access module that will be available worldwide in late 2025.
The new system features a series of buttons at the front of the machine’s drip tray, rather than at the top. These additional buttons can be used to select beverages from the existing menu, meaning wheelchair users will be able to easily select their own drink independently, when and where they want it.
Schaerer has already released a comparable model to the upcoming Easy Access in the United States (US) to great success. Global Product Manager Xiaoya Tan is responsible for the creation of the new module.
She says the upcoming international release of the feature ties into Schaerer’s desire to use small things to create big change.
“As far as I know, there are no other similar features on the market. This feature is not new for the Schaerer Coffee Soul as we launched the US integrated model in 2023, but now we are making it available globally,” says Tan.
“It is important for us to foster a society that everyone can participate in on an equal basis. We see that as a critical part of our social responsibility. This includes improving accessibility for wheelchair users to help them navigate the world as accessibly as someone who does not use a wheelchair, and that includes being able to start the day with a cup of coffee, independently.”
She adds accessibility improvements in other areas of society have helped motivate Schaerer to create this change within its products.
“We see train stations as a great example of large-scale changes in creating a more accessible environment for wheelchair users, and we want to create a similar solution with our machines,” she says.
“Clearly this is not a feature that will double our business results, but that isn’t our only target. We want to create social change.”
Tan describes the functionality of the Easy Access module as comparable to a set of arrows on a computer keyboard. It includes left and right buttons to navigate the beverage selection menu, a button to activate the machine once the beverage has been selected, and a cancel button.
It is designed to be used on machines that are set to self-service mode, as opposed to staff mode, or frequent user mode.
The new module can be retrofitted to a range of Schaerer Coffee Soul machines that feature touchless outlets and, once released, will be able to be included in new machine purchases.
The inclusion of the automatically adjustable touchless outlet is an important safety feature according to Tan, who says the Easy Access system can be simply installed on existing machines by a Schaerer technician.
“This feature is easily retrofittable, and we recommend the machine already has the touchless outlet,” says Tan.
“The touchless outlet is also retrofittable, so it is incredibly simple to have both features fitted to your existing machine. It ensures there is no splash risk to the user, because if the outlet is quite high and dispensing into a small cup, that becomes a risk to consider.
“The technician needs no more than 30 minutes to install Easy Access to an existing machine.”
Although the applications for the Easy Access feature range as far and wide as wherever self-service Schaerer machines are in use, there are three key sectors in which this technology could be a potential game changer.
Its application in medical facilities including hospitals, aged care facilities, and rehabilitation centres could add a new and empowering element of independence for those enduring significant medical and social challenges.
The ability to get your own cup of coffee in a time of great change and stress may seem small, but it could have a significant impact.
Offices and convenience stores, where self-serve automatic coffee machines are already popular, are also key markets in which Easy Access stands to make a huge difference to a range of employees, clients, and customers.
Tan says the application of the technology across these settings is already drawing extensive interest from key global markets.
“Any machine set to self-serve mode where we see users in wheelchairs is an important use case for this feature,” she says.
“We’ve already received enquiries from large offices around Europe after we demonstrated the feature at INTERNOGA in Hamburg in March, and we’ve received enquiries from convenience stores.
“In this case, if a wheelchair user is going grocery shopping or stopping in a convenience store to pick something up and find themselves wanting a coffee, Easy Access enables them to get a cup by themselves.”
Tan adds the international release of the technology has been a priority for the brand.
“It’s something we see in our own office; we have wheelchair users here and the reality is it’s a target group that needs the attention of the coffee industry,” she says.
“We have a backlog of features we want to be able to implement in our machines, but this has been a priority. It aligns with our ‘small things with a big impact’ slogan, but also ‘we love it your way’. ‘Your way’ cannot just apply to the privileged few, it needs to include everyone.”
With a global rollout of the Easy Access feature currently planned for October, Schaerer is set to embark on a fresh campaign to inform the coffee industry about the new application.
“We are currently testing the product in Europe and seeing very good results,” says Tan.“It will be compatible with all Soul 10 and 12 machines set to self-serve mode. We are confident in the official release timeline.”
Attendees of Host Milano in Italy will be able to see the Easy Access application in use at the tradeshow in October.
“As a company we focus on innovation. We have a long history of making coffee machines and we are still putting that innovation at the heart of what we do,” she says. “We were one of the first to integrate a modem into a machine to enable connectivity of a coffee machine, we introduced barista-like milk foam from the revolutionary patented Best Foam milk system, and we are still pursuing features that will make high-quality coffee available to more people.” CR
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This article was first published in the July/August 2025 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
