The key features to look for in the best milk dispenser for coffee shops

Cafes and coffee shops have to take milk, or plant-based dairy alternatives, seriously – a 2020 report from the Specialty Coffee Association found that 91% of coffee beverages ordered in American coffee shops contained dairy.  

The addition of milk represents an extra step in beverage preparation. Whether a barista is steaming milk for micro-textured drinks like flat-whites or lattes or simply adding cold milk to an Americano, more time is required. For food service businesses, time is money.

The best milk dispenser for coffee shops can save businesses time, free up staff to focus on other operations or customer service and introduce greater consistency in beverage preparation.

Dairy and dairy-alternative consumption is not going anywhere, so businesses should consider automated dispensing as a solution to crowded workstations, inconsistent dosing, and unnecessary waste. 

Milk dispensers vary in capability, and to understand the key features to look for in the best milk dispenser for coffee shops, we spoke to Chris Gaag, COO at Truth Coffee. 

Milk dispensers should improve delivery speed

Among the key benefits of automation for the coffee industry and wider food service sector is an increase in delivery speed compared to a human undertaking the same task. 

Without automation, manual processes, from pouring milk to cleaning equipment, must be conducted by paid staff. For coffee shops, labour costs are among the biggest expenses – 30% of sales on average. 

“So whether the machine has one dispenser, multiple dispensers, can steam milk, etc., the dosage accuracy is the key benefit, along with time-saving,” says Chris. 

“Now, some could argue it isn’t saving a huge amount of time – a skilled barista can do this quickly – but the benefit is that it frees up the barista to engage with the customer. In high foot-traffic scenarios, this is even more important.”

“Pouring milk is attention-intensive. The busier the cafe, the more the benefits are highlighted. A barista can do a lot more and focus better on other tasks when milk dispensing is automated – focus on the espresso extraction, chatting with the customer, serving food, etc. It’s actually a tool for the barista.”

Alongside cost, manual processes are slower and less efficient. 

Consider the process of pouring milk for coffee drink preparation. Fridge space must be allocated for dairy and non-dairy plant-based alternative milk. Most coffee shops store these products in one- or two-litre cartons, amounting to four or five different dairy types – a considerable amount of space is required. 

For substantial health and safety protocols and allergen control, each milk type requires its own jug or a single jug that must be thoroughly cleaned every time the milk type is changed. 

The barista then needs to measure the milk required for each beverage – almost always an ‘eyeball’ process (truly accurate measurement would take excessive amounts of time) – before pouring the final product. 

Then, any excess waste must be discarded, the milk type must be returned to the correct storage location, the jug must be cleaned and stored correctly to mitigate contamination risk, and the next order must be taken. 

The best milk dispenser for coffee shops dramatically reduces the level of complexity in the beverage preparation process. 

The Flo-Smart dispenser, in either a two-tap or four-tap set-up, features a fully automated, refrigerated supply line that runs straight to refrigerated bladders holding various milk and dairy substitutes. 

At the press of a button, the barista simply places a jug under a tap, and the correct liquid, in the optimal quantity, is dispensed and ready for steaming or pouring immediately. 

The manual storage, selection, replacement and cleaning processes described above are gone. With Flo-Smart, the barista simply presses a button and the right liquid is poured. 

For businesses that regularly serve other non-carbonated and non-pulped beverages, Flo-Smart lines can easily be arranged for juices, wine, and cold-brew coffee and tea.

Better consistency and quality

As mentioned, the best milk dispenser for coffee shops should improve the consistency and quality of the beverages your business serves. With manual, human-led food and beverage preparation, there is natural variation, prone to becoming more inaccurate under high-volume conditions like the morning commute or lunchtime rush. 

“If you’re losing, say, fifty grams of milk every time you barista pours milk or a non-dairy milk because they are eyeballing the measurements, then your waste really adds up over time,” says Chris. 

“If you, as a business owner, really care about the measurements and consistency of your beverages, you really need an automated system. With manual processes, the end product fluctuates much more.”

Flo-Smart automatic beverage dispensers mitigate variance and inconsistency, instead producing accurate dosing measurements regardless of staff or situation. 

A business owner or manager can pre-set dosing programmes for different liquid types. For example, 200 ml of oat milk can be used to prepare an oat milk flat white, or 350 ml of whole milk can be used to prepare a caffe latte. 

During service, the barista or staff member on duty simply places the jug that matches that dosage on the Flo-Smart sensor and the liquid is dispensed according to the programme. 

This feature is of significant importance to food service operators, where margins are tight, and waste is a key contributor to challenging overheads. 

With the best milk dispenser for coffee shops, your business can save money by reducing waste while creating the level of beverage consistency your customers deserve (and notice).

Enhanced workplace safety and consumer confidence

Hygiene standards are crucial to successful F&B operations, and as the quality and quantity of plant-based dairy alternatives have increased, so has the risk of cross-contamination.

Whether allergen-related or due to lifestyle choices, younger consumers have stricter dietary requirements than previous generations. They expect the restaurants, coffee shops and cafes they frequent to respect their needs.

For businesses serving coffee beverages with all manner of dairy and non-dairy additives, keeping track of cross-contamination is complex, especially for those with high foot traffic. 

The best milk dispenser for coffee shops should make preparing multiple beverage types easy and help the operator serve more drinks and customers without experiencing bottlenecks or health and safety scares. 

With separate taps and dedicated, refrigerated lines, the Flo-Smart automatic beverage dispenser dispenses liquid directly from storage reservoirs to the correct preparation jug in a closed system, removing any risk of cross-contamination during storage or dosing. 

Human error is significantly reduced as the barista, or user dispenses via the touch of a button to the corresponding jug instead of manually selecting the correct milk or dairy alternative or manually cleaning and rinsing the jug – both areas where cross-contamination can occur. 

Moreover, Flo-Smart records cleaning cycles, stores cleaning and sanitation data, and notifies the business which pumps were cleaned when. 

Plus, Flo-Smart is HAACP-certified – among the highest food preparation standards in the world.

Choose Flo-Smart for your automatic milk dispensing

The best milk dispenser for coffee shops should improve consistency and quality, increase workflow efficiency, and make the working environment safer. We have designed Flo-Smart around these features. 

Flo-Smart automatic beverage dispenser is not just a milk dispenser: it can accurately and consistently dose any non-carbonated or pulp-free beverage. These capabilities have helped our clients branch out, serving new and different drinks and opening up new day-parts for a new clientele. 

Plus, Flo-Smart is customisable and beautifully engineered. Not only does it de-clutter your countertop, but it is eye-catching, adds to customer experience and can be ordered in different colourways to match your brand. 

Visit our website or contact us directly to learn more about how Flo-Smart can make your coffee shop safer and more efficient. 

Milk dispenser for coffee shops