In 2015, Alberto and Rebecca Rosmini founded Signorelli, a bakery serving Italian coffee in E20, an east London suburb home to the Olympic Park, Stratford, Leyton, and perhaps even more famously, East Enders.
A decade later, Signorelli has four outlets, each unique to the neighbourhood and community it serves. The close-knit Signorelli team and family manage and operate each outlet.
Signorelli emphasises craft and artisanship in everything it does, whether perfecting the art of Italian pastry or pouring a flawless flat white. The team’s dedication to quality has led to the recent addition of a Flo-Smart system to its operations, which aims to improve consistency and efficiency while reducing its environmental impact.
We spoke with Rebecca to learn more about Signorelli’s motivation for installing Flo-Smart and how the automated beverage dispenser is improving its performance.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Sign up
How has Flo-Smart improved Signorelli’s day-to-day operations?
Signorelli emphasises individuality in each of its four London locations. Maintaining a boutique feel and aesthetic at scale is a notoriously tricky skill to master, but many of today’s leading café and coffee shop businesses exhibit this feature. The Signorelli team prioritises consumer experience and a friendly, local feel, but consistent, repeatable quality is imperative for beverages and pastries.
Flo-Smart, with its pre-set beverage-dispensing functionality, accurate measuring, and two or four-tap system, offers café staff greater consistency in beverage preparation. For multi-site operations, Flo-Smart allows for closer control over beverage recipes. At Signorelli, this means regardless of the neighbourhood a customer finds themselves in, the signature flat white is precisely that: signature.
“Without a doubt,” says Rebecca when asked if Signorelli’s Flo-Smart installation has improved workflow and service speed.
“Flo-Smart has transformed the way we work, particularly during busy periods. The automated pouring ensures that every drink is made quickly and consistently, reducing waiting times and allowing our team to serve more customers efficiently.”
“Instead of juggling milk jugs and constant refills, our baristas can now focus on delivering great coffee and warm service, two things we absolutely never compromise on.”
Flo-Smart dispenses liquid directly from refrigerated bladders held underneath the countertop. These 18-litre bladders can be filled before service begins or when busy periods are expected. Thus, the milk for up to 90 dairy-based coffee beverages can be dispensed at the touch of a button before a refill is required.
In a two- or four-tap setup, the other nozzles can be dedicated to additional non-pulped, non-carbonated liquids, such as a popular plant-based dairy alternative like oat milk or almond milk.
Without an automatic drink dispenser installed, coffee shop counters can quickly become cluttered with different milk cartons and half-empty jugs that must be retrieved and replaced for proper storage between each order. By dispensing directly, Flo-Smart frees staff to better engage with customers, and a clean countertop offers shoppers greater confidence in the quality and hygiene of the operation.
“The difference in our workstations and countertops has been immediate,” Rebecca adds.
“By eliminating the need for multiple milk jugs, we not only improved hygiene but also reduced plastic waste from unnecessary containers. The direct refrigerated lines keep everything clean and streamlined, reducing spills and keeping our workstations clutter-free.
“A tidier, more organised counter means our baristas can focus on what they do best: crafting the perfect coffee with precision and care.”
Why did Signorelli choose Flo-Smart?
Flo-Smart automated beverage dispensers offer busy coffee shops and cafés greater efficiency, service speed, and consistency, which, in turn, reduces waste and improves their sustainability performance. Automated dispensing also unlocks creativity, making it easier to offer a more diverse range of menu options during even the busiest periods.
“At Signorelli, we are constantly striving to balance innovation with sustainability,” says Rebecca.
“As an independent bakery and café, we take pride in finding innovative solutions that enhance efficiency while reducing our environmental impact. The decision to install a Flo-Smart system was driven by our commitment to minimising waste, improving workflow, and maintaining the highest quality in every cup we serve.
“We wanted a system that aligned with our values, helping us work smarter, not harder, while keeping our sustainability goals at the heart of what we do.”
Rosslyn Coffee, another London-based specialty coffee company using Flo-Smart, explained that the 18-litre bladders have allowed them to source larger, 20-litre milk cartons from their dairy supplier, which has cut down on plastic waste enormously. The hope is that these larger supply formats will become more available in the non-dairy, plant-based milk alternative industry, too.
Flo-Smart systems also reduce milk waste through precision dispensing, replacing a barista’s eyeball measurement with accurate, repeatable volumes for each beverage type.
“For us, the combination of sustainability and innovation with Flo-Smart is our favourite feature,” Rebecca adds.
“The direct refrigerated line ensures freshness while reducing energy waste, the multi-pouring feature allows us to serve more customers seamlessly, and the consistency in every cup means we stand by our promise of delivering exceptional coffee every time.
“The precision pouring has significantly reduced milk wastage, which not only helps our bottom line but also aligns with our sustainability efforts. By using only what is needed, we are reducing excess and contributing to a more responsible way of operating.
“In addition, increased efficiency means we can serve more customers in the same amount of time, ultimately increasing our revenue potential while maintaining our commitment to quality.”
Modern consumers expect exceptional coffee delivered quickly, professionally, and in an environmentally friendly manner. For Signorelli, this is their core mission, maintaining the key attributes that Rebecca and Alberto instilled when their journey began in 2015. Flo-Smart helps them stay true to Signorelli’s essence while tackling the practical challenges of running a multi-site bakery and coffee business in one of the world’s busiest capital cities.
“Flo-Smart has been a fantastic investment for Signorelli,” Rebecca concludes, “reinforcing our mission to serve great coffee while making sustainable choices for the future.”
“What we love most is how Flo-Smart supports our vision, finding smarter, greener, and more innovative ways to run a responsible and forward-thinking bakery.”
To install your own Flo-Smart automated beverage dispenser, visit our website or get in touch with us directly.
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest developments at Flo-Smart.
Signorelli
