A century old Italian manufacturer is turning espresso machines into connected data systems. The world’s most scrutinised café ranking has a new number one. A Chinese discount chain is moving aggressively into Europe with sub-€1 espresso. A grinder brand has secured two years on the World Barista Championship stage. And a Belgian startup says it can make coffee without coffee beans at industrial scale.
This week’s news is about technology, reputation, price competition, professional standards, and climate risk.
La Marzocco launches remote espresso machine monitoring platform in Australia and New Zealand
La Marzocco has introduced a remote espresso machine monitoring platform designed to deliver real time performance and service insights from its commercial machines. Sistema will launch first in Australia and New Zealand from 23 February, with a broader global rollout expected to follow.
The platform connects compatible machines through an IoT gateway and runs on three subscription tiers: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. It tracks drink volume, recipe adherence, machine usage, and service data across single cafés and multi-site operators. Higher tiers add deeper reporting and business intelligence integrations.
Compatible models include the KB90, Linea PB, Linea Classic S, GB5, and Strada S, with additional models expected later. La Marzocco positions the system as a way to improve consistency, reduce unplanned downtime through predictive maintenance, and give operators remote visibility into machine performance.
Click here for the full article.
Onyx Coffee Lab named World’s Best Coffee Shop 2026
Onyx Coffee Lab in Arkansas took first place in the 2026 World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list, moving up from second last year. Organisers revealed the ranking at CoffeeFest Madrid after counting more than 350,000 public votes and combining them with scores from over 800 judges. The panel assessed more than 15,000 coffee shops worldwide.
Tim Wendelboe in Oslo placed second, and Alquimia Coffee in El Salvador secured third. Australia’s Only Coffee Project Crows Nest landed fourth. Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters dropped from first in 2025 to fifth this year.
The United States led the top 100 with nine cafés, followed by Australia with seven, Peru with five, and Spain, Honduras, and Taiwan with four each. Evaluation criteria included coffee quality, barista expertise, customer service, innovation, ambience, sustainability practices, food offerings, and service consistency.
Click here for the full article.
Chinese coffee chain Cotti Coffee accelerates European expansion
Cotti Coffee continues to expand rapidly across Europe, positioning itself as a value focused challenger to established Western chains.
The company now operates more than 18,000 locations across 28 markets, including 16,485 in China as of January 2026. After launching in China in 2022, Cotti scaled quickly through compact, pickup oriented stores, aggressive discounting, and app led ordering.
It entered Europe in 2025 with openings in Paris, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Barcelona, and Madrid. In early 2026, it expanded into the UK with two London locations. The chain has also opened six outlets in Belgium and announced plans for Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
Its pricing strategy drives the model. In Germany, Cotti prices espresso below €1 and cappuccinos under €3.
Click here for the full article.
Ceado named official grinder sponsor for the 2026 and 2027 World Barista Championship
The Specialty Coffee Association named Ceado the Qualified Espresso Grinder Sponsor for the 2026 and 2027 World Barista Championship. For the next two seasons, all competitors will use Ceado grinders during the espresso course on stage. Ceado will supply two models: the REV Zero and the E37Z-Naked. Both use 83 mm flat burrs but rely on different grinding systems.
Across the competition cycle, Ceado’s grinders will serve as standardised equipment, ensuring consistency and fairness for competitors in one of specialty coffee’s most visible events.
Click here for the full article.
Koppie raises funding to launch beanless coffee this year
Belgian startup Koppie has secured new funding and completed its first industrial scale production run of beanless coffee, with a commercial launch planned later this year.
Koppie makes coffee alternatives from fermented legumes. Roasters can use them on their own or blend them with traditional beans to create hybrid products. The company says this approach reduces climate impact and price volatility while preserving familiar flavour and brewing performance.
Koppie has now raised more than €2 million and recently completed a four tonne production trial. It expects to scale capacity significantly this year as it prepares to supply launch partners, initially focusing on the European market.
Click here for the full article.
La Marzocco is adding a software layer to its espresso machines, moving deeper into subscription based services. Onyx Coffee Lab has taken the top spot in one of the industry’s most visible global rankings. Cotti Coffee is expanding rapidly into Europe with aggressive pricing that will no doubt put pressure on established chains. Ceado will supply the grinders on the World Barista Championship stage for the next two seasons. And Koppie is scaling production of beanless coffee as climate and supply concerns continue.
Technology, competition credibility, price pressure, global expansion, and supply alternatives. It all happening.
And that’s where the coffee industry stands this week.
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