The best new products for cafés: Precise purification for coffee, hot chocolate and hog roast rolls

Café culture is still booming in the UK, with the amount of coffee shop outlets consistently increasing over recent years and booming in the UK.

 

Café menus, often led by hot drinks, have to bring something unique to the market, while accompanying food such as sandwiches and pastries can elevate a venue’s offering. The right equipment is also important, to ensure that the food and drink provision is as appealing as possible.

 

Here, we round up the most innovative new products for cafés.

 

Find new café food, drink and appliance options below.

 

Calibrated water purification

 

Swedish water purification and beverage brand Bluewater has introduced its Café Station to the UK. Café Station uses a ‘Liquid Rock’ mineral dosing system to calibrate the mineral composition of a venue’s water to match the profile of the coffee bean being used. It also purifies water of contaminants such as PFAS (per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances), while the mineral formula prevents scaling, reducing coffee machine servicing, as well as improving taste. Users can tailor the water’s mineral profile using an app to highlight specific flavours across the coffee bean spectrum.

 

Price £4,400

 

Nut-flavoured hot chocolate

 

Aimia Foods has launched a speciality line of Milfresh hot chocolate in two flavours – caramelised peanut and coconut. Caramelised peanut blends sweet and salty and is actually free from nuts, meaning it can be served to customers that have a nut allergy. The coconut variety is a creamy and subtly-sweet option that makes a coconut-flavoured hot chocolate, mocha or iced beverage.

 

Price 1kg tub, £7.99

 

Connected display cabinets

 

Fri-Jado is responding to the need for connected kitchens with the launch of connected display cabinets. The cabinets feature integrated digital controllers that communicate with all major monitoring systems. All equipment can be monitored through the same portal, meaning there is no need for appliance-specific software.

 

Price From £8,000

 

Warm up with sourdough toasties

 

Jason’s Sourdough has expanded into the food-to-go category with a range of toasties and hot rolls. he sourdough toasties are available in ham hock and mature Cornish Cheddar, nduja and mature Cornish Cheddar, kimchi and mature Cornish Cheddar and three cheese and onion. The hot rolls are available with thick cut bacon with ‘posh’ tomato ketchup, roast chicken with sage and onion stuffing, and hog roast with sage and onion stuffing and chunky apple sauce. The range will be distributed via Around Noon.

 

Price £2-£2.80

 

Small-batch Burundian coffee

 

Coffee roastery John Farrer & Co of Kendal has launched an addition to its Signature speciality coffee collection: Burundi Kibingo Natural. The coffee is produced by Kibingo Washing Station in northern Burundi, which is used by 3,515 locally-registered coffee growers spread across 18 hills in the region. This single-origin coffee has flavours of dried cherry and raspberry, with hints of strawberry, citrus and apple, with a sweetness reminiscent of chocolate cake. Each Farrer’s Signature coffee is available as a whole bean or pre-ground, packed in a resealable bag.

 

Price 250g bag, £7.76

 

Photo: Claire Whistler

 

Frozen doughnut treats

 

La Lorraine Bakery Group brand Donut Worry Be Happy has launched four sweet treat products. Two ‘Bites’ flavours comprise the Buenissimo Bite, a soft dough with a smooth, creamy hazelnut filling and coated in cocoa powder, and the Pink Pearl Bite, a pink dough filled with white chocolate. It has also released a pair of doughnut lines: the Lemon Squeezy Ring Donut, filled with lemon curd and topped with white Belgian chocolate pieces, and the Pinkie Ring Donut, coated in a pink glaze, dusted in rainbow sugar crystals and marshmallow cubes. The doughnuts can be defrosted within 60 minutes and the Bites take 90 minutes.

 

Price Case of 105 Pink Pearl or Buenissimo Bites, from £27.60