Fresh bread and pastries will always be the heart of your bakery. But increasingly, coffee is the driver that keeps customers coming back daily—and the reason they spend more per visit.
A cappuccino alongside a croissant isn’t just an upsell; it’s part of the modern customer expectation. And if you don’t serve coffee (or serve it poorly), customers may look elsewhere.
That’s why investing in the right coffee setup is crucial - helping your bakery to serve up quality coffee, additional revenue, and a memorable customer experience.
How Much Should Bakeries Spend on Coffee Equipment?
Now, each bakery's coffee setup might look different. Your bakery might need a simple bean-to-cup coffee machine that is reliable and easy to use, whilst others might be looking for a fully-fledged espresso machine and multiple grinders to serve the highest quality coffee possible.
Your starting point will be deciding what type of machine best fits your bakery’s service model and customer volume. Here’s what we recommend for bakeries, with 2025 prices:
A Simple Bean-to-Cup Machine
Schaerer Soul 2 Step – Ideal for bakeries where staff are juggling multiple tasks. Produces high-quality espresso drinks at the touch of a button, with fresh milk foaming built in.
Expect around £12,000 upfront or roughly £70–£80 per week on a 5-year lease.
Barista-Operated Espresso Setup
Sanremo D8 Espresso Machine £5,000, Mahlkönig E65S Coffee grinder £2,000, Puqpress Q2 automatic tamper £850. This package provides craft quality and speed, ideal if you want to offer a true café-style experience within your bakery.
Total: ~£7,850 upfront, or around £95 per week leased.
High-Volume Machine for Busy Bakeries
Eversys Enigma E4M, A powerhouse super-automatic built for high demand, with barista-level results.
£20,000+ upfront, or from £140 per week leased.
To Serve Delicious Brewed Coffee
Marco Qwikbrew filter brewer, a simple, cost-effective way to serve high volumes of black coffee quickly.
From £2,400 upfront.
The Essentials, No Matter Your Machine
Alongside your coffee machine, your team will need a small number of tools and essential gear in order to serve coffee. As a starting point, we always recommend:
Manual steel tamper – from £20
Spring-loaded tamper – £50–£60
Puqpress Q2 automatic tamper – £850
Puqpress M2/M3 (under-grinder models) – around £1,000
Coffee scale (e.g. Felicita) – £100
Pitch rinse – £80
Barista starter kit (jugs, cloths, brushes, cleaning tablets) – £110
Water Treatment
Don’t overlook your water. Poor water quality affects taste and can damage your machine. We recommend Brita water filters – most cost between £100 and £200, depending on usage, and should be replaced every 6 months.
Ongoing Costs to Factor In
The “true cost” of coffee equipment isn’t just the sticker price. Here are the running costs every bakery should budget for:
Service packages – Typically £500–£1,000 per year depending on the machine. Prevents breakdowns and expensive call-outs.
Barista training – One-off sessions from £250, with ongoing refresher training recommended. Builds staff competence and confidence.
Consumables – Milk, syrups, sugar sachets, cups, lids, takeaway bags, cleaning chemicals. These vary by volume but expect at least £100–£200 per week for a small bakery.
How This Bakery Chain Wowed Customers With Their Coffee
When Days Bakery, a historic family-run business in Cambridge, upgraded to a carefully chosen mix of espresso and semi-automated machines, the results were transformational: queues dropped, drinks became consistently high quality, and staff gained the confidence to deliver a great customer experience every time.
So, What’s the Total Cost?
When budgeting for coffee equipment, most bakeries choose to spread the cost with a weekly lease rather than paying upfront. Here are three typical examples to guide your planning:
Bean-to-Cup Setup (Schaerer Soul 2 Step)
Around £70–£80 per week. A simple, reliable solution for bakeries that need consistency and ease of use.
Espresso Setup (Sanremo D8 + Mahlkönig E65S + Puqpress Q2)
About £95 per week. Perfect if you want to deliver a café-style coffee experience alongside your bakery offer.
High-Volume Setup (Eversys Enigma E4M)
From £140 per week. Designed for busy bakeries that serve hundreds of drinks each day with speed and consistency.
With even modest daily sales, each of these setups can pay for itself many times over, turning your coffee offer into a steady, profitable revenue stream.
Do You Need to Invest This Much?
Most bakeries don’t need to pay a large lump sum upfront for coffee equipment. Instead, many spread the cost over time with a lease, keeping cash flow healthy and aligning costs with revenue.
For example, a high quality espresso machine Sanremo D8 setup might cost around £95 per week on lease. Selling just 20 coffees a day at £3 each brings in £420 a week, easily covering the lease before even factoring in milk and cups.
As sales grow, the return becomes even clearer. Selling 50 coffees a day adds up to £1,050 per week, more than enough to justify a higher-end machine like the Eversys Enigma E4M, which costs around £140 per week to lease and is built for high volumes. In this way, coffee equipment quickly proves itself as a revenue driver rather than just an expense.
There are cheaper alternatives, such as buying second-hand machines on eBay, but these often come without the vital support of a wholesale coffee roaster: things like reliable servicing, staff training, and a steady supply of beans. For most bakeries, that expert support is what makes the difference between simply having a machine and running a successful, profitable coffee offer.
Ready to Take Your Bakery's Coffee To The Next Level?
Get in touch with our team here at Bridge Coffee Roasters to find out what kind of investment you'll need to make in order to impress your customers with a fantastic coffee experience.
