When you think of gas station cafés, you might picture quick stops and convenience. But Coral Croatia, the licensee operating SHELL Café across Croatia, has a different vision — a place where every coffee feels like it’s made by a barista, even in the middle of a rush hour.
With over 5 of the busiest outlets now powered by Latte Art Factory, SHELL Café in Croatia is redefining what customers can expect from a highway stop: consistency, speed, and barista-level quality — every single cup.
Meeting High Demand Without Compromising Quality
Across these high-traffic SHELL Café locations, it has been noted a substantial increase in daily preparations of beverages. That’s a huge challenge — especially when most staff are not professional baristas but versatile team members who handle food preparation, cashier duties, and customer service.
“We serve a lot of milk-based drinks — around 80% of our coffee orders — so getting milk texture and temperature right with speed is crucial,” explains Lana Trampus, Gastro Category Manager at Coral Croatia. “The Latte Art Factory makes that easy and consistent, no matter who’s behind the counter.”
Faster Workflow, Happier Staff, Better Coffee
Before adopting LAF, training staff to make quality milk beverages took time and practice. Now, the process is instant.
The automated milk system ensures perfect microfoam and temperature every time, reducing human error and allowing staff to focus on other tasks — from serving food to customer engagement.
“Since day one, the team was thrilled,” says Lana. “It makes their lives easier, reduces training time, and gives them confidence. Any staff member can now deliver top-quality beverages — and that’s a big win for us.”
In high-turnover environments like service stations, reducing training time is a major advantage. LAF has helped streamline operations, cut milk waste, and simplify beverage preparation — all while maintaining a faster workflow during peak hours.
A Noticeable Difference for Customers
The results didn’t just stay behind the counter. Customers immediately noticed the improvement in quality and texture. Many began returning more often — and Coral Croatia’s loyalty program engagement increased notably after the LAF installation.
“We see more repeat visits and hear from customers that our coffee tastes better than ever,” says Lana. “They come back for the quality — even at a gas station café!”
Top 3 Benefits Noticed by Coral Croatia
Raising the Bar for Gas Station Cafés
By introducing Latte Art Factory, Coral Croatia has elevated SHELL Café’s brand image — transforming the perception of what a gas station café can be. Customers now associate SHELL Café not just with convenience, but with quality coffee experiences that rival city cafés.
“This innovation helps us stand out,” concludes Lana. “It supports our staff, delights our customers, and truly levels up our brand.”
That’s not a hypothetical anymore. It’s already happening in Sweden.
By combining Slow Brew coffee concentrate from 3TEMP with milk foaming precision from the Latte Art Factory, this new setup is redefining high-volume coffee service in venues like arenas, event centers, and stadiums.
Löfbergs is a Latte Art Factory partner in Sweden.
The Challenge: Scaling Quality in High-Volume Venues
Espresso machines and baristas remain essential to specialty coffee. But in high-traffic environments, like concert halls or sports arenas, traditional café workflows can become bottlenecks.
Speed, consistency, and ease of use become critical. Training new staff for a traditional setup is time-consuming, and equipment downtime or cleaning demands add operational strain.
That’s where this minimal solution shines.
A Smarter Workflow: Slow Brew + Latte Art Factory
This new system supports baristas in environments where speed and scale matter most.
Here’s how it works:
Result? A smooth workflow that delivers high-quality cappuccinos and lattes, at the push of a button.
No tamping. No steaming wand. No espresso station overload.
The Skagen Pilot
A second long-term test took place at a café in Skagen, Denmark, running from May to October 2023. The setup consistently delivered around 150 drinks per day, mostly lattes and cappuccinos, without requiring trained baristas. Staff received less than half an hour of training, yet maintained quality and consistency throughout the five-month period.
Reliability was another highlight: the system ran without breakdowns, needing only minor recipe adjustments along the way. With drinks priced at about €5.40 for a 33cl cup, the test confirmed that Slow Brew + Latte Art Factory isn’t just a quick fix for events, but a robust solution for everyday high-volume service.
The results confirmed what the Stockholm pilot showed: high-volume, high-quality coffee service doesn’t need traditional espresso stations or intensive workflows. Even with minimal training, staff delivered consistent results day after day, proving the setup is both reliable and scalable.
Proof in the Pour
At another major event in Stockholm, the setup delivered:
Customers praised the drink quality (especially for plant-based options) and operators noted how easy and intuitive the system was to use.
Sustainable, Scalable, and Smart
This system is fast, cost-effective, and sustainable:
30% less milk waste
100x lower idle energy use than traditional espresso machines
Shorter training time for operators
Reduced cleaning and maintenance needs
Consistent drink quality all day long
And it scales beautifully: one centralized brew station can supply multiple Latte Art Factory units across an entire venue.
Extending high-quality coffee service into new spaces where traditional setups don’t make sense, like stadiums, conference halls, and festivals, has been a challenge until now.
For these environments, Slow Brew + Latte Art Factory is proving to be a smart, sustainable, and scalable solution.
Curious how this setup could work in your business?
Let’s talk. The minimal setup future might just be your biggest upgrade yet.
Velo Cafe Huahin is a beloved café in one of Thailand’s top beach towns, which boosts speed, consistency, and sustainability with the help of the Latte Art Factory.
A destination café with a growing reputation
Located in the heart of Hua Hin, one of Thailand’s most popular weekend destinations, Velo Cafe Huahin has built a loyal following among locals and tourists alike. Known as “The Café of Hua Hin,” it’s praised for more than just its beachside charm—it’s a brand rooted in quality, speed, and sustainability. That’s exactly what led the team to discover Latte Art Factory.
Meeting the challenge of volume and consistency
On weekends and holidays, Velo Cafe Huahin can serve up to 600 cups a day—with nearly 80 drinks per hour at peak times. Around 50% of those drinks are milk-based, putting a heavy demand on speed and foam consistency.
“I’ve been looking for a solution that could prepare beverages with just the touch of a button—and I finally found it with LAF,” says owner Nattapon Sarasisang.
Since installing the LAF PRO, the café has transformed its back-of-bar operations. The machine now handles all milk-based beverages—hot and cold—helping the team keep up with demand without sacrificing quality.
Faster workflows, reliable results
Thanks to automated, high-speed milk dispensing, Velo Cafe Huahin can now serve drinks in under 3 minutes.
“It speeds up our service by 20%–30%,” the owner shares. “It really helps us handle our crazy traffic!”
By eliminating manual steaming, the team no longer struggles with inconsistent foam or temperature issues. With Latte Art Factory, every cup is precisely textured and perfectly heated, no matter who’s behind the bar.
– Nattapon, owner of Velo Cafe Huahin
Saving time, labor, and milk
With recipes stored directly in the system, even new staff can deliver drinks like seasoned baristas. That means less training time, smoother onboarding, and more time spent serving customers. Add to that the fact that it delivers consistency of quality, regardless of the barista’s skill level.
Plus, the precise milk dispensing reduces over-pouring and waste—saving on both ingredients and cost.
Built for sustainability
Sustainability is a core value at Velo Cafe Huahin. All drinks are served in recyclable aluminum cans, and Latte Art Factory supports that mission with a fast, hygienic, and low-waste approach. The machine dispenses milk directly into the cans, allowing baristas to multitask efficiently while minimizing environmental impact.
Designed to scale
With rising demand and a strong local following, Velo Cafe Huahin is growing—and Latte Art Factory is helping them scale without compromising service quality.
“The LAF helps increase the performance and speed of the team to prepare a drink. If the shop has limited staff (2-3 people), this would help to deliver drinks during rush hour quickly, so the customer wouldn’t have to wait long,” says Nattapon.
From speed and consistency to sustainability and profitability, Latte Art Factory is proving to be a perfect fit for this thriving café.
This machine was installed by our partner in Thailand, Boncafe Thailand.
Join the cafés around the world upgrading their workflow.
Discover Latte Art Factory and bring consistency to every cup.
At Société, a premium brand family of Excelso Coffee in Indonesia, quality isn’t just a goal—it’s the standard. Known for its elevated café experience, Société focuses on delivering premium beverages with exceptional consistency, no matter the day, the drink, or the barista behind the bar. With three outlets now using the Latte Art Factory, the team has found a solution that doesn’t just ensure perfect milk foam—it also simplifies their workflow and makes baristas’ lives easier, every single day.
“The taste stays consistent every day—it makes our workflow easier and keeps quality high,” says Reza, a barista at Société.
From lattes and flat whites to piccolos and cappuccinos, milk-based beverages are an essential part of Société’s menu. In a premium setting, customers expect the same flawless texture and taste in every cup—and that’s where Latte Art Factory excels.
“Because it’s already set, the taste stays consistent—we just need to execute every day,” Reza adds
Designed to deliver perfectly textured milk foam, hot or cold, dairy or plant-based—at the push of a button, Latte Art Factory ensures that baristas can focus on presentation and customer experience, knowing the quality is already taken care of.
While consistency is key in premium cafés, so is creating a great working environment for the team. For the baristas at Société, Latte Art Factory has made their daily routines simpler and more efficient.
Here’s what they value most:
“It’s easy for baristas to use. The presets make everything simple and fast—and the result is always reliable,” Reza explains.
After introducing Latte Art Factory at one location, Société quickly expanded its use to all three of its outlets, reinforcing the machine’s role in maintaining brand-wide standards. For a premium café concept like Société, that level of reliability and ease of use is key to scaling quality without compromise.
“Latte Art Factory makes my job easier while maintaining the high standards our customers expect,” says Reza.
Reach out today to discover how Latte Art Factory can help your team serve consistently exceptional drinks, simplify workflows, and elevate the entire café experience.
5 to go and Latte Art Factory have been partnering for almost two years, and in that time both companies have been growing hand in hand. Today, 5 to go is one of the fastest growing coffee chains in Europe with 500 outlets across the continent. More than 100 5 to go outlets now have a Latte Art Factory.
In the increasingly competitive coffee industry, cafés are facing a dual challenge: barista wages are rising year over year, while the bottom line is under pressure from escalating operational costs and the price of goods.
Amid these challenges, the Latte Art Factory (LAF) emerges as a groundbreaking solution, offering a way to not only sustain but also enhance profitability.
Lucian Bădilă and Radu Savopol, founders of 5 to go
At 5 to go, a detailed analysis shows that 85% of the coffees sold by the chain are milk-based, with “Mr. Big”, a 475ml cappuccino, reigning as the customer favorite.
This preference underscores the importance of milk in their business model, but also highlights the vulnerability to increasing costs of milk waste as a result of traditional barista-prepared beverages.
“I recommend it wholeheartedly! I admit that I was a little sceptical at first, but it’s worth the money. It is a real help during peak hours, we don’t risk milk foam quality with new employees, and the consumption of milk has decreased for us.”
Iulia, owner of a 5 to go coffee shop
As operational expenses climb, threatening the financial health of cafés, Latte Art Factory stands out as the hero. By integrating this innovative machine, café owners can navigate the shifting challenges and changing trends of the coffee industry with greater ease and efficiency. Today’s coffee consumers value quality above all and variety of beverages, including drinks with cold foam.
“After just a week of using the Latte Art Factory, I can say that it is worth every penny. The milk foam is perfect, milk losses are reduced to almost zero and the cold milk foam is incredible. In terms of waiting times for a coffee with milk, they have halved. Worth the investment!”
Cebedal, owner of another outlet
For Mihai Dadiloveanu, owner of the 5 to go Eroilor branch in Bucharest, the introduction of the automatic milk frothing machine was nothing short of transformative.
Witnessing a 54% surge in revenue within a year of using the Latte Art Factory, compared to the previous year without it, Mihai’s experience serves as a compelling testament to the machine’s value.
He notes the significant business growth attributable to Latte Art Factory and praises its cost-effectiveness and efficiency, which have enabled him to serve a larger customer base without the necessity for top-tier baristas.
“Latte Art Factory is synonymous with quality, and that’s what people look for,” he adds.
The numbers speak for themselves: The LAF not only paid for itself within months but also helped double the production of milk-based coffees from 150 to 300 per hour.
Additionally, the machine’s efficiency and precise dispensing has led to a significant reduction in milk waste, saving Mihai 11.7 liters of milk daily, amounting to 3,000 euros saved each year.
5 to go was born from the desire of the founders Radu Savopol and Lucian Bădilă to offer quality coffee-based drinks, at a fair price.
The chain was nominated for Best Coffee Chain in Central/Eastern Europe at the 2023 European Coffee Awards gala in Barcelona, and Radu Savopol, co-founder of 5 to go, won the Outstanding Contribution to the European Coffee Industry award.
The Latte Art Factory also boasts three SCA Best New Product awards from 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2023 Smart Label HOST Innovation Award.
“The advanced milk frothing technology provided by Latte Art Factory is beyond a doubt a significant asset for a café. On the one hand, the milk cream obtained in this way is a consumer satisfaction factor, on the other hand, it is an element that brings profitability to the business, contributing to a superior taste experience delivered without the need for long-term employee training – after 2 days of training, even beginners are ready to achieve the ideal product texture with this machine. This saves time – 30% more milk-based coffee products can be produced in one day, improves staff efficiency – more coffee is delivered in less time, and milk wastage is significantly reduced because the machine uses only the amount needed, without compromising the result.”
Radu Savopol, co-founder of 5 to go
“The positive feedback received from 5 to go franchisees is most relevant for us, as saving resources and significantly reducing waiting time are two essential elements for streamlining a business in the coffee industry, in a context where cost reduction is now a main objective. Specifically, the use of Latte Art Factory has resulted in a 30% increase in revenue in the 5 to go coffee shops where we have these machines, a promising result that we are pleased with and demonstrates the potential of the technology that we have brought to Romania as sole importer and distributor in 2022. We are proud of this partnership and have every reason to take it further.”
Lucian Bădilă, co-founder of 5 to go
The story of 5 to go demonstrates the impact the Latte Art Factory can have on the coffee industry. By offering a solution that enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and maintains the highest quality of milk-based beverages, the LAF is redefining the operational model for cafés.
Its success at 5 to go signals a promising outlook for others in the industry seeking to navigate the challenges of rising costs and consumer demand for quality.
