Let’s talk about the café/coffee shop market. What trends are you seeing?
Foodservice is a hub for constantly evolving trends, with the café market at the heart of change. As with most areas in hospitality, they can be polarising: indulgent vs health-conscious menu options, grab-and-go vs experiential dining, greater personalisation vs less friction when ordering. One thing is consistently true however – customers are no longer just purchasing a coffee, they are buying an experience.
The continued shift towards self-service and streamlined options has a particular impact on operations. A reliable, high-capacity ice maker is now essential rather than ‘nice to have’, especially as iced coffees, matcha and fruity soft drinks take centre stage all year round.
Tying into self-service and grab-and-go demand, front-of-house presentation is becoming increasingly important. Attractive food displays can greatly encourage purchases, making them vital to get right. To minimise friction, operators should consider customer-facing storage solutions, such as multideck refrigerators, rather than staff-facing only.
Can you expand on your partnerships with cafes & coffee houses?
Hoshizaki works with a wide spectrum of businesses, from independents through to established high-street coffee shops and the UK’s leading grab-and go pastry shop – who have truly disrupted their category, as well as consumer brand perceptions, by making made iced coffees and now matcha. They’ve been working with us and and investing in our consistent, reliable and easy-to-use ice dispensers. Who would have thought a flaky sausage roll and green matcha would work so well?
But what each of these venues have in common is a thirst to satisfy demand and a willingness to invest in dependable, high-performance equipment that facilitates consistent food & drink quality throughout the day.
At Hoshizaki, we are also invested in supporting cafés as community hubs, through initiatives such as The Canvas Network. Led by Ruth Rogers, the founder of The Canvas in Shoreditch – a community café which ran from 2014-2022 when it was forced to close during the pandemic – the project explores how neighbourhood sites can become hubs tackling loneliness, food insecurity and high-street decline.
When I heard about the idea, I fundamentally knew that Hoshizaki should be supporting this project. In a world of isolation with so many of us glued to our phones, being part of this journey feels like the right thing to do. I’m proud that Hoshizaki gets to give back to our industry and community.
Independents and high-street operators are very different beasts. How does your approach differ? These needs can vary significantly, particularly in terms of space, volume and workflow.
For small independents, footprint is often the biggest constraint. Equipment needs to be compact, versatile and easy to install without disrupting existing layouts. Solutions like Hoshizaki’s DCM ice dispensers are particularly well suited, providing high ice quantity output without the space required of a traditional machine. A user simply needs to rest the cup against the lever, or push a button, and seconds later a cup of ice is ready.
For high-street operators focused on consistency and scalability across multiple locations, Hoshizaki’s new IM CUBE series may be more appropriate. Available in four core variants to meet unique demands – the CUBE, FLEXICUBE, ULTRACUBE, and ELITECUBE – the IM models are capable of producing up to 210kg of ice per 24 hours. Reliability, consistency, ease of maintenance and standardisation are central to the design of these units, making them especially attractive to large chains.
Across both segments, Hoshizaki’s approach remains centred on understanding the operator’s specific challenges and tailoring solutions accordingly.
What’s exciting for Hoshizaki and how do you grow your brand?
Our impressive portfolio has something to suit the unique needs of cafés across both ice production and refrigeration.
For example, our DCM60 and DCM120 are capable of producing 60kg and 125kg per 24 hours respectively. To put this into perspective, 125kg of ice would be enough to make approximately 450 drinks, meaning these plug-and-play units can keep up with rigorous demand. The hard and compressed structure of the cubelet ice produced guarantees a slow melting rate – even withstanding the heat of freshly brewed coffee. Teams can control the amount of ice dispensed by the duration they hold down the button or push the lever. This method eliminates the need for staff’s hands to come into contact with ice, resulting in improved hygiene.
On the refrigeration front, our new ADVANCE Multidecks have been designed with front-of-house use in mind. Ideal for grab-and-go, these units feature adjustable shelving on four levels, which can be tilted up to 75o angle to create attractive displays, while the clear tempered class upstand at the front prevents stock from slipping. Fully integrated LED lighting on each level helps showcase products in their best light. Combined with features like a night blind, these units balance visual appeal with practicality.
Maintaining Hoshizaki’s brand presence as a market leader is ultimately about demonstrating how these solutions work together, supporting a full-service café operation on any level.
Is the iced drinks market something you are keenly focused on?
These have become a key focus for the café sector. It’s no longer seasonal and have become a core part of the year-round offer. From iced coffees to cold brews, iced matcha to soft drinks, demand shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
This trend emphasises the importance of having the right type and volume of ice available at all times. Not all ice is created equal! For example, ice that melts too quickly can dilute drinks and negatively impact quality. The cubelet is specifically designed to address this, offering a slower melting rate and high temperature tolerance.
There’s also an operational benefit. By using an ice dispenser rather than a traditional bin system, staff can save time and maintain better hygiene standards.
Hoshizaki’s focus for the remainder of 2026 extends on continuous assessment of the dynamic foodservice industry to ensure there’s an appliance to meet each individual need. Having recently launched three specialist solutions – the ADVANCE Multideck, Single Tap BeerMatic, and the BAKER Series – Hoshizaki is well positioned to offer a breadth of products for a complete set-up.
We remain committed to supporting the hospitality industry as it adapts to evolving consumer behaviour, whether that’s through product innovation strengthening partnerships, or contributing to wider industry initiatives.
For more info, visit Hoshizaki-europe.com or call 01322 616 900.
