A growing number of coffee shops and cafés are seeking to improve efficiency and speed of service through automation while delivering a wider range of flavoured beverage options. To find out how operators can achieve this delicate balance, World Coffee Portal explores how Califia Farms’ flavoured Barista range, which includes new Pistachio and Hazelnut varieties, can support performance, drive sales and reduce the number of products required to deliver a customised coffee menu
In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive coffee shop market, it has never been more important for operators to offer customers a broad range of flavours and customisation options to enjoy with their daily coffee. World Coffee Portal data shows 63% of UK consumers surveyed in 2024 regularly enjoy flavoured hot coffee, with that figure rising to 87% when it comes to iced coffee orders.
Dairy alternatives are also now a staple of the UK coffee shop landscape, with 35% of white coffees ordered in UK cafés now plant-based, according to a Califia Farms consumer survey. Moreover, World Coffee Portal data shows oat is the favourite non-dairy coffee pairing among UK coffee shop consumers.
Nevertheless, delivering a greater range of beverage options can prove a headache for staff in fast-paced hospitality environments, where consistency across high volumes of orders is crucial and there is minimal margin for error. Responding to these challenges, Califia Farms’ new flavoured Oat Barista range allows for the development of seasonal, on-trend and all-year-round menu items that can be made easily and efficiently in-store without the need for syrups. Available in Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla, Hazelnut and Pistachio, the new range has the same high-performance steaming properties as regular Oat Barista and can be used to create flavoured hot drinks or poured straight over ice with espresso. This enables speed of service and removes the need for additional syrups while also tasting more natural and less sweet than traditional syrups.
“Across the hospitality industry, we continue to see beverages made with plant-based dairy alternatives, like oat, becoming the preferred choice for consumers who are increasingly aware of the taste, health and sustainability benefits of these products, says Francesco Epifano, Director of Away-from-Home Sales at Califia Farms.
“These new products are a win for consumers seeking greater choice in flavour exploration”
“Our Oat Barista product remains the preferred choice of some of the UK’s leading specialty coffee outlets, so expanding this portfolio with a new range of flavoured Barista Blends is a natural next step. These new products are a win for consumers seeking greater choice in flavour exploration, and for coffee shops and cafés seeking an easy and efficient way to expand their menu offering,” he adds.
On-trend flavours
Many UK coffee shop operators will already know that pistachio is having a big moment in the UK beverage market, making the Califia Farms Oat Barista range perfectly placed to deliver great results amid growing demand for premium flavoured drinks. Meanwhile, Pumpkin Spice gives operators an easy way to capitalise on the big autumnal pumpkin spice trend, and vanilla is a perfect all-year-round favourite, whether served hot or iced.
Cost-effective customisation
Cost control is another crucial factor for operators to consider when introducing a range of customisable flavoured coffees. A fifth of UK consumers surveyed by World Coffee Portal would not accept any additional charge for syrups in their beverages. However, with major UK branded coffee chains charging £0.60 on average per syrup pump, Califia Farm’s flavoured Oat Barista range enables operators to reduce costs and offer added value to customers – providing a crucial competitive edge.
Optimised for automation
Whether to reduce staff costs, increase consistency across multiple locations or speed up service, a growing number of UK operators are adopting semi-automatic and fully automatic coffee machines. Responding to this major market shift, Califia Farms has conducted extensive testing of its Oat Barista range on leading coffee equipment to ensure operators achieve the best-in-class results with minimal intervention.
