The Great Automation Debate, with Franke’s Daniel Clarke, Dalla Corte’s Thomas Hall and Übermilk’s Boris Zwick

Are robots really replacing baristas? Can craft survive in the era of automation, and what do ‘authentic’ coffee experiences really look like? Our trio of experts spanning the fully automated, manual coffee machine, and milk frothing markets weigh in to sort fact from fiction

1 March 2026

7 min read

Left to right: Daniel Clarke, Head of Strategic Accounts at Franke; Thomas Hall, Head of UK & Ireland, Dalla Corte; and Boris Zwick, CEO, Übermilk

Are robots really replacing baristas? Can craft survive in the era of automation, and what do ‘authentic’ coffee experiences really look like? Our trio of fully automated, manual coffee machines, and milk frothing experts weigh in to sort fact from fiction

Daniel Clarke is Head of Strategic Accounts at Franke, a coffee equipment maker with its finger on the pulse of cutting-edge coffee automation. His colleague, Thomas Hall, is Head of UK & Ireland for Dalla Corte, another Franke Group brand, but one firmly focused on high-end manual coffee machines.

They’re joined by Boris Zwick, CEO of Übermilk, another key innovator in the barista equipment space. Three different target markets, three different business models, but can they agree on a defining vision for the future of the coffee industry?

A barista operating a Franke Mytico machine | Photo credit: Franke Group

“De-skilling coffee is a massive risk”

Daniel Clarke, Head of Strategic Accounts, Franke & Thomas Hall, Head of UK & Ireland, Dalla Corte (Franke Group)

Daniel Clarke: We’ve seen a real push towards automation over the last ten years. Consistency was the original driver because not every barista using a traditional machine can perform continuously at the same level.