Schaerer provides fully automatic coffee machines for the German Latte Art Championship of SCA Germany

Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step combines consistency and quality with genuine barista craftsmanship

The German Latte Art Championship of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Germany has a new equipment partner: SEB Professional Beverage Germany will provide the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step for the upcoming competition. Just a few years ago, the idea of a fully automatic coffee machine playing the leading role in a latte art championship would have been unthinkable. The partnership highlights the growing acceptance of hybrid concepts within the specialty coffee community. Fully automatic technology ensures espresso consistency and quality, while baristas can focus on their latte art craftsmanship. The championship will take place in January 2027 as part of HOGA in Nuremberg, Germany. On stage, the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step will appear in a specially designed “SCA Latte Art Championship Edition”, decorated with illustrations inspired by latte art and the specialty coffee scene. The partnership is initially planned for one year and begins well before the actual competition. Those who qualify can train in the SEB Professional Beverage Germany showrooms using the exact machine that will later be used on stage, including the opportunity to exchange ideas with coffee professionals.

The partnership started with a practical test in the SEB Professional Beverage showroom. Representatives of SCA Germany assessed the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step against the criteria a competition machine has to meet. “The specialty coffee scene keeps evolving without losing its focus on craft skills. In the hands-on test, the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step showed how well it brings these two worlds together: it delivers consistent quality while giving baristas complete freedom for their creations. The opportunity for our participants to train in the showrooms beforehand also creates excellent conditions for their preparation,” says Michael Fritsch, Event Coordinator at SCA Germany. For participants, the German competition is about more than winning the national title. The winner of the German Latte Art Championship qualifies for the SCA World Latte Art Championship and exclusively represents Germany there.

Internationally, Schaerer has been established in the professional barista segment for years. Among others, the brand acts as main equipment supplier to a large coffee shop chain in China. Its collaboration with SCA Germany further strengthens this position, demonstrating that fully automatic machines such as the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step have also become popular within the German barista community. “On a competition stage, it becomes apparent within seconds what a machine is capable of. We are delighted that SCA Germany chose the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step following the test. This decision underlines the machine’s relevance within the barista community,” says Axel Fähnle, Head of Marketing at SEB Professional Beverage Germany.

Why the Coffee Soul is the right fit for the competition

In its “2-step” configuration, the Schaerer Coffee Soul deliberately does without an automatic milk system and, as a championship machine, is equipped with the Powersteam steam wand. It brews the espresso fully automatically and in consistent quality, so participants can concentrate entirely on the perfect texture of the milk foam.
This method of preparation is gaining increasing support. In international markets, many coffee shops have long been working according to this principle because it combines their own requirements with their guests’ expectations. The latte art is poured by hand, while the espresso is produced by the fully automatic coffee machine. As the new competition machine, the Schaerer Coffee Soul 2-step sends a clear signal that craftsmanship, precision and technical excellence go hand in hand. “The championship demonstrates that automation and craftsmanship are not mutually exclusive but rather reinforce one another. Automation provides the foundation behind the scenes, while the stage belongs to the latte art artists and their creations in the cup,” says Axel Fähnle.

Support and exchange among peers

For the Schaerer brand, supporting the specialty coffee community means more than simply providing machines. It also means accompanying baristas on their journey to the top. “Within this partnership, we are doing more than supplying machines. We want to use our international perspective and beverage expertise to support baristas with knowledge and provide new inspiration, while at the same time learning from those who challenge our machines more intensively than any day-to-day operation,” emphasizes Axel Fähnle. Anyone who qualifies for the German championship can train on the competition machine in the SEB Professional showrooms in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Berlin and exchange ideas with the coffee experts at SEB Professional Beverage Germany.

More information:
WMF GmbH
Mirjam Sauter
Global Communication & Content Manager
GBU Professional Coffee Machines
WMF Platz 1 – D-73312 Geislingen
presse.pcm@wmf.com – https://www.wmf.com

WMF Pressoffice
c/o Press’n’Relations GmbH
Monika Nyendick and Natasa Forstner
Magirus-Deutz-Str. 14 – D-89077 Ulm
Tel.: +49 731 146 156-70
wmf@press-n-relations.de
https://www.press-n-relations.de