About Coffee Cup Equipment

How a Dad’s idea developed into a thriving family business.

In 1994 Steve Fitzpatrick was a salesman working in London, selling coffee door to door in a coffee marketplace very different to the one we know today.  Speciality coffee was in its infancy and espresso machines were few and far between.  Instead, filter coffee was popular because of its simplicity, ease of use and a general acceptance of lower quality coffee.  On the occasions his customers did use an espresso machine he noticed that the machines were usually in poor condition.

Before his sales career Steve had worked in the Laundry Rental Market and before that he had studied engineering and mechanics at college.

It was this combination of experience and knowledge that led to the idea behind Coffee Cup Equipment.  The idea was to buy an espresso machine and rent it to a customer who would benefit from an all-in rental service including the installation and maintenance of the equipment. 

One happy customer led to another and based on word of mouth the business began to grow.  Each year, he strove to maintain our reputation by doing whatever it took to keep the coffee flowing and our customers smiling, because they knew that when they needed our help we would be there quickly with the solution.  

28 years later and our service is still based around Steve’s initial idea; we continue to focus on our reputation and level of service to grow our business through word of mouth and recommendations from coffee roasters.

What has changed since the mid-nineties is the coffee market itself.  With espresso machines on every high street, skilled baristas now serve coffee, roasted and brewed to the highest of standards. To say that coffee has improved would be an understatement.  It’s this ever-improving standard of coffee that we have evolved with, resulting in the service we provide today.

As coffee has improved, so has our equipment.  We now provide a wide range of espresso machines and grinders from La Marzocco, Wega, Rocket Espresso, Victoria Arduino & Mazzer. Whether you are a small café or restaurant, chain of coffee shops or pubs, or would like to serve better coffee in your offices, we have you covered.  No stone is left unturned in choosing the right equipment for your business.  Once installed, should anything go wrong with the equipment, our team of specialist engineers is ready to go, usually on site in a couple of hours.

But it’s not only good coffee and equipment that make a great flat white for your customer.  It’s also important that the barista knows how to use the equipment to serve the coffee to its potential and keep your customers coming back.  That’s why our Full Care Service now includes unlimited barista support. It doesn’t matter why our customers need us – it could be an equipment breakdown or it could be an inexperienced barista that just needs some advice –  the fact remains that when our customers need us, we are ready to help.

Steve never dreamed that Coffee Cup Equipment would become a successful family business  that his two sons, Mike & Andy would be running today, embodying the same all-in service and customer-first work ethic that their dad started with almost 30 years ago.

Today we continue to lead the way with our honest, friendly, personable approach, providing a hassle-free way for all types of businesses to serve good coffee.

cafe serving latte and espresso from coffee machine

Our Values

At the heart of our business is our reputation, it has been built over the last 28 years on the same Full Care Service we provide today, treating our customers with the respect they deserve and always going the extra mile.

The human way we deal with our customers will make you feel welcome to contact us about any concerns or problems you have.  Leaving no doubt that you have the right equipment and the confidence you need to serve the coffee your customers will love.

If we need to bring your barista a replacement hopper on Saturday morning we will do it because a broken hopper means the same as a mechanical breakdown – you can’t serve coffee.

We are also reliable – when the telephone rings at Coffee Cup Equipment we answer it, that’s not a robot, it’s one of the directors who has the resources available to quickly deal with the situation.  Similarly, when we say we will do something, we do it. It’s this level of reliability that means when the sh*t hits the fan our customers know we have their back. 

This level of service is demonstrated by our engineers as well.  After all it’s our engineers who are on-site when you need us the most.  They are trained as espresso machine engineers by us and are as quick as possible when it comes to fixing breakdowns.  When the job is done they also have time to answer any other questions or concerns you may have.  They are not in a rush to get to their next job because they are not overworked, we give them the time they need on-site and time at home with their families.

Our Full Care Service is relied upon by hundreds of businesses across London and the South East of England.  Many of our new customers come through recommendations from coffee roasters who know we will provide their customers with a superior service.  We also receive a lot of business from customers who are opening a new site or recommending us to a friend.

At Coffee Cup Equipment we want your business to be a success. Your emergency is our emergency and this is why our customers choose us.

Sustainability

From day one the refurbishment of our rental equipment has been fundamental to our business.  It didn’t make sense to dispose of equipment that we could refurbish. Reducing waste and costs enabled us to offer our services at a competitive price for our customers.

This was back in the mid-nineties when the climate crisis was known as “the hole in the ozone layer” and of course did not factor into our daily lives as much as it does today.  But of course refurbishing equipment and reusing it is a very sustainable way of running our business, and yours.  It just happens that we have been doing it for the last 28 years.  

Now that the climate crisis has become indeed a crisis, we are more aware than ever of the responsibility we have to our planet.  Today we continue to build on our unique machine refurbishment programme, ever improving our practices and techniques to reduce our carbon footprint further.  Every machine that leaves our workshop, functions and looks as good as new so our customers can serve their coffee sustainably without compromise.

We are also aware that our responsibility to our planet does not stop here.  We have recently installed a heat pump heating and cooling system in our workshop which produces zero carbon emissions.

As for our vans, this is something we are working on – when we are able to invest in electric vehicles we will.

At Coffee Cup Equipment we care deeply about the future of our planet.  Choosing our Full Care Service gives our customers a sustainably sourced espresso machine that doesn’t cost the earth.

coffee machine blockage clearing

How We Help

Our Full Care Espresso Machine Rental Services makes it easy and affordable to serve great coffee.

Owning a professional espresso machine can be expensive, it comes with responsibility, hassle & risk.  Not only is there the initial cost of purchase, and risk that you could invest in unsuitable equipment, there is also the continued maintenance of the machine.  Over time the water in the espresso machine will leave scale behind, blocking pipes and inhibiting the functionality of the equipment. Water filtration will slow down the scale, but it will not stop it completely.  That’s why regular servicing and breakdown support is essential to keep the coffee pouring and your customers smiling.  

If you own your equipment, who will do this for you? Emergency callouts can be expensive, how much money will you lose when you are waiting for their help? And when they arrive will they have the parts for your espresso machine? That’s assuming there is anything wrong with the equipment.  It could be that an engineer arrives to say there’s nothing wrong with the equipment – “it’s your electrical supply” or “you need to adjust the grinder settings.”  Will your baristas have the support they need to make sure this unnecessary disruption doesn’t happen?

This is where we come in.  Whether you are new to serving coffee or have a wealth of hospitality experience behind you all of our customers receive the following benefits:

  • Expert knowledge and guidance. If your passion outweighs your experience, we will help you choose the right equipment and advise you on how to prepare your site.
  • In a hurry? We have the machines in stock and ready to go so we can install in as little as 24 hours from enquiry.
  • Installation. Our engineers will install the equipment and calibrate it to the recipe for your coffee.  This means your coffee will taste great from day one.
  • Barista Training. Our on-site barista training will help your staff serve great coffee to every customer who steps through your door.
  • Unlimited Breakdown Service. In an emergency we are usually on-site within 2 hours – it’s an emergency if you can’t serve coffee!
  • Emergency Weekend Breakdown Service. We have an engineer ready to help on Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Unlimited Servicing. Our full service will minimise the chances of equipment breakdown.
  • Water Filtration Management & Cartridges. When we service the equipment we will check your filter and if necessary adjust the bypass or fit a replacement unit.
  • PSSR Compliance for Health & Safety. When we service your machine our IOSH qualified engineer will perform a pressure system examination and produce a report for your insurer.
  • Barista Support. Accidents happen and can be just as costly as mechanical breakdown.  Our barista support will help you to quickly resolve the problem and continue to serve the coffee your customers love.
  • Machine Swap Option. Maybe the amount of coffee you are selling is different to what you predicted.  If required, we will upsize or downsize your equipment to best suit your business.
  • Fast Expansion Service. Easily add new sites to your account without unnecessary paperwork.
  • Equipment relocation. We will send an engineer to move your equipment – within your existing site or to a new site.
  • You can use any coffee you want. Choose your favourite coffee roaster or mix it up to keep your customers interested.
  • Environmentally Aware. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainability through our machine refurbishment programme.  Renting an as-good-as-new espresso machine minimises waste and extends the life of these timeless workhorses – with no compromise on quality.
  • There are no unexpected bills. Everything is included in the rental charge so not only is it great value for money but you can budget your spending with confidence. 
  • We are nice people to do business with. When you call us a human being will answer the phone, there are no automated menus or bots.  We respond to emails quickly and do what we say we will do.

Our Full Care Service makes the whole operation easy and hassle-free so you can focus on other aspects of your business.  All you need is the coffee…

If you would like to chat please give us a call on 0203 544 3219.  We like talking about coffee machines.