Coffee machine finance: the espresso machine, grinders and everything around them

In a café, the espresso machine isn’t just equipment. It’s the stage. Customers watch it, baristas build their day around it, and on a busy morning it’s the single thing that decides how many people you can serve. When it starts dropping temperature mid-rush or a group head leaks, every coffee gets slower and every queue gets longer. This page looks at how cafés fund their coffee set-up, and the choice between owning a machine and taking a roaster deal.

What goes into a coffee set-up?

Item	Why it matters
Espresso machine	Group count, boiler design and temperature stability set your capacity and consistency
Grinders	Often one for the house blend and one for single origin or decaf; grinder quality affects the cup as much as the machine
Water filtration	Protects the machine from scale and improves taste; often required for warranties
Plumbing and drainage	Mains water and a drain close to the machine
Electrical	Many commercial machines need a dedicated circuit
Milk and extras	Jugs, knock boxes, tampers, milk fridges, batch brew or cold brew gear
Installation and training	A technician to set it up properly and dial it in

Our fit-out cost estimator has a café setting that prompts for coffee equipment alongside the rest of a fit-out.

Own it or take a roaster’s machine deal?

Many roasters offer cafés a machine as part of a coffee supply agreement. It can look like a way to avoid a big upfront cost, and for some cafés it’s a good arrangement. But it’s worth understanding what you’re signing.

Roaster machine deals often involve:

• A commitment to buy a minimum volume of coffee each week or month.
• A set price for coffee that may be higher than you could otherwise negotiate.
• The roaster owning the machine, so it goes back if you change suppliers.
• A supply term that makes switching roasters difficult or costly.

Owning your machine usually means:

• Freedom to choose and change roasters.
• The machine is a business asset you can sell or move.
• Possible tax deductions, including the instant asset write-off for eligible assets.
• An upfront cost, which is what finance helps with.

There’s no universally right answer. If you’re weighing it up, compare the total cost of each option over the life of the machine, including any premium on coffee pricing. You can ask us what financing your own set-up would look like without a credit check.

New or refurbished?

Commercial espresso machines are built to be serviced and rebuilt, so a good refurbished machine from a reputable technician can be sensible value. Ask for the machine’s age and service history, what was replaced, the warranty on the refurbishment and whether parts are readily available in Australia. Our guide to buying used commercial kitchen equipment covers the wider checklist, including searching for any security interest before you buy.

How cafés usually fund coffee equipment

For trading cafés, unsecured or cash-flow options, typically $5,000 to $500,000 and sized on turnover and bank statements, are common for a coffee package. For a new café, coffee equipment is often part of the whole fit-out, which may be property-secured with loans from $20,000 to $5,000,000. Our page on café business loans covers the wider picture.

Tax and your coffee machine

The ATO says the $20,000 instant asset write-off is permanent from 1 July 2026 for businesses with aggregated turnover under $10 million. The limit applies per asset, so a machine and each grinder are assessed separately, and second-hand assets are eligible in most cases. Assets above the limit are generally depreciated through the small business pool. Your accountant can tell you how your purchase will be treated.

An illustrative example

Illustrative only. A café has used a roaster-supplied two-group machine for six years. Trade has grown and the owner wants a three-group machine, a second grinder for single origin, and the freedom to work with a different roaster. Quotes for the package, including filtration, an electrical upgrade and installation, come to around $38k plus GST. With steady statements, an unsecured option sized on turnover covers the purchase, and the owner negotiates a better coffee price with the new roaster now that no machine is tied to the supply.

Planning the changeover

Swapping an espresso machine usually means at least a morning without coffee, which for a café is a morning without most of its sales. Schedule installation for your quietest day, confirm plumbing and power are ready beforehand, and have the technician dial in the new machine before the doors open.

Keeping the machine earning

A well-maintained machine lasts longer and makes better coffee, which protects the investment you’ve financed. A few habits help:

• Book regular preventative servicing rather than waiting for a fault.
• Change water filter cartridges on schedule; scale is the enemy of boilers.
• Backflush and clean group heads daily, and replace gaskets and screens as they wear.
• Keep a record of every service, which also helps when you eventually sell or trade in the machine.

Upgrade your coffee set-up

If your machine is holding your café back, start with a short enquiry. It takes around a minute and involves no credit check when you first enquire. We keep your details with one team, not a crowd of lenders, and a real person who understands cafés calls you to talk through what fits. Please answer the form accurately, particularly the amount and what you’re buying, so we can match you properly first time.

See what your café could qualify for →