Schuilenburg explains how the Perfect Moose provides cafés with an automated solution to create the perfect workflow and reduce cost per cup.
Jan Adriaens, CEO of Schuilenburg and engineer behind smart autofoamer Perfect Moose, based the idea of his creation off his own market experience.
“I have been working in the coffee industry for over 25 years now. We meet a lot of passionate people but unfortunately, you can’t run a business on passion alone. Real issues such as time management, temporary staff and training costs are not always taken into account. We saw the same frustrations over and over again and decided to do something about it,” Adriaens says.
Put simply, the Perfect Moose fully automated milk steamer saves the barista time and accelerates their workflow without any sacrifice to quality.
“Perfect Moose was developed as an independent brand to be combined with all sorts of coffee set-ups, be it traditional, under counter or otherwise. We made sure the Moose does not take up too much counter space. If you have room for a big jug, you have room for a Perfect Moose,” says Perfect Moose Marketing Manager Nele Mertens.
Designed to fit any set-up, there are Perfect Moose models with and without a boiler. In case the café already has an espresso machine on the counter, the barista can use Perfect Moose Greg. The user can hook Perfect Moose Greg up to the boiler of a compatible espresso machine, and together they’ll create the ideal microfoam.
If the barista is after a fully independent smart steamer, Perfect Moose Jack has its own boiler at the back of the machine. Power and water mains are all this solitary product needs to steam milk.
“We wanted to give each Perfect Moose model a personal name to embody another barista helping out the team,” Mertens says.
Depending on the size of the cup and the milk volume steamed at a café, the user can have both Perfect Moose Greg and Jack as an Epic version. Instead of the standard smart pitchers of 350, 500 and 750 millilitres, the barista can use a one-litre jug instead of the 350-millilitre version.
“All Moose models have exactly the same slim look, the only difference is that Jack has a slightly bigger bum, which is the boiler. They also operate in the same simple way, only how you nest them in your coffee set-up differs,” says Mertens.
The Perfect Moose device works in combination with smart Moose pitchers or jugs equipped with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag at the bottom. Perfect Moose optimises its potential for consistency and efficiency using a three-jug system, all available in several sizes, with RFID technology. Each jug is embedded with an RFID chip, which allows them to be individually set for different milk profiles, specific to different recipes.
“White pitchers can be used to steam dairy milks, green pitchers can be used for plant-based alternatives, and black milk jugs can be used for steaming mixes, such as milk and chocolate powder or syrups,” Mertens says.
“Thanks to this technology, Perfect Moose automatically recognises the type and amount of milk dosed, and then steams it fully independently into silky microfoam, giving the desired foam texture and temperature. This frees up the baristas hands and allows them to engage otherwise.”
Perfect Moose also rules out any room for error. A message on screen will tell the barista when they’ve poured in too much milk or if they should cool the milk. No training is needed.
“Steaming milk takes a lot of skill, time, feel and practice. With an ever-growing array of milks demanded by customers, streamlining is vital, whether you’re a part of a huge chain or a specialty café,” says Mertens.
“And you can forget about the dirty cleaning jobs. Since no milk runs through the machine, wiping the steam wand with a damp cloth after every cycle is all it takes.”
Schuilenburg’s Adriaens says the Perfect Moose mimics the natural barista process completely.
“Will it steam faster than a barista? No it won’t, because you simply cannot overrule this process if you want the same result. The time saver lies in the fact that the barista can engage with customers and pull espresso shots while milk foam is being steamed,” he says.
According to Adriaens, when used on a daily basis, Perfect Moose pays for itself within four to five months.
“Record low unemployment in hospitality has made hiring and retaining expert barista talent even more challenging. If you can produce a coffee more consistently, save on waste and training, have more menu options, and reduce your cleaning budget. It really adds up,” he says.
“Back when we launched the Perfect Moose in 2017, some early believers immediately saw the potential, which we are still grateful for to this day. It won us the Host Milano Smart Label Award in 2017, which opened doors for us in the world of coffee.”
When attending Host Milano in October 2023, Adriaens noticed that for most owners, baristas and hospitality managers, it was no longer an issue of whether to go for automation, but rather how to go for it.
“Automation doesn’t involve giving up the personal touch, on the contrary. The role of the barista is evolving. Apart from being a creator behind the bar, the barista can dedicate more time to the customer and create an inviting atmosphere people want to come back to,” Adriaens says.
“Both chains and independent coffee bars are up for the idea of automation. For us, the passion of creating always remains key. The Perfect Moose autofoamer can be used with the liquid of your choice, enabling you to experiment, make new combinations, buy local milks, and more.”
Adriaens says the fact that more manufacturers are jumping on the milk steaming trend, keeps the company on its toes and only broadens its view.
“In 2021, when we added the option to adjust temperature and texture of the microfoam outcome, the Specialty Coffee Association awarded the Perfect Moose as Best New Product in 2021. That’s why we will never stop listening to the people. Good things are not made up in an office, they are discussed behind the bar,” he says.
“It’s good to always keep a finger on the coffee pulse, and listening to honest feedback from our clients has proven to be a treasure chest of information. That is how we anticipated the rise of plant-based alternatives and created a green smart pitcher dedicated to plant-based milk only.”
Adriaens continues that it is never his intention to impose a certain taste or uniformise the coffee experience through automation.
“We encourage baristas to keep an open mind. Big companies are using the smart steamer to test their recipes before going to market. We often receive new plant-based drinks to test out foamability on the Moose, which we consider as a token of appreciation by the market,” he says.
“We consider automation as the next step forward in the coffee business. Embracing innovation always takes courage, and providing quality without the queue is something coffee lovers will only applaud.
For more information, visit perfectmoose.com
This article was first published in the January/February 2024 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
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