What does a busy regional airline need from its coffee? For Aer Arann Islands, the answer was a self-service coffee machine that passengers could use in seconds, pay for with a tap, and trust to deliver a coffee brand they already know. Here’s how Vero Coffee designed, installed and now remotely supports a smart, connected coffee solution for one of Ireland’s best-loved island carriers.
The Brief: Great Coffee for International Passengers
In July, the Marketing Manager at Aer Arann Islands invited proposals from the coffee industry. The requirements were clear: a self-service system that could support contactless payment, paired with a coffee brand that international visitors would recognise the moment they saw it.
Aer Arann Islands welcomes travellers from all over the world on their way to the Aran Islands. Many arrive after long journeys, so a familiar, high-quality cup of coffee makes a real difference to that first impression.
Why We Chose the Franke A400 Self-Service Coffee Machine
Our recommendation was the Franke A400, a compact, Swiss-engineered bean-to-cup machine built for exactly this kind of environment. Its interactive touchscreen guides every user through their order, so passengers get a consistent, café-quality drink without any staff involvement.
Two Grinders, Fresh Milk and Hot Chocolate
We specified the A400 with two coffee grinders, giving flexibility across the menu and plenty of capacity for busy departure times. The machine uses fresh milk for proper, velvety cappuccinos and lattes, and a hot chocolate option means there’s something for every passenger, including younger travellers and non-coffee drinkers.
Contactless Payment with Nayax
To handle payment, we integrated a Nayax contactless payment system. Passengers simply tap their card, phone or smartwatch and their drink starts brewing. There’s no cash to handle, no till to manage and no queue building up at a counter.
For Aer Arann Islands, this means the coffee station runs itself while the team focuses on getting passengers checked in and on their way. You can explore our full range of contactless payment coffee machines to see which models support Nayax.
Two Menus from One Machine
Vero created two separate coffee menus for the A400. The first is the passenger menu, with contactless payment and pricing set by Aer Arann Islands. The second is a dedicated staff menu, managed through the Nayax app, so the team can enjoy their own coffee on terms that suit the business.
It’s a simple setup that gives one self-service coffee machine two very different jobs, without any extra hardware.
IoT Technology: No Engineer Visit Required
Here’s where the solution really earns its keep. The A400 connects to Franke’s remote digital service platform, either through the customer’s Wi-Fi or a dedicated GSM connection. This IoT technology allows Vero to manage the machine from our office, with no need to send an engineer out to the islands’ departure point for routine changes.
Through the platform, our team can update prices, upload new screen saver files for the A400’s interactive display, and adjust recipes and brewing temperatures. Just as importantly, the machine sends technical data back to us, flagging cleaning schedules, water filter replacements and upcoming service dates. Issues are spotted early, downtime is kept to a minimum and every cup stays consistent.
If you’d like to see which other machines in our range are connected, take a look at our IoT technology coffee machines.
Lavazza Canal Grande: A Coffee Passengers Recognise
The second half of the brief was brand recognition, and few coffee names travel as well as Lavazza. As Lavazza’s appointed distributor in Ireland, we recommended Lavazza Canal Grande, part of the Tales of Italy collection inspired by the cafés of Venice.
Canal Grande is a sustainable coffee, so Aer Arann Islands can offer passengers a familiar Italian espresso experience while supporting responsible sourcing. Browse our full selection of Lavazza coffee beans to find the right blend for your business.
Up and Running
Installation was completed at the end of August, and Aer Arann Islands is now serving Lavazza Canal Grande coffee and hot chocolate to passengers and staff every day. With remote monitoring in place, the machine is looked after in the background, so the airline can get on with what it does best.
Is a Self-Service Coffee Machine Right for Your Business?
If you run a transport hub, hotel, office, leisure centre or any space where people want great coffee quickly, a self-service coffee machine with contactless payment and IoT support could be the answer. You get café-quality drinks, less staff time behind the counter and a supplier who can manage much of the upkeep remotely.
Talk to the Vero Coffee team about a solution built around your space and your customers. Call us on (01) 533 4911 or email info@verocoffee.ie. There’s no question too big or too small.