In order to offer quality espresso drinks, cafes need various tools, supplies, and brewing equipment. These coffee bar essentials are necessary for a full-service coffee shop or a restaurant. They are a prerequisite for making not only the most common coffee beverages such as cappuccino and latte but also tea and other beverages. In this post, we’ll share the main coffee shop essentials and where to buy them. We’ll also shed some light on certain non-essential products that some cafes choose to buy. If you operate a coffee shop or wish to open one, check out our posts on the different types of cafes and how to increase cafe sales.
Key takeaway: Coffee-brewing equipment, barista tools, and ingredients are the most important coffee bar essentials. Other must-have items include storage and refrigeration solutions, disposable products, and tableware inventory.

List of Coffee Bar Essentials
The most crucial products needed to offer quality coffee drinks might differ in different businesses. For example, a mobile food vendor might choose to buy a more affordable espresso machine compared to the ones used by coffee shops. Let’s examine the most important coffee bar essentials.
Appliances and Equipment
This category includes both coffee-brewing equipment and other appliances that are used by baristas and other staff members. An espresso machine and a coffee grinder are the main coffee bar essentials in this category. Commercial espresso machines are often the most expensive items in a coffee shop. Their price can range from $4,000 for the most affordable options to more than $20,000 for high-end professional espresso machines. Other pieces of coffee-related equipment used by many businesses include coffee roasters and blenders. In recent years, alternative coffee-brewing techniques have become more popular. That’s why some businesses also buy drip or pour-over coffee makers, cold brew towers, or a French press.
Tools and Accessories
These are instruments used primarily by baristas to prepare delicious coffee drinks. Espresso tampers and frothing pitchers are the best examples of such tools. Tea ball infusers and measuring tools (scales, spoons, and cups) are also used to make quality beverages.
Ingredients
Naturally, in order to serve coffee, cafes, restaurants, and catering businesses need to purchase the ingredients needed to make it. That includes primarily tea and coffee beans. Other ingredients include milk (plant-based milk varieties are the most popular), condiments, hot chocolate, and flavoring syrups.
Disposable Items
Although many businesses choose to invest in wholesale reusable coffee cups, paper and plastic cups still play an important role in serving to-go orders and deliveries. Other than bulk coffee cups, businesses buy straws, lids, napkins, coffee sleeves, and various other disposable supplies.
Refrigeration, Storage, and Display Solutions
Cafes also need refrigerators and display cases. Some coffee shops also need ovens and other types of equipment needed to prepare baked goods. It’s common for many cafes to order wholesale pastries for coffee shops.
Inventory
Mugs, plates, glasses, and other tableware can also be considered coffee bar essentials. Business owners of cafes should also invest in furnishing, decoration, and other elements that help increase the customer experience.

Where to Buy Coffee Bar Essentials
Coffee shops usually partner with distributors who specialize in different fields. They might order wholesale coffee beans from roasters who offer single-origin specialty coffee or coffee blends. In recent years, many companies have chosen to work with sustainable suppliers who can offer biodegradable or other eco-friendly alternatives to disposable products.
An alternative to ordering from specialized suppliers is to partner with broadline distributors. These companies offer goods in various categories and often have more affordable wholesale prices. However, due to their higher MOQ (minimum order quantities), ordering from broadliners is not optimal for small and starting businesses.
Non-Essential Coffee Shop Products
In the list above, we mentioned the main coffee bar essentials. These products are necessary for any business that wishes to serve coffee drinks. However, there are other items that not all cafes buy. Nevertheless, these non-essential goods might be useful for some establishments. Here are a few examples.
- Modern coffee-brewing equipment. There are numerous innovations in the coffee niche market. Nitro coffee systems and AI-powered coffee machines are examples of non-essential items that can increase the value of the service.
- Fancy seating and Instagrammable decor. Although many business owners choose affordable seating options, investing in high-end furniture can be better in the long run. One of the restaurant industry trends is to offer an Instagrammable experience. This helps with word-of-mouth and social media marketing.
- Complex desserts and savory pastries. Although the foodie culture has promoted elaborate dishes, they might not be the best option for a coffee shop. A lot of people wish to experience a relaxing, cozy, and nostalgic atmosphere when visiting a coffee shop. Thus, simple baked goods and desserts might be a better choice.

Frequently Asked Questions about Coffee Bar Essentials
Do you wish to know more about the restaurant industry? Or perhaps you’re looking for ways to increase your B2B sales. BlueCart’s resources span across multiple industries. Below we’ve shared the answers to commonly asked questions regarding coffee bar essentials.
What Businesses Need Coffee Bar Essentials?
Coffee shops are the most obvious example of companies that need coffee bar essentials. Other businesses that offer tea or coffee beverages also should invest in these tools. That includes restaurants, hotels, resorts, mobile food vendors, and other food service establishments. Offices and corporate buildings also need some of the major coffee bar essentials. These goods are commonly used in office kitchens and break rooms. As coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the US, various other businesses buy coffee brewing equipment and stock wholesale barista supplies.
How to Cut Costs on Coffee Shop Essentials?
If you’re opening а coffee shop and wish to purchase all coffee bar essentials at a lower cost, there are several options. Many starting businesses purchase used coffee equipment and tools. Espresso machines, barista tools, and other accessories can be in perfectly good condition even if they are not new. Leasing coffee equipment is also an option offered by many coffee shop supply stores. When it comes to cutting supplies costs, you can do so by implementing eco-friendly policies such as a coffee shop reusable cup program. Optimizing labor costs and minimizing food waste are other ways to reduce costs.
What Are Coffee Shop Supplies?
This is a category of the broad restaurant supplies industry. Coffee shop supplies are products purchased primarily by cafes but also by other businesses that serve coffee drinks. There are multiple subcategories in this niche such as disposable goods, brewing equipment, and barista accessories. Miscellaneous supplies such as cleaning solutions are also bought by coffee shops but they are rarely considered as part of the coffee supplies sector.
BlueCart: The Wholesale Marketplace for Coffee Bar Essentials
Distributors of wholesale coffee beans or disposable supplies can easily showcase their goods thanks to BlueCart’s bulk marketplace. Our wholesale ordering software connects suppliers with buyers in various sectors. If you wish to increase the wholesale sales of your distribution business, sign up for BlueCart and see how our solution can help you. Companies that wish to find suppliers can also sign up for BlueCart as buyers. Schedule a demo today and see why thousands of businesses use BlueCart’s wholesale marketplace!