Chinese coffee equipment maker CAYE has raised nearly RMB 400 million (about US$59 million) in a Series B round, the largest single financing reported in China’s commercial automatic coffee machine segment, according to 36Kr and Yangtzeer on June 29–30, 2026.
36Kr reported that the Suzhou-based company plans to use the funds for core technology R&D, expanding production facilities, and building out domestic and overseas sales and after-sales networks. Yangtzeer likewise stated that the Series B, which it valued at approximately US$59 million, underlines investor confidence in China’s bid to compete in high-end commercial coffee equipment.
Founded in December 2022 and headquartered in Suzhou Industrial Park, CAYE focuses on fully automatic professional coffee machines built around its self-developed “Bionic Barista” system, according to both 36Kr and Yangtzeer. The company’s current Suzhou base has a planned annual capacity exceeding 40,000 units, and a new 38,000-square-metre intelligent production base under construction is planned to be completed in 2028 with a target capacity of 100,000 machines per year, the same sources reported.
This rapid scale-up comes against a market backdrop in which the high-end commercial coffee machine segment has been historically dominated by Swiss and Italian brands, as noted by both 36Kr and Yangtzeer. Yangtzeer also reported that CAYE’s cumulative domestic sales in 2026 have already surpassed the combined China sales of comparable imported brands over the previous decade, indicating a shift toward domestically produced equipment in China’s out-of-home coffee market.
CAYE’s machines are currently sold in more than 80 countries and regions, according to Yangtzeer and Chinese foodservice outlet canyin88, positioning the company as an emerging global supplier rather than a purely local player. Its product portfolio spans four main series—S, E, X and Y—with the Smart X line capable of up to 350 cups per hour and designed for a lifespan of 500,000 operations, while the Smart Y series achieves a powder weight compliance rate above 95 percent compared with an industry average of about 70 percent, 36Kr reported.
Yangtzeer highlighted CAYE’s technical and manufacturing approach, noting that the company has filed more than 300 patents, over 40 percent of which are invention patents, and that more than 90 percent of each machine’s structure is made from metal, with food-grade brewing modules. In a separate report, Chinese venture outlet pedaily.cn detailed how CAYE works with suppliers from other industries—developing ceramic burrs with a textile bearing manufacturer, sourcing housings from automotive die-casting, and using sensors from medical equipment makers—to build its machines.
Speaking to 36Kr, founder and CEO Wu Peng said, “We hope to use a more mature and advanced supply chain capability to build a new commercial coffee machine,” describing the company’s cross-industry sourcing strategy. He also told 36Kr that CAYE intends “to promote the industry to eliminate plastic brewing solutions with safety hazards and popularize food-grade metal safety standards,” framing hardware safety as a central part of the company’s positioning.
As CAYE builds out its production capacity and international distribution, both 36Kr and Yangtzeer characterize its latest financing as a significant move in China’s efforts to challenge longstanding European leadership in high-end commercial coffee machines through large-scale domestic engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
