Cocktail machine. Side-projects as a business driver

We support the side-projects of our employees. We help them with entrepreneurship training, product “packaging”, development assistance, etc.

Our design engineer Alexander Belyan is working on a project for a cocktail machine BarBot.

“Project story starts in December 2019,” Alexander says.“There are a lot of DIY-videos on Youtube about cocktail machines. These devices are in demand, but their creators are not always aiming to select safe materials to come into contact with cocktail formulations. Also, home-made devices are largely limited in functionality, not to mention the presence of design.”

“I have attended a lot of parties and events, where I observed the same story: there was always a big queue near bartenders. In my mind, BarBot should be a partner to the bartender in bars and cafes.

Sure, cocktail machines are already on the market, but my goal is to create a machine for up to 5000 EUR.

In the frame of this idea, I see a series of products, among which a model with maximum functionality was chosen for development.

BarBot will be a great decoration on parties and the element of performance for events. As well as this device will help to speed up customer service.

The cocktail machine will allow you to reduce costs due to precise control of volume and proportions, as well as to comply with the cocktail recipe. I consulted with the best bartenders in the country about the cocktail recipe,” says Alexander.

“Developing process,” Alexander explains, “happens as follows:”

In the beginning, the first sketches were created to visualize the idea. This is an important stage for development – this is how an understanding of the design of the device and its component systems is created.

After that, you can create a zero prototype — the first BarBot sample is made from scrap materials. Alexander was involved in soldering electronics, writing code, and finding parts. He tried various components and circuits and checked all the necessary functionality. He also weeded out dead-end product development paths. For example, the Arduino board was chosen as the main controller. But during the development process, Alexander realized that it was impossible to implement all the planned functionality on it. Therefore, the Raspberry PI single-board computer was chosen.

Now the product is at the stage of “Alpha prototype”. It is the stage when the device receives all the conceived functionality and forms, and all technical solutions must be checked for putting into production.

Alexander developed a set of printed circuit boards for electronics and a user interface map. Almost all components have been selected, but Alexander is constantly looking for contractors for the production of parts.

Verdesta is supporting Alexander in the following areas:

• packaging an idea into a product;
• conceptual design of a new product;
• consulting on the development of business cases;
• marketing and sales strategies.

It is planned to complete the assembly by the end of the year and get a working sample of BarBot.

After the completion of the “Alpha prototype” stage, the stage of the gold sample will follow, when all technical solutions must be brought to the stage of implementation in mass production. Errors and shortcomings must be eliminated. After that, the product will be launched into mass production.

The BarBot project is in the Alpha Prototype phase. Currently, a business case for the product has been prepared and investments are being sought to scale the project.

Design: Valery Martynenko, Stanislav Ameltchenko
Text: Verdesta team