Fine Food Australia is the biggest food industry trade show in the southern hemisphere, and in 2026 it filled the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 31 August to 3 September. Our team spent Wednesday 2 September walking the equipment halls: opening oven doors, pulling out fryer filter drawers and asking suppliers the questions our customers ask us every week.
This is a short recap of what caught our eye, grouped by kitchen station, with links to the equipment we stock in each category. Everything here was filmed on the day. Where a machine on a stand isn't part of our current range, we say so.
Combi Ovens: Air-Fry Modes, Cartridge Cleaning and Stacked Stations
Combi ovens drew the biggest crowds on the stands we visited, and the changes are practical rather than flashy. The Convotherm mini pro now lists an AirFry mode alongside its usual steam and convection functions, and its integrated Solid2Liquid cleaning system runs on compact cleaning cartridges. Turbofan showed two of its combis stacked and supplied as a single cooking station.
On the Atosa stand, the team demonstrated how the triple-pane glass door comes apart so the panes can be cleaned, and walked us through the automatic self-clean. If you're weighing up a first combi, start with our commercial combi oven buying guide, then browse the combi steam oven range, including Convotherm, Turbofan and Atosa.
Deep Fryers: Built-In Oil Filtration
Pitco ran one of the clearest demonstrations of the day. On their built-in filtration fryers, one lever drains the oil down through the filter and a second pumps it back into the tank, so filtering becomes a routine step rather than a messy manual job. The rep's advice was to change the filter paper once a day or every second day. Regular filtering removes the debris that ages oil fastest, and our guide to the best oil for deep frying covers choosing it in the first place. See the full commercial deep fryer range or the Pitco collection.
Ice Machines: Crystal-Clear Cubes
The ice on the Scotsman stand was clear enough that visitors kept checking it was real. Scotsman describes its machines as producing pure, clear and transparent cubes, and with summer trade on the way the stand was busy. Before you buy, our commercial ice machine buying guide explains how to size output for Australian summer conditions, not the spec-sheet headline. Browse commercial ice makers or the Scotsman range.
Bar Fridges and Drinks Merchandisers
Front-of-house refrigeration is getting more attention for how it looks as well as how it chills. TRUE showed glass-door back-bar fridges with interior lighting that cycles through colours, and Bromic had a wall of glass-door drinks merchandisers. For venues planning a bar refit before summer, start with our commercial bar fridges and drinks fridges, and don't forget the glassware side: our glasswasher buying guide covers the machine that keeps up with them.
Cooklines and Wok Burners
Cooking lines from Cobra, Goldstein and CookRite were set up as working modular suites: open burners, griddles, chargrills, pasta cookers and wok burners side by side. The wok burners in particular were worth a close look for any venue running an Asian menu.
Explore commercial wok burners, gas cooktops and the Cobra, Goldstein and CookRite ranges.
Soft-Serve Machines for the Summer Rush
With summer weeks away, soft-serve was on plenty of cafés' shopping lists. Brullen had its single- and twin-flavour machines on show. We stock the Brullen range within our ice cream and frozen yoghurt machines.
Three Trends From the Show Floor
Beyond individual machines, three ideas kept coming up as we walked the halls:
- Smart vending fridges. Tap-to-unlock refrigerated cabinets that let a venue sell drinks and grab-and-go food around the clock without staff on the counter.
- Commercial air-fry ovens. Compact, high-speed ovens built around air frying, aimed at kitchens that want crisp results without a fryer and its oil.
- Automatic cooking mixers. Large kettle-style cookers that stir and cook sauces, fillings and batch dishes on a programme, which saves labour in production kitchens.
We don't sell all of these yet, but they tell you where kitchen equipment is heading: less labour per cover, and more selling outside staffed hours.
The Bottom Line
The equipment on show this year was less about novelty and more about the jobs operators find hardest: cleaning, oil management, staffing and summer volume. If something on this page suits your kitchen, or you saw a machine at the show and want to know whether we can supply it, call our team on 1300 111 901 or email sales@commercialkitchenstore.com.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Fine Food Australia 2026?
Fine Food Australia 2026 ran from 31 August to 3 September 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
What is Fine Food Australia?
It is a trade event for professionals working across foodservice, hospitality and retail, and the largest food industry trade show in the southern hemisphere. Equipment suppliers exhibit alongside food and beverage producers.
Can I buy the equipment featured in this recap?
Most of the brands featured are in our range, including Atosa, Convotherm, Turbofan, Pitco, Scotsman, TRUE, Bromic, Brullen, Cobra, Goldstein and CookRite. Not every model shown on the stands is listed on our site, so call 1300 111 901 and we'll tell you what we can supply.
