Chipotle, the renowned Mexican Grill, has revealed its revolutionary co-robot, the Autocado. In collaboration with technology firm Vebu, Chipotle’s Autocado prototype efficiently cores, peels, and slices avocados, setting the stage for the artisanal hand-mashing process that culminates in the restaurant’s signature guacamole.
The Autocado project was born out of Chipotle’s alliance with Vebu, an industry leader in crafting intelligent automation solutions. Chipotle also seeks to fuel further innovation within the restaurant arena by investing in Vebu through its Cultivate Next venture fund.
Currently undergoing tests at the Chipotle Cultivate Center in Irvine, California, the Autocado promises to streamline the avocado prep process, potentially reducing the time by 50%. This efficiency would permit Chipotle’s employees to shift their focus more towards guest interaction and enhancing hospitality.
The robotic solution works simply yet effectively: team members load the Autocado with a batch of ripe avocados, select the size setting, and let the machine handle the rest. The device accurately slices and cores the avocados, discarding the waste and collecting the fruit in a stainless-steel bowl. The avocados are then hand-mashed by a team member to produce Chipotle’s signature guacamole.
This project emerged from Vebu’s meticulous study of Chipotle’s preparation process, targeting tasks that are time-intensive and less favored by crew members. It is anticipated that Autocado will save considerable time and effort, given that an average batch of guacamole currently takes about 50 minutes to prepare.
The aim is to further refine the Autocado’s processing speeds, which could lead to significant reductions in prep time. With Chipotle’s consumption of about 4.5 million cases of avocados expected this year, this reduction in prep time could translate to substantial food cost savings. The Autocado also aligns with Chipotle’s sustainability goals by optimizing avocado fruit yield through precise processing.
“Exploring collaborative robotics is part of our commitment to alleviate the labor-intensive tasks faced by our employees while preserving the culinary authenticity of our hand-prepared guacamole,” said Curt Garner, Chipotle’s Chief Customer and Technology Officer.
Buck Jordan, CEO of Vebu, emphasized the potential of Autocado to bolster work efficiency. “Our vision as a robotics company is to leverage automation technology to provide workers with more flexibility in their daily tasks. Autocado could significantly enhance the guacamole-making process without compromising Chipotle’s quality.”
Future iterations of Autocado are expected to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess the quality of avocados and optimize the cutting, coring, and peeling processes.
Chipotle’s investment in Vebu is part of its Cultivate Next initiative, a $50 million venture fund aimed at fostering innovation that aligns with its mission to “Cultivate a Better World.”
In addition to Autocado, Chipotle is testing Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant powered by AI, which is designed to prepare tortilla chips.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is a leading food industry innovator with over 3,200 restaurants globally. Vebu, a full-stack Automation, Robotics, and Intelligence company, focuses on creating technology solutions to augment human capabilities in the food industry.
