Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Astronomist is about bringing the fast food industry into the 21st century by developing a range of smart automated solutions, which tackle modern bottlenecks in commercial kitchens.
Speaker 2 00:00:20 Hello everyone and welcome to the Robot Industry Podcast. We're glad you're here. And thank you for subscribing. I'm Jim Baretta, and our guest for this edition is Christian Tess Basian. Now I know Christian from a project that I did with the Canadian Food Innovation Network, and it's called, uh, Seeing is Believing Robotics in Action. And I will put that video in the show notes today. Welcome to the podcast Christian.
Speaker 0 00:00:45 Jim, thanks so much for having me. That was, uh, that was a real fun day and, uh, really happy we could connect. You know, you do great things for this business, for this industry, and, uh, yeah, excited to be here with you.
Speaker 2 00:00:56 So you are co-founder and COO of astronomists located in, uh, Greater Toronto area. Can you tell our, um, audience a little bit about that? A little bit about you, and of course, you left university too to, uh, start Astronomists. So, uh, I know that from our, our video that we did. Um, yes. So tell us, tell us a little bit about that and about you.
Speaker 0 00:01:18 Uh, you know, I might not have completed my undergrad degree, but a lifelong learner. A lifelong learner, and, uh, like any, like any business, I mean, we have an interesting background. So, um, my partners, Cavor and Andrew, they come from the automotive business. So they bring 20 plus years of experience in, uh, starting and, and growing and eventually selling a very innovative tier two automotive manufacturing company. And with that, they bring a lot of expertise and knowledge around developing reliable, robust cost effective, efficient, uh, automated systems. And that that, that is our bread and butter working with our customers to develop the automation which they need in order to be a successful business. And on my end, uh, yeah, I'm a young guy, but, but you know, really have loved this business, can can't imagine doing anything else. Um, I was at a, a well known university here in Canada called the University of Waterloo, where I was studying computer science. So I did my eight months. I gave it a try, no one can say I didn't. And, um, eight months into it, you know, began working on this with Cavor and Andrew and that's how it started. Never looked, never looked back, and zero regrets.
Speaker 2 00:02:36 And so how did you decide on food and automation? And I know that we haven't really introduced what Astronomist does yet, but for sure, how did you get kind of focused on, in on food?
Speaker 0 00:02:46 You know, every great and successful business at the end day needs to solve a real life issue, a market, there needs to be a pressing market need. And, um, like I said, our bread and butter is automation. So we began looking at and, and speaking with individuals and exploring that, okay, what are industries today in need of new technology? And, you know, quickly it became apparent that the, that the restaurant industry specifically, uh, the fast food sector is really lacking that expertise in knowhow. And with that said, I mean, we met the right people and we made the decision that, okay, this is, this is really a great opportunity, uh, to start something new and, and develop a revolutionary technology, which is gonna make 500 or a million restaurants, uh, offer the better.
Speaker 2 00:03:40 So can you tell us a bit about Astronomists? What do you, what do you actually make?
Speaker 0 00:03:45 Yes, so, so I mean, I think that it's wrong, not wrong, but you know, individuals who might not know this space so well, uh, when, when they first speak about, uh, food robotics or food technology, they group all companies into one, into one into one pool of things. And, uh, I don't, I don't think that that encompasses the differences that we all have because there's a lot of different avenues in food technology. There's front of house, there's back of house, there's million different ways you can go about it. Uh, here at Astronomists, the vision which we have in which we are pursuing is that we consider ourselves smart automated kitchen equipment manufacturers and suppliers. And really we are developing what we call the puzzle piece approach. So essentially we're going out and developing a fully automated smart fryer or grill, or a dispensing machine or fridge or you name it, and rolling that one piece of automation out, solving an immediate need, making sure that we hit the nail on the head, gaining that trust and confidence with our customers.
Speaker 0 00:04:55 And on the flip end of things, working on that second, that third, that fourth piece, so that in the end, like puzzle pieces, they all fit together. And that's how you get your full kitchen automation. We're here to deliver roi. I mean, robotics, I think it's cool, but like any facade after you see it a few times, it might die out. So our selling proposition is not that robots are gonna increase your sales, cuz it's a great kind of marketing, uh, marketing thing that, that will be part of it at the beginning. But our selling proposition is, hey, our pieces, our equipment is gonna provide reliability, which you just can't currently get superior taste profile, it's gonna help you better distribute your labor force. I mean, right now they can't find anyone. There's no shortage of jobs to do in a kitchen. So that's really why we are here. It's our, uh, re you could say
Speaker 2 00:05:49 Thank you for that. And so of course this is not a visual medium, we have to depend on, um, on all of our, uh, listeners
Speaker 0 00:05:55 Beautiful voices,
Speaker 2 00:05:56 <laugh>, <laugh> voices. Absolutely. So when, when I first saw Astronomists, I saw two robots in a kitchen with pots cooking pasta. Yeah. So that, that's what, that's your showpiece part, would you
Speaker 0 00:06:08 Say? Yes, yes, yes, exactly. Uh, that, that's, uh, that's not really along the lines of, of what we're working on. Um, in the coming months, we're gonna be releasing, uh, one, one and two, one or two products and begin testing it here in the greater Toronto area. So we're quite, let's say under the wraps right now, uh, but in a few months, uh, the world will see what we've spent the past year and a half so, so diligently working on. And yes, it's quite different from the, from the pasta solution. Uh, that's a great show. Uh, and what that solution really, I mean, it served its purpose, which is that it got people interested and allowed us to begin having those preliminary discussions to better learn about our customers' businesses and to really then begin exploring, okay, what are commercial solutions which we can develop and bring to
Speaker 2 00:06:57 Market? So what is the market for automated? I was gonna ask a question. What, what is the market for automated robot chefs? But really it's about the market for automation within, within commercial kitchens, right?
Speaker 0 00:07:08 Yes, yes. I mean, look, today, there, there I would say that there's so many different avenues in the, let's say, food, food space right now, if you look at, uh, the distributors, So you look at big warehouses where, uh, they roll in tons of potatoes and they cut them up and they bleach them. And they do that on a daily basis. That's already automated. It's much like a Coca-Cola factory or any, any packaging factory. Those have experienced automation. Um, the, the, the, the part in the supply chain, which has yet to have any automation and reason, I think is because it's just extremely difficult. It requires new technology and new way of thinking. Uh, but now it has come to a time of fruition. Where it needs automation is the, is the brick and mortar location. So bringing in all of your, you know, raw meats and this and that in an actual, let's say McDonald's or Burger King or whatever physical store working on new solutions to cook those PR products to then deliver to the, to the customer. That's, that's, uh, that's where, where we're focused.
Speaker 2 00:08:14 So who are your bullseye clients?
Speaker 0 00:08:18 Um, look, I mean, when you talk about that last cooking step, there's a lot of different, uh, types of clients. There's clients who are, like I said, the Burger Kings and the McDonald's, the world. So fast food restaurants, uh, there are, uh, kind of, there's, there's hospitals, there's cafeterias, there's a big box, retailers, there's grocery stores, there's a number of different, uh, uh, clientele. Um, but you gotta really, we believe hone down focus on one because each kind of requires a different type of solution. So for us, our bullseye clients at the moment are those fast food chains who are there to get an order out in 90 seconds. And, and, uh, things along those lines.
Speaker 2 00:09:04 And when you're diving into this new realm of automation, partnerships are really important here. Can you tell us a little bit about, uh, some of these partnerships you might have and, uh, you can also talk about, uh, Canadian Food Innovation Network as well?
Speaker 0 00:09:18 For sure, for sure. So the two partnerships which I can, uh, let's say publicly disclose because they've been mentioned already in the news, is our partnership with Recipe Unlimited, which is Canada's largest restaurant group. They have around 1500 locations. Uh, they were formally care of foods, so really a jewel in the Canadian, uh, restaurant space, very well known. They have some of the, uh, our country's most iconic QSR and, and fast food brands. So they're an absolute, uh, great customer of ours and, uh, and a fantastic team. In addition to that, we're working with, uh, Sedexo Canada, Sedexo being the world's largest food services group. Again, a tremendous team. And, uh, uh, Sedexo, they serve my, uh, my high school and they also served my university. So I have a good, good, good experience with Sedexo food. Um, so that's who we're working with. Uh, like I said, that I can publicly disclose, uh, Canada is a great place.
Speaker 0 00:10:20 I mean, we have a tremendous amount of, uh, government support. You know, we, we always try and do our best at innovating to stand out on the world stage because we're not a large co uh, country by numbers, but we have some of the best minds and talent in the world. So couldn't it be happier to be a Canadian business? And, um, no, c i is an absolutely, you know, it's a testament to that and Canada's dedication to have new innovation and new technologies and, uh, our partnership with c i really allows us to, uh, to deliver on what pro on what's promised. And it provides that support needed, uh, between making a good product and a great product. So really, really couldn't be happier with where we are today.
Speaker 2 00:11:08 And what are the motivators of your, your, your prospect customers? So your, your fast food restaurants, which are kind of low, lowest hanging fruit, if you like? Well,
Speaker 0 00:11:16 Um, I think the motivators, you know, when, when you gotta shut down your store because you don't have people to work or where no matter what processes you put in place, you're still not getting that consistency. You need, like I said earlier, every great business starts with the voice of the customer and it starts with market challenges and the need to address those issues. And I think c kind of brought all of those challenges. You know, it was trending right below the waterline and c brought it up, it brought up all of the, all of the challenges which, uh, face our customers. Um, and I don't think that, you know, after Covid now they're gonna go away. Uh, I think it's great. I mean, I mean, uh, it's, it's very apparent and, and customers are really, uh, uh, thinking and, and wanting new things. So it's a great collaboration.
Speaker 2 00:12:13 And you're taking this modular approach to automation, right? Which is kind of the hard way. Like you could come up with a standard product and try to cram that into people's kitchens, but you are taking this really unique hard approach where you're automating different sections of, of a kitchen. Can you tell our our audience about that?
Speaker 0 00:12:32 Yes, for sure. So I think that a lot of startups these days forget that they're also a business and that you need to develop great technology, but you also need to develop technology, uh, which is commercially viable, and which you can get out there and begin gaining, uh, begin generating some good cash flow. So few things there, Jim. Um, number one, restaurants are not used to automation. They don't know automation. They're green to automation. Yep. So the selling proposition of going in and saying, Hey, I can automate everything at once, you've gotta put your full trust and reliability in this unproven technology. It's very daunting. And I would be as well if I was in their shoes. So by going out and doing kind of that micro automation, focusing on one particular challenge, it get, it, it, it gives customers that breathing room to know that, okay, we're starting with one thing. You begin to gain their trust, develop a really strong working relationship. Number two, you know, we, it allows us to focus on a particular thing and put all of our efforts towards making the best solution possible for that task. So we're not trying to bite off more than we can chew at once, and it allows us to gain as well infield restaurant experience. So many different things. Rome wasn't built in a day, and full kitchen automation isn't gonna be built in a day either. So yeah, that's, that's the, that's the foundation of where
Speaker 2 00:14:00 Head's at. And so one of the things, you're right about automation and restaurants, right? It's a very, it would be a very slow industry it appears, but now you have the opportunity to connect Industry 4.0 and is
Speaker 0 00:14:12 Yep, yep, yep. Exactly. I mean, we, I I personally think that to provide the most value for our customers, um, it's gonna require collaboration between different companies in the space. Meaning that it's gonna require collaboration between pos companies, between kitchen equipment companies like ourselves, between third party logistics and inventory management. Everyone is gonna collect such a tremendous amount and useful amount of data where, hey, it can work great alone, but it can be so, so much powerful if tied together and acting together. So I think that down the line, uh, you know, would love to form a consortium where, where we can do that.
Speaker 2 00:14:56 And you've had a lot of interest from around the world and what gets you most excited about the technology,
Speaker 0 00:15:02 Working with a great team and bringing technology, which is yet in the market. I mean, we're in a very interesting place where we can't look at existing companies and say, Hey, what have they done? Try and learn from there. We are developing new technology, but a new industry as a whole. Like I said, there's, there's relatively no sort of kitchen automation today. So having that, that blank sheet approach and allowing your mind to just run wild, it's, it's, uh, it's fascinating and, uh, yeah, it definitely gets your adrenaline up.
Speaker 2 00:15:37 Yeah, I think of all the connectivity to supply chain and all those, right? And everyone else, uh, Health Canada or whoever the health agency is in the region, I think it's, so, it's very, very, uh, exciting for sure. Yep,
Speaker 0 00:15:48 Yep.
Speaker 2 00:15:48 Once you've had all this data created, now you have the opportunity to help restaurants be better through using technology such as ai. Is that on the, on the, on the
Speaker 0 00:15:57 Blackboard, Yes. Big time. I, and, and that's gonna come in. So that's gonna be a, a continuous improvement, like everything is, uh, and that's gonna come in multiple different phases. I mean, that can be an inventory management number one. Yep. Um, just, and, and you know, I'm no expert in ai, so I'm not here to preach, but, uh, I mean, AI is, I think it's better than anything in crunching numbers. So, um, you know, it's very hard for restaurants today to judge how many tomatoes should we order, how many, how much lettuce should we order so that we don't have any food waste after three days when, when the expiry ends. Um, so I think that now knowing all of that, uh, data, that's gonna really help there. Uh, also on the operation side, I mean, a lot of restaurants today shrug, everyone would like to do cook to order, meaning that Jim Go's order a burger or whatnot. And just as you place your order, the burger freshly comes off the grill. But again, that's very, very difficult to, to manage and judge today. So with all of those different data sets and all of this new piece of, uh, smart technology, um, I definitely think that that's in the horizon.
Speaker 2 00:17:09 And what, when you talk to your prospective clients, are you having the ROI discussion? Are they telling you what,
Speaker 0 00:17:17 That's the first discussion? Is
Speaker 2 00:17:18 It <laugh>?
Speaker 0 00:17:19 That's the first discussion. Oh, yeah, that's the first discussion.
Speaker 2 00:17:22 So they're telling you about the labor problems, because everything I hear is labor, it's food waste, it's uh, it's optimization of resources, it's maintenance.
Speaker 0 00:17:33 Yep. Um, I mean that's, that's, they're a business, right? And, uh, they're there to maximize their business and to, uh, get their bottom line as as big as they possibly can, and rightfully so. So of course, I mean, all of those challenges which we're describing, uh, translate to a smaller bottom line and, and things along this line. So yeah, we, we are there to alleviate those issues. And, uh, ROI comes in multiple different factors. What a lot of people find surprising is that what we have heard, the biggest selling prop proposition, uh, Jim, is consistency. And I'll give a quick example. Let's say after this podcast, say, Hey, I mean, if we were in person, let's say, I'd say, Jim, let's go grab a bite to eat. And we go to, I don't know, uh, Astronomist Burgers down the street and Astronomist Burgers gives us really undercooked or overcooked burger. We are never gonna astronomist burgers again. Yep. But if you keep on giving to the customer a great tasting, juicy burger or pizza or wings or what, what have it, that is 10, 20, 30, 50 lifetime repeat business. And that's kind of hard to quantify into an exact number. But, uh, restaurants know the, the, the value that that has has. And, uh, that's definitely, definitely a big, uh, big, uh, they love it. They love it.
Speaker 2 00:18:57 And I see so many opportunities, especially with things like, uh, we have an allergy in the house, right? So, you know, there's something right there.
Speaker 0 00:19:05 Customization. You want less salt, more salt. You want, you know, you want rare, medium, rare. I mean that the possibilities, Jim, are endless. They're endless. So,
Speaker 2 00:19:16 So I do have a question for you about challenges. So you've gone down this, you've been working at this for a while. Have there been some, um, super big challenges that you've had to overcome that were like, Wow, this is a big one
Speaker 0 00:19:28 For sure. For every accomplishment, there's 99 challenges, but you gotta address those challenges. Well, to make a good accomplishment, Uh, most definitely. There has, uh, like I said, this is new technology, new type of technology, so there isn't a lot of, um, previous data or examples to reference. So it's, it's great having a white sheet, but that also means that, you know, you're gonna make a lot of errors and errors are not bad. I always tell our team, Let's make, you know, let's not be, uh, let's not be put down when we make an error, as long as we learn from that error, and how can we improve and how can we do better? So it's keeping your head up. It's, uh, working hard, but smart. It's, uh, making sure that you are always speaking with the customer, keeping your eyes open, getting different opinions, not kind of being focused on, on one mindset. And, uh, yeah, I mean for, there's, there's definitely been a lot of, uh, obstacles along the
Speaker 2 00:20:26 Way. So, have we forgotten anything to, uh, for, for here, Is there anything that you might want to talk about with our audience?
Speaker 0 00:20:33 Um, I would say this, if there's any restaurant groups or anything listening or anyone who's interested this in this space at all, I mean, we're a growing team and even if you're an engineer, uh, please reach out. I love speaking with people, meeting new people, uh, whether or not there's even anything for us to do together now, that's not an issue. Uh, love to meet new intelligent people every day. And, uh, yeah, I mean, um, there's a lot of companies in this space, every new ones, every day. And, uh, let's see what happens in a few years time. Uh, I think we'll go for that Burger Gym and, uh, and, uh, that pizza and, uh, the way it's made is gonna be a lot different than today.
Speaker 2 00:21:12 Absolutely. And hey, uh, Christian, just wanna ask you a personal question. What do you like to do when you're not building automated food systems for, uh, commercial use?
Speaker 0 00:21:20 I'm a, I'm a Formula One fanatic, so I love Formula One. I've always loved Formula One. I used to go-kart when I was a kid. Um, it's become really popular now with these Netflix documentaries and, and so forth and so on. But I'm an og, I know all the old school guys, so I'm a big fan there, like spending time with family and friends, reading, uh, history primarily. And, uh, I have a motorcycle, so I know I like riding my motorbike on a, on a early Saturday morning. It's, it's, uh, it's pretty cool. And, uh, doing things like this. Jim, you're a great guy and everyone listening this Jim Beretta, he's done a lot for this space and, and, uh, I'm really pleased and, and fortunate to be on this podcast.
Speaker 2 00:22:02 Hey, thanks Christian. And how can people get ahold of you if they've kind of found out and they want to reach out?
Speaker 0 00:22:07 Um, I would say LinkedIn is, is probably the best way. Um, if you just google my name or search my name on, on LinkedIn, uh, I should be right there. So please reach out and uh, we can take it from
Speaker 2 00:22:18 There. And that's Christian TAs Basian,
Speaker 0 00:22:20 Christian TAs Basian, K R I S T I A N T A Z B A Z I A N.
Speaker 2 00:22:27 Our sponsor for this episode is Earhart Automation Systems. Earhart builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing, they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing and project management, delivering world class custom automation on time and on budget. Contact Earhart Automation to see what Earhart can build for you. And I'd like Technology three, the Association for Advancing Automation. They are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors, and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies. Visit automate.org to learn more. And I'd like to thank our friends at Painted Robot. They build and integrate digital solutions. So they're a web development firm that offers seo, digital and social marketing, and can set up and connect CRM and other e r P tools to unify marketing, sales, and operations. And if you'd like to get in touch with us at the Robot Industry Podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening. Be safe out there. Today's podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing, and I'd like to recognize my nephew, Chris Gray, for the music, Jeff Bremner for audio production. My business partner Janet, and our sponsor, Airhart Automation Systems.
