So, you’re thinking about providing an office coffee machine or upgrading your current offering. There’s more to consider than you may initially think!

 The UK coffee culture has evolved in the past twenty years. As it has become increasingly sophisticated, the expectations of consumers have also increased in terms of the quality of coffee on offer no matter where they might be. This includes employees and visitors within the workplace who now seek a better quality and broader choice.

The days of simply asking ‘milk and sugar?’ following the acceptance of coffee are long behind us. Now a choice of strength, drink type, milk type and even of hot or iced is expected if you want to make employees feel valued or create a good first impression on visitors. The array of coffee beans and drink types available is now huge. From Robusta to Arabica, and Cappuccino to Macchiato, the knowledge required around coffee has also increased.

The Benefits of an Office Coffee Machine

Thankfully commercial coffee machines have also evolved, allowing businesses to meet these expectations. Indeed, the availability of good quality coffee in the workplace is highly valued by staff who see it as an important part of the facilities and their routine during the working day.

Entice Staff Back to the Office

A legacy of the pandemic is a hybrid working model with employees working in the office much less than before. What better way to encourage staff back to the office than provide an enticing and rewarding coffee experience?

No Need to Leave the Building

Not only can this incentivise them to visit the office more often, but a decent coffee provision will also see them stay on-site during the day, without the need to leave the office to visit coffee chains on the high street.

Feeling Valued

 With record inflation and the fact two-thirds (66%) of employees in the UK believe that the employee benefits offered to them are equal to or more important than their basic salary, the provision of subsidised or free coffee shop quality drinks can be a small part of an overall benefits package which may help with recruitment and retention.

Office Coffee Machine Considerations

 Whatever office size you have, we can supply a commercial office coffee machine that will delight your staff. There are a number of key decisions to make to ensure the investment you make is right for you.

Office Headcount

• How many staff do you have in the office on a typical working day?

This is a key determinant of the size and capacity of the machine you will require.

Price Point

• Are you looking to offer free coffee to all staff all day?
• Do you want to offer each employee a certain number of free drinks per week?
• Do you want the coffee to be chargeable and, if so, what price will you charge?

Our equipment can be configured to suit all these arrangements.

Coffee Quality

We have solutions that take you from Good to Better to Best, so you can choose the option that best suits your workplace and budget.

• A Good option will be an office coffee machine that uses granulated coffee ingredients (we prefer Lavazza Prontissimo) and granulated milk powder. This will quickly produce a decent drink with a menu of different choices at a value price point in terms of equipment and ingredients.
• A Better option moves up a level by a commercial machine incorporating a coffee grinder. This means that your machine can deliver enhanced flavour as a result of using your freshly ground coffee beans of choice.
• The Best option will come from choosing a machine that not only uses fresh beans but also fresh milk. A milk fridge sits alongside the bean-to-cup coffee machine, and, with the right type of equipment, you can produce a full range of coffees to match the very best barista-served coffee.

Machine Location

• Do you have a location in mind for your coffee machine?
• How big is the space?
• Is there a worktop?
• Do you have a cold-water feed?

Machines are much easier to maintain with a main supply of cold water, although alternatively a storage tank can be supplied if required. Even better if you have a wastewater outlet too, although not essential. And if you don’t have a worktop then we can supply you with standard and bespoke coffee cabinets as well as built-in tower units.

Machine Cleaning

• Do you have a nominated person who can take responsibility for the cleaning and maintenance of the machine?
• Do you have a backup?

The maintenance mainly involves restocking the machine with ingredients, and we will show you how to do this at installation. The cleaning is typically once a day and is important to maintain a good quality of coffee, to preserve the life of the machine and avoid faults, and of course to ensure food safety. Again, clear instructions will be provided at the point of installation.

Machine Maintenance

• What about when there is a machine fault?

We can provide maintenance agreements to ensure peace of mind so that we can be on hand to visit the office and carry out repairs when required.

Ingredients and Consumables

What size cups will you use?

Will everyone use china cups, or do you need disposable paper cups and lids?

Where will you source the coffee beans or powder and the fresh or powdered milk?

Do you need sugar sachets for those with a sweeter tooth and stirring sticks?

It is very important to ensure that, on installation, the equipment is set up to suit your needs. All of the coffee ingredients and consumables can be purchased from Livewell’s online store, on trade terms, making it nice and easy.

Contact Livewell now and we can review your office arrangements and take you through the office coffee machine options available to meet your budget and preferences. Your office colleagues will be very grateful to you for sourcing and providing a first-rate coffee service!