“Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.” -Earl Wilson
Offering coffee in the workplace is beneficial on many levels – it is good for employees’ health, increases productivity, and can save your company money (more on this below). Luckily, creating a great small business coffee program is simple! This blog covers the basic considerations and products you need to get started with your own in-house coffee program.
CREATING A GREAT IN-HOUSE COFFEE PROGRAM
Offer the basics
I’ve never heard anyone say “I’m so sick of my favorite coffee”. You likely haven’t either. When it comes to coffee offerings, variety is good and consistency is better. We recommend:
- One medium roast
- One dark roast
- One decaf
If you are looking to add a bit more, you can supplement your core offerings with espresso or a flavored coffee. If you have an ice machine or ice cubes in the office, you can also quickly create a wonderful iced coffee.
Invest in a good brewer
Invest in the machine or combination of machines that makes the most sense for your office. Drip machines and single serve brewers tend to work best for small offices. If you want to offer your employees a little more of that café feeling, provide some chocolate sauce, flavored syrup, and / or a small electric frother they can use to make their own lattes. If you still want more, offer two modes of brewing – a drip machine and home pod-based espresso machine.
Keep your grounds fresh
Coffee is a food product and it stales. To ensure you always have a fresh cup, it is best to purchase air-tight, valve sealed, resealable bags or fractional packs. Tin-tie bags may look nice on the counter but generally need to be used within 7-10 days of packing or they’ll stale. If your favorite roaster only uses tin-tie bags, consider investing in air-tight containers.
Use a thermal pot
Coffee can stale if left in the pot and can burn if left on a burner post-brewing. If you plan on brewing one pot per morning, we recommend purchasing an Air Pot to store the brewed coffee or brewing into a thermal pot.
Understand your cost-per-cup
In general, one 5-pound bag of coffee makes approximately 250 6-ounce or 210 8-ounce cups of coffee with the median cost per cup between $0.40 and $0.60 cents per cup. If you use a single cup machine, the price per cup increases dramatically with the average price per K-Cup being between $0.65 and $0.75 cents per cup. One New York Times study found that an equivalent pound of K-Cup coffee costs $50. On average, workers drink 3.5 cups of coffee per day.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF OFFERING COFFEE AT WORK?
Many! Consuming coffee increases employee communication, collaboration, concentration, and morale. Providing coffee in-house also saves money – one study found that companies lose approximately $1,500 per employee per year when the employee leaves the office to get coffee. Your coffee machine may also get you a tax deduction, assuming it meets specified criteria. Finally, coffee has numerous physical and mental health benefits. To learn more, check out our health and coffee page.
HOW DO I START?
If you are interested in starting or revamping a coffee program at your workplace and would like some free samples, please contact us at info@thequeenbean.com. Be sure to include your company name, number of employees, and, if applicable, current brewing method.
Coffee with the Queen 