It is well-known fact that providing coffee to your staff and visitors improves office productivity and morale.

There are many different coffee machine offerings out there, finding which one suits what you need can be quite overwhelming, but it is an important task, as getting the right one straight away will avoid trouble in the future.

To help you find the perfect coffee machine we have listed the most important points to consider:

Business Size – There are 3 main options

Price – The Cheapest is not always the best

We know it’s a cliché but in the case of coffee machines, you get what you pay for!
If you haven’t had a coffee machine in the office before, it is tempting to go down to your local electrical shop and buy a cheap and cheerful one.

What sounds like a great idea at first will prove to cost more later, these machines are intended for domestic use only and won’t last the pace.

Consider as a good measure that each member of staff will drink two cups of coffee a day, for instance, consider an office with 20 coffee-drinkers, it would be 40 cups of coffee a day as opposed to 6 cups in a household with 3 people drinking coffee daily.

The warranty for these machines do not cover commercial use, when it breaks you must buy a new one, that will at least double your cost not to mention the trouble of doing the job again.

You will need a machine that is the right size for your office, that you can rely on now and into the future.

If the initial cost is an issue, machine Lease/Rental is a great option and spreads the cost over an extended period.

Accessories – Everything you need to make it perfect

Some coffee machines will require an accessory to function, other accessories will simply enhance the machine life or perfect the quality of your coffee.

Take a bean-to-cup machine as an example, it should be connected to mains water. A commercial water filter should always be fitted as this will avoid the build-up of limescale in your machine. A build-up of limescale will result in more breakdowns and poor-quality coffee.

You can also consider purchasing a thermal dispenser unit to keep the filter coffee fresh or require a mini fridge on the side of a fresh-milk machine, what brings us to our next point and your next decision to make.

Fresh Milk or Freeze Dried?

We will not dwell on the perceived taste difference as this is a very subjective issue, suffice to say that in blind taste tests most people cannot tell the difference, however, for some people freeze-dried milk is still a no-go. It will depend on what your staff prefer, but you must consider:

Hygiene – Milk improperly stored or an inappropriate cleaning process will result in a build-up of harmful bacteria. While some machines might offer a straightforward cleaning process, selected directly from the machine’s menu, you need to ensure this is being carried daily to avoid health issues and machine breakage.

Cost- Fresh milk will have a higher cost and you will need to buy an additional mini fridge, as we mentioned.

Despite these points, a milk-fresh machine can look more professional and enhance the taste of your coffee once you can incorporate a cleaning process into the office routine.

Also, consider buying everything from the same seller to ensure a better deal.

Simple & Easy to use.

A high-end barista machine will certainly look impressive, but will your staff be able to use it?

While this could be great for a company with a full-canteen, hundreds of staff and a budget to spend on it, most people are looking for a quick cup of coffee on a short break and won’t buy into the complexity of a barista machine – unless you can hire someone to prepare the coffee for them.

Choose a machine that suits your office team, requires minimal training and is easy to maintain.

 After-Sales and Customer Service

Lastly, you just need to consider a seller that will give you the best deal, offer you training and support during installation and full after sales maintenance.

You should clearly understand the type of agreement you have with the provider. Establish if the agreement includes supplies and servicing, if it includes an obligation to purchase supplies and if you are permitted to change to different coffee blends over the life of the agreement.

It is also a great idea to choose a company that will offer regular preventative maintenance, such as descaling visits, checking the grinder and changing the filter.

Confirm the length of the Machine Warranty and exactly what the warranty includes to avoid extra costs.

For peace of mind, you may prefer a supplier that provides the complete coffee solution, however, if your provider outsources the service then ensure to check the company for reputability and reliability.

For re-assurance check their current clients and their level of satisfaction with the service.

Hopefully, we were able to help you create an informed opinion as to the solution that best suits your organisation. While it may be a lot to consider at first if you do it right you only have to do it once.

Now it is time to decide, but if you need a little more help, do not hesitate to make an inquiry.

Enjoy Better Coffee