Looking for the best coffee for your office?
We've got you covered. Today, we're going to run through a few simple steps to help you create an epic office coffee program for your workspace.
Step 1: Choose a suitable brewing device
If you're a medium sized office or workspace with 20+ people, chances are a pourover brewer isn't going to cut it.
That'd be too long, too messy and probably a little too much of a distraction. It's also a brew method that takes a little bit of practice to get great results with, and chances are there'll be some people in your teams who don't have the interest or desire to master it. They just want great coffee. And that's exactly what they should get.
But if you're a small office of 3-5 people, a huge batch brewer is going to result in you wasting lots of coffee. Or worse still... one or two people wanting coffee, but not feeling like they can make it for fear of wasting 3/4's of a pot.
The key to a great office coffee program is picking a brewing device that works for your group.
That'll depend partly on the size of the team, how much coffee they plan to make, and what type of coffee they enjoy.
Here's a very rough guideline to help you narrow down the search a little.
1-3 people, drinking 1-2 cups per day each:
Single serve automatic brewers are often the way to go here. A small JURA or the newer Xbloom Studio are good choices for espresso drinks and pourover drinks respectively. Fellow are also about to release the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker line too which looks really interesting.
4-10 people, drinking 1-2 cups per day each:
At this point, you're likely getting into bigger capacity machine, kinda territory.
A larger capacity JURA model for espresso based drinks is a good call here, or a good drip/batch brewer. A classic like the Breville Precision Brewer is always a good option here, just make sure to grab an additional carafe, as it'll only do around 5-6 cups at a time (60oz). That way, you can start a 2nd brew as soon as the first is made, so you have plenty of fresh coffee on hand for peak times.
10+ people:
At this point, you might want to consider having multiple brewers to avoid long waits for coffees.
Step 2: Partner with a great local roaster
Of course, your coffee program is only as good as the coffee beans that fuel it.
So it probably goes without saying that partnering with a great local roaster is table stakes for a good coffee program.
But here's some other things to consider when picking a local roastery for your office coffee program.
- Delivery schedules matter
Ideally, you want frequent but smaller quantity deliveries.
Freshness matters when it comes to great quality coffee. Ideally we always try to work out biweekly delivery schedules for our office coffee programs. Some roasters will push for monthly, but biweekly keeps your brews fresher if you can find it.
- A diverse selection of coffees is important
Making sure everyone in the office can have their favourite brews on hand is what a good office coffee program is all about.
You want to make sure the roaster you work with has a good range of coffees available all year round, so everyone in the workspace can always enjoy their favourite coffees.
Step 3: Work out how much coffee you'll need
Your roaster should be able to guide you here.
Based on your brewing method and the amount of people in your workspace, your roaster should be able to work with you to figure out a good starting point. You can always adjust from there as needed if you find you're going through your coffee too fast or too slowly.
Step 4: Tell the team!
Now that you've got the details nailed down, it's time to tell the team, so everyone can get excited about your awesome new office coffee program.
There's a couple of things to remember here to make sure the coffee program is a success right out of the gate:
1. You'll want to give everyone some basic guidance on how to use whatever brewing device you've chosen.
Talk to your roaster - you may be able to arrange a quick training session for the team.
We like to come and spend some time with as many of our new office clients as possible, to help make sure your setup is working smoothly and the tasty caffeine is flowing well. These short, in person sessions are also a great chance for the team to learn more about the coffee they're enjoying, and the farmers and communities who produce it.
2. Work out your cleaning and maintenance schedule.
I know, I know. Not the fun bit.
But, if you want that nice new coffee equipment to last and keep on producing great tasting coffee, daily cleaning and proper maintenance is going to be essential.
Make sure everyone knows how to clean the equipment properly after using it.
3. Get excited!
You're making a great investment in your teams happiness and productivity by implementing an awesome workplace coffee program.
Great coffee has the power to fuel creativity, connect people and inspire ideas.
At Kea Coffee, we work with offices and workplaces to build customized monthly coffee subscriptions that keep your teams caffeinated and curious.
Reach out and shoot us a message today to find out more!