Guide to Buying a Small Office Coffee Machine

We might think of ourselves as a nation of tea drinkers, but according to statistics published by the British Coffee Association, approximately 98 million cups of coffee were drank each day in Britain in 2021. This is an increase of almost 28 million from 2008. Figures after this are tainted with Covid, but in our business office coffee has increased by proportion of our overall commercial coffee machines and is seen as a real perk encouraging people back into the workplace and more recently a great money saver with Energy costs soaring

In fact, a staggering 70% of British consumers drink on average at least two cups of coffee each day, so it has certainly become an incredibly popular choice of hot beverage. Coffee is now so popular in the UK that there are over 8000 branded coffee outlets on the high street; it is a little harder to pin down a number for independent coffee shops, but it is reasonable to assume that there are a fair few of those as well!

With the average time for a person to consume their first coffee of the day falling at 9.01am as the workday starts, there has never been a better time to consider investing in a coffee machine for the office. There is lots of information supporting the idea that caffeine helps to boast focus and concentration as sited in a recent John Hopkins study.

In this guide we will look at some of the things that you might want to look for in a small coffee machine for your office.

If you have 5 or less people in your office then you are better off buying a prosumer or domestic machine (the online Guru on such things is Coffee Kev – he’s the best place to start if this describes your business). If you have more than 5 people, have a lot of visitors or just want to get a coffee that competes or beats the high street, read on.

Our top 3 Small Office Coffee Machines

Small Office Coffee Machine Cost

For many companies, the biggest consideration when looking at office coffee machines is the cost. On the cheaper end of the scale, a good coffee machine for the office will cost a couple of thousand pounds. However, depending on the features you might want in a machine and the type of machine itself this price can be higher.

If you believe that a coffee machine would be a good addition to your workplace, but are not certain, then going down the purchasing route may be the best solution, at least to begin with. Leasing a coffee machine is a great way to trial how popular this might be with your employees. It also means that rather than spending a larger amount for the initial outlay you can spread the cost out over time. If the machine proves to be very popular, then you can choose a new machine once the lease is over or purchase a machine.

Leasing can also be a handy option if you discover later down the line that having a coffee machine in the office is more popular than you thought, and you need a machine with a better output. Something else to consider when thinking about the price of a machine is that when you lease, any issues with the coffee machine can be fixed as part of the lease agreement. You can lease a commercial coffee machine as good as those found on the high street for as little as £4.30 per day.  

Small Office Coffee Machine Quality

Not all coffee machines are made equal, so it is a good idea to do some research on brands and reputation first. A good option is to look for a company – like us -that sell or lease a range of coffee machines. We work with the leading manufacturers of coffee machines and because our reputation relies on the quality of the machines we offer you will find that we only stock top quality machines. More importantly with automatic machines though is who looks after the machine?

The majority of coffee companies in the UK use subcontractors to look after their machines! How do we know this? We have an entire department that services and repairs these companies coffee machines!

If you are not sure what you want then we should be able to help you make a short list by asking a few simple questions about your office, number of expected users and even potential usage. These factors will vary from one office space to another the best office coffee machine for you may not be the best choice for someone else. It’s also important to consider what features are important to your colleagues? A machine that does hot chocolate and tea – like the Crew CM50 v’s one that does just coffee, like the Jura Giga?

If you are not sure what you want then we should be able to help you make a short list by asking a few simple questions about your office, number of expected users and even potential usage. These factors will vary from one office space to another the best office coffee machine for you may not be the best choice for someone else.

Variety of Drinks on a Small Office Coffee Machine

Gone are the days when the coffee options available in an office were limited to instant or, if you were lucky, a coffee machine that offered filtered coffee. Modern office coffee machines offer a wide range of specialty coffees, with something to suit everyone. According to WMF (a German tableware manufacturer who also produce quality bean to cup coffee machines) the most popular specialty coffee in the UK is the latte, closely followed by the cappuccino. The surprising addition to the list, however, is the flat white, which has seen a surge in popularity over the last couple of years.

With this in mind it is certainly worth looking for a machine that has the capability to produce at least a couple of different types of specialty coffee.

One thing that you may want to consider when it comes to variety is the usability of the small office coffee machine. Too complicated, and you run the risk of your employees either avoiding it all together or it taking too much time to make a drink. Many of the modern small office coffee machines have the ability to pre-programme a range of different drinks. This allows for much easier use. There are even some machines that have the capability of being used via a mobile phone app which are a great alternative particularly in a very tech savvy office. However in fairness most see this as a gimmick when you consider you still have to visit the machine to pick up the drink.

Is a Small Office Coffee Machine Eco Friendly?

As we all become more aware of the effect that we have on the planet and look for ways in which we can reduce this impact, it can be a good idea to consider how eco-friendly the coffee machine you are looking at is.

Many of the smaller machines that people consider for their office space use pods. Whilst some companies are beginning to offer recycling solutions for these pods or have changed to compostable pods, they are still not as eco-friendly as other alternatives out there. A bean to cup machine which just uses coffee beans is a more eco-friendly option because the grounds can be recycled for fertiliser after around 100 days of composting. It is estimated that around 6 million tonnes of coffee grounds end up in landfill in a single year, a dedicated coffee grounds recycling bin will help you to separate this out from general waste.

Features to look out for on an eco-friendlier coffee machine are things like automatic standby mode and, of course, the ability to use proper cups as opposed to a machine that uses disposable single serve cups.

Beanmachines can do a full power consultation as some of our team are BEng qualified Electrical Engineers and for some hotels have produced plans saving them up to £70 per day on their commercial coffee machine electrical costs. Even a standard site can realise typical savings of £5 per day.