Coffee vending machines are becoming more and more popular in businesses across the United States and around the globe. Just several years ago, most offices only had the lowly coffee pot and the coffee, unless you wanted to change the filter yourself, was probably a few hours old. More like tar than coffee. Mind you, we didn’t complain, it was all we new until the new breed of coffee vending machines made it onto the market.
First it was the law offices and the captains of industry, Wall Street who splurged and got them. Or so I’m thinking. Then when we visited our mouths drooled with envy as we realized the possibilities of having our own coffee vending machine in our office too. If only we could convince the higher-ups how important it was. Those of us who had union jobs realized the bargaining potential. It maybe wasn’t enough to strike but dammit, we deserved the endless supply of fresh coffee that these vending machines delivered. Wake up America and smell the coffee! That became out battle cry.
The benefits of coffee vending machines
Imagine how much American productivity would soar we thought and mentioned aloud to those with the power to make it happen. American workers on a permanent caffeine high. Working like Roadrunners everywhere! Or so goes my wild imagination.
Nevertheless, coffee vending machines are becoming more popular in larger companies, and for good reason. We all know that coffee boosts alertness at moderate doses and enhances mental acuity as well. Not only that, most of the better coffee vending machines allow for espresso based beverages, decaffeinated coffee beverages, oftentimes hot chocolate and teas as well. So practically anyone who enjoys a warm beverage can benefit from a company brining in a coffee vending machine.
Additionally, if your company is charging you a modest amount for the beverages, let’s say around a buck and a quarter, it is fair to say that their gross profit per beverage is easily 75 to 90 cents. Even if you are not being charged for the coffee from the vending machine, the cost is not prohibitively expensive for most businesses of a reasonable size.
Costs associated with coffee vending machines
Most beverages vended from a coffee vending machine have a cost per serving of around 30 to 45 cents. This is a small price to pay considering the amount of lost labor time involved with employees heading out to a coffee shop to pick up their favorite brew. A 2 minute trip to the vending machine is more efficient than a 10 to 15 minute trip to the nearest coffee shop.
Most coffee vending machine suppliers also provide a hands-free solution. Usually the machine is rented on a monthly fee and all supplies and maintenance are provided by the supplier. Sometimes for additional costs, sometimes included in your contract agreement. The quality has also greatly improve in the last 10 or so years. Nowadays, most of the larger coffee vending machines’ manufacturers supply high quality arabica coffee beans to go along with their machines. So even the biggest coffee snob in your office will be delighted at the quality.
Amongst your many choices of coffee vending machines, 2 companies are considered amongst the top. Both Necta coffee vending and Avalon coffee vending should be amongst your choices if you are thinking about offering a coffee vending machine to your employees.
In the next article we’ll go into a little more detail about the different types of coffee vending machines and which might be best suited to your environment.