Category: Office Coffee Service

There are a lot of office coffee service industry terms. Understanding what they mean and how the various services differ is important to developing a successful program. Today, we’re going to look at the different types of brewers that are out there.

But, before we dive into everything, there is one important thing to understand. One type of equipment or brewer isn’t better than the other. Each option is a better fit for different uses. The key is to understand your Scottsdale business and determine how it will use the service.

The two main types of office coffee brewers that we’re going to look at today are traditional brewers and single or bean-to-cup brewers.

Classic Office Coffee Brewers

When most people think of coffee and the break room, they think of the glass carafe. While that style of carafe still exists, today’s commercial grade equipment offers so much more.

Traditional brewer options vary from single-burner to three-burner brewers. The size and layout of multiple-burner brewers varies from all three burners on a single level to a thinner or inline machine with two levels. There are also brewers that don’t use burners. These machines brew the coffee directly into an insulated and portable carafe.

Coffee pots can be glass or made of thermal materials. Airpots, which hold 15 cups, are a well known type of thermal carafe. Regardless of the size of the brewer or the type of carafe, traditional brewers serve large numbers of people quickly, day after day.

Single-Cup and Bean-to-Cup Brewers

Just like the name says, these brewers create single hot beverages. Depending on the type of coffee grounds or beans on the menu, employees can brew black coffee or espresso-based beverages from a single machine. 

The key difference between single-cup brewers and bean-to-cup brewers is the form of the coffee. Most Scottsdale employees associate a single-cup brewer with prepackaged grounds or pods. The bean-to-cup brewer grinds whole beans right before the beverage is brewed, resulting in the sights and smells of a coffee shop.

Because of the single-cup focus of these brewers, they work best when there aren’t large numbers of employees who need coffee quickly. It’s easy to imagine how long it would take for 50 employees to grab a hot beverage when it takes a minute or so to brew each cup.

Whether your Scottsdale break room needs several traditional brewers or one single-cup brewer, Southwest Refreshments can help. We’ll design the perfect solution with a variety of brands and roasts for your location. And don’t forget to include several tea options. Even coffee drinkers enjoy a green or herbal tea later in the day.

For more information about our office coffee service or other vending services, please contact us at 623.780.3036.

Did you know that coffee is liquid gold? Well, not actual gold, but it’s certainly worth its weight in gold. And our office coffee service can help you find more gold. You might not believe that right now but hear me out.

Let’s start by looking at what happens without office coffee service in your break room.

1. When coffee isn’t available or tastes bad, employees must find it elsewhere.
2. Coffee has caffeine, and we all know caffeine is a popular energy booster.
3. A great break room with a variety of delicious hot drinks is a highly valued employee benefit.

Now, let’s consider the impact that it can have.

Company Morale

Offering our service in your Phoenix break room can affect your employees. Start by asking your employees about the types of beverages they would like to see. Options might include traditional coffee, espresso-based beverages, single-cup options, or hot tea. Their preferences might surprise you.

Knowing that their employer listened, employees are more likely to feel valued, creating a positive workplace culture. The break room will also become a central meeting and relationship building location. Both planned and unplanned conversations lead to increased creativity, problem-solving, and a better overall team spirit.

Staying On-Site

This question might sound over-simplified, but where do your employees go if they can’t get a good coffee at work? The answer is off-site. While that should only require a short break, the reality is often quite different. A short break turns into a longer break, which means less time working and lower productivity.

But, if you offer our service in your Phoenix break room, that doesn’t have to happen. Our menu includes everyone’s favorite hot beverages. Employees need only make a trip to the break room for a great-tasting cup of Joe and an impromptu conversation.

Coffee and Energy Levels

Employees in Phoenix are tired, so it shouldn’t be surprising that almost two-thirds of adults drink coffee every day. What can you do to help them with their lack of energy and need for caffeine? The answer is coffee. Not only does the caffeine supply an energy boost, but it can also improve one’s mood. And the high levels of antioxidants and other nutrients offer added health benefits.

Combine the three reasons above, and you can see why your break room needs our office coffee service. Your unique solution will include the perfect combination of brewers and brands to create the experience your employees deserve. From single-cup or bean-to-cup brewers to traditional brewing equipment, there is a solution for everyone.

For more information about upgrading your current coffee service or about our micro-market and vending services, please call Southwest Refreshments at 623.780.3036.

Office coffee service (OCS) is often considered a separate service when it comes to the break room. But it doesn’t have to be. For a moment, ponder what it would be like to mesh coffee service with a micro-market. On their own, each offers distinct benefits. But when they are blended together in your Scottsdale office break room, they create a unique employee perk.

Employees now have a relaxed on-site spot to grab a gourmet coffee and a snack or meal. This is now even more important. Research has also found the best time to enjoy a cup of coffee is mid-morning or early afternoon, not right after waking up.

To effectively blend coffee service and micro-markets, there are two things to consider. The first is the different aspects of coffee service. And the second is how each aspect helps integrate coffee with the micro-market.

Coffee Brewers

• choose a brewer that makes gourmet beverages; bean-to-cup and single-cup brewers are the current favorites
• with the concerns around COVID-19, consider a touchless brewer
• discover which brands are most sought after in your area—yes, brands matter even with brewers

Coffee Beans

• offer a range of local and national brands
• discover which coffee brands are well known and liked by your Scottsdale employees
• make sure that the perception of the coffee brands matches the perception of the micro-market—both should be high-end

Other Coffee Service Factors  

• place the coffee service near food and snacks that go well with coffee. Scottsdale employees are more likely to purchase a breakfast item or an afternoon treat if it’s nearby.
• create a supply station with a variety of creamers, flavorings, and sweeteners.
• employees are consumers. Brand recognition of brewers and coffee brands plays a role in purchase decisions.

To make the melding process easier, Southwest Refreshments can help. We will guide you through the steps of integrating your OCS into an existing micro-market or adding both at the same time. For more information about micro-markets, coffee service, and other vending solutions, please contact us at 623.780.3036.

When is a coffee break more than just drinking a cup of coffee? The answer is when it happens during a work break. Even though many businesses are short-staffed or overwhelmed because of COVID-19, Scottsdale employers realize that encouraging their employees to take breaks is necessary.

15 minutes of employee downtime to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or healthy snack from a vending machine or micro-market results in other benefits. As a result, many employers go out of their way to encourage employees to take a coffee break.

Health Benefits

Coffee contains caffeine. The main reason most people drink coffee is the caffeine, but it can also improve one’s mood and cognitive performance. Moderate coffee intake is also shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, brain cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. A bonus when an energy boost is an employee’s primary goal.

A break room also encourages Scottsdale employees to move around. Sitting for long periods can cause joint stiffness and fatigue. Eye strain and headaches can happen after staring at a computer screen for too long without a break. Therefore, everyone finds multiple benefits when employees take breaks.

Breaks help employees work better, and employers see an increase in morale and output.

Coffee Gets Everyone Talking

According to Entrepreneur.com, stress levels are at an all-time high. Too much stress causes a loss of productivity and morale, and an increase in health costs, errors, and interpersonal conflicts. Today, almost everyone suffers from some degree of stress.

Encouraging coffee breaks is one way to help your Scottsdale area employees combat stress. Just as stepping away from one’s desk for 15 minutes helps decrease stiffness and increases circulation, walking and taking a break helps the brain relax.

Another benefit of the coffee break is an increase in communication among employees. Breaks encourage everyone to share concerns, which helps reduce stress. The break room is also a great place to relax and engage in informative conversations. These gatherings often stimulate creative ideas, improve employee camaraderie, and build workplace morale.

The Drink Menu

Coffee isn’t the only beverage that offers benefits. Many employees do not like the taste of coffee or consume limited amounts of caffeine. If an employee falls into either category, there are many other delicious and healthy options. Hot or iced tea, bottled water, and energy drinks are just a few. The goal is to create a time and place for employees to recharge so they can go back to work more focused.

For more information about our hot and cold beverage menus or to add additional vending services, please contact Southwest Refreshments at 623.780.3036. We look forward to hearing from you.

Which is better—coffee or green tea? While everyone has an opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. Both beverages are part of any office coffee service and offer a multitude of varieties and flavors and health benefits for Phoenix employees. A popular benefit of both drinks is the energy boost that comes from caffeine. Traditionally brewed coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine in one 8-oz cup, while green tea has between 20 mg to 45 mg per 8-oz cup.

It’s Good for Your Health

Benefits of ingesting caffeine, whether in coffee or tea, include an increase in energy levels and a decrease in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. While coffee offers almost double the amount of caffeine, green tea offers other significant benefits from higher levels of flavanols, an important micronutrient, catechins, a natural antioxidant, and L-theanine, an amino acid.

For example, the combination of caffeine and L-theanine in green tea results in improved brain function, or stronger working memory, better attention levels, and less anxiety. Other benefits of drinking green tea include an increase in bone strength and health, improved condition of one’s skin from improved moisture retention to anti-aging, and a reduction in heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

It’s Time to Enjoy

With the ongoing stress of 2020, enjoying a beverage that offers all those health benefits is a good idea. Let’s look at four things that can help Phoenix employees create a delicious mug of green tea in the break room.

Know Your Tea

As with almost everything, it’s hard to create a great result if you don’t know your ingredients. Most green tea originates in China and Japan. The Chinese variety usually has a smokier flavor because the tea leaves are roasted, while the Japanese variety has a sweeter taste because the leaves are steamed.

Making the Tea

Green tea leaves are sensitive to heat. When prepared with water that is too hot, the leaves can burn. If the leaves are steeped for too long, the leaves can burn. Both scenarios result in a bitter flavor. To prevent burning, steep the leaves for no more than two minutes and don’t use water that is too hot.

Add Flavors

Whether the goal is to mellow the natural flavor or create a new flavor combination, many options are available. Some popular additions include lemon slices, honey, fresh ginger (use sparingly—ginger can overwhelm quickly), peppermint leaves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg, and citrus peels.

Infuse with Fruit

Fresh and dried fruit can also be added to provide additional flavor and sweetness. Fresh apples or berries are a great option as they are readily available and are also high in flavanols. Dried fruit such as mango, pineapple, peach, and papaya are also good as they mellow out the bitterness.

As the number of tea options available grows, it is essential to modify your Phoenix break room refreshment menu to meet the demand. Not only will your employees enjoy the benefits of drinking a delicious beverage, but they will also be more likely to visit the break room when they want fresh food or a snack. For more information about improving your refreshment services, including office coffee service, vending machines, or micro-market, call Southwest Refreshments today at 623.780.3036.

For coffee drinkers in Scottsdale and around the world, the end of September and the beginning of October is the perfect time to celebrate their favorite hot beverage as National and International Coffee Days happen within two days of one another. In celebration of this delicious holiday, let’s look several reasons why the beverage is so loved.

A Short History

The exact origin of coffee is unknown, but one of the more well-known legends includes a goat herder, his goats, and an abbot from a local Ethiopian monastery. After seeing his goats experience a boost in energy after consuming the berries from a local plant, the herder told a local abbot, who made a beverage from the same berries. From there, the beverage we now know as coffee traveled to the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, and finally the Americas.

Health Benefits

Whether it’s the caffeine or the antioxidants and other compounds in the beans, everyone’s favorite caffeinated beverage offers health benefits for Scottsdale individuals including:

• Reduced risk of death: Drinking one cup per day was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of death. Bump the numbers up to two to three cups per day, and those participants had a 19 percent lower chance of mortality.
• Reduced risk for type-2 diabetes and heart disease: Four cups of coffee. According to researchers in Duesseldorf, Germany that’s all the caffeine it takes to trigger a protective effect in the human heart. The domino effect caused by caffeine consumption ends with the protection and repair of the heart muscle.
• Reduced risk for different types of cancer: The International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that coffee can no longer be classified as a carcinogen. In fact, researchers determined that coffee intake was associated with a reduced risk of oral, pharynx, liver, colon, prostate, melanoma, and endometrial cancers. Woo-hoo!
• Improved memory, a short-term mental boost and better group performance: Caffeine has been found to provide a mental boost for 45 minutes after consuming it and to improve memory over the next 24 hours. Research by the Graduate School of Management at UC, Davis also found that caffeine has a positive impact on a group’s performance.
• Coffee, in its many forms, also makes everyone feel happier: A 2018 study found that 47 percent of survey participants said that consuming that morning cup of Joe played an integral part in having a good start to the day, 43 percent would choose an iced coffee for a “pick-me-up” during the day, and 38 percent of participants would be more willing to spend a day without their smartphone than not drink any form of coffee for 24 hours.

2020 Trends to Explore

• Coffee-cola beverages: mix coffee with cola
• Nitro cold brew: cold brew infused with nitrogen
• Coffee Spritzer: combine a splash of seltzer water with cold brew
• Quality decaf: enjoy deliciously roasted beans without the caffeine
• Snapchilled: brew your favorite beans using a traditional method and rapidly chill it to extract additional flavors

Help your Scottsdale employees celebrate this delicious and caffeinated holiday by providing OCS in the break room. In additional to a variety of hot beverages including tea, make sure to include a selection of sweeteners and dairy and non-dairy creamers. For more information about OCS or any of our other break room services, please contact Southwest Refreshments at 623.780.3036.

COVID-19 may have disrupted almost all aspects of life, but it hasn’t stopped Phoenix individuals from enjoying their daily coffee. In fact, consumption has increased during the past several months. One thing that is different is that many individuals are purchasing their caffeinated beverages online or via a mobile app while trips to the local cafe have dramatically decreased.

As Phoenix employees head back to work, not considering or adapting your office coffee service (OCS) is a missed opportunity to rebuild your workplace community, boost morale, and increase productivity. Why is that you ask? The short answer is that the majority of adults in American drink coffee and all its related beverages each day, and yet only 63 percent of employees who work outside of their home have access to coffee at work.

According to the recently released 2020 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) Report, 62 percent of Americans 18 and older drink coffee daily, up five percent from 2015, and the average number of cups consumed by each individual is 3.1 cups—that’s almost 25 ounces per day. But the number of employers who offer OCS in the break room has decreased by five percent compared to 2019.

To compete with off-site menus that offer a wide variety of options which can be ordered via an app or delivered directly to an employee by a food delivery service, facility managers should understand 2020 coffee trends. (One caveat—while these numbers were collected before COVID-19 changed how and where Phoenix employees work, the results can still be used to help plan for post-COVID break room services.)

• 56 percent consume gourmet coffee or beverages that are brewed from premium beans
• 53 percent looked for brands that are focused on sustainable farming and Fair Trade practices
• 40 percent of individuals add milk/creamer (any type) plus a sweetener
• 20 percent prefer their coffee black
• Four percent use alternative milks such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk etc.
• Demand for espresso-based beverages including cappuccino, latte, frozen blended, espresso, mocha, macchiato, Americano, and flat white continues to grow

In addition to what Americans want to drink, it is also important to consider what types of beverages each generation prefers especially if your organization employs a variety of individuals. Espresso-based beverages are preferred by 27.5 percent of Americans under the age of 40, while those aged 60+ prefer traditional, non-gourmet coffee. Consumption of coffee was also found to increase as individuals aged. For example, consumption is up 40 percent since 2015 among drinkers age 18 – 24. Whether that is a change in lifestyle or just a desire for more, it’s something to be aware of.  

Now’s the time to reassess your OCS and other break room refreshment options. Southwest Refreshments can help by creating a customized menu and safely providing your Phoenix employees fresh food, snacks and beverages via a micro-market or vending machines. For more information about our refreshment services, please contact us at 623.780.3036. We look forward to helping support your organization.

While tea has long been known to be a healthy beverage because of the antioxidants in the leaves, Phoenix employees can now enjoy their tea without worrying too much about the amount of caffeine. In fact, adults can add up to 400 mg/day of caffeine into their daily diet according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

March is Caffeine Awareness Month, and with more than three-quarters of the U.S. population starting their day with some sort of caffeine, let’s take a deeper look at everyone’s favorite energy boost–caffeine. In addition to coffee and tea, caffeine can be found in energy drinks, soda, smoothies, bars, chocolate and gum. 

What is caffeine?

A very simple answer is caffeine is a stimulant that excites or activates the central nervous system. The results of that stimulation can vary widely as caffeine’s effects are based on each Phoenix individual’s sensitivities, age, weight, medical history, and tolerances. Even though there are negative side effects from consuming too much caffeine (raised blood pressure, insomnia, indigestion, headaches and migraines, and increased anxiety), there are also several benefits.

For example, caffeine has been linked to enhanced alertness and memory, improved athletic performance, elevated mood, increased metabolism as well as a decrease in pain sensitivity for those with chronic pain. If the caffeine comes from coffee or tea, there are even more health benefits.

Does this beverage contain caffeine?

Knowing if a favorite coffee, tea or other cold beverage contains caffeine is important, but can sometimes be challenging to determine. The best thing for Phoenix individuals to do is check the ingredients’ list. If the word “caffeine” is included, then there is synthetic caffeine, like in soda or energy drinks. If there is a type of plant like cocoa beans, kola nuts or green or black tea, then the caffeine comes from a natural source.

How much caffeine is in tea?

As with coffee, the answer to this question depends on a few factors including the type and how it’s prepared. Even though black, green and white teas come from the same plant, the differences in oxidation, brewing times and water temperature play a large role. For example, hotter water and longer steep times creates a stronger beverage. 

Add in Matcha green tea, yerba mate, herbal teas and decaffeinated options and the number of potential answers grows. The following measurements highlight the variations of caffeine in one 8-oz cup of tea.

• black teas: 47 mg to 90 mg 
• green teas: 20 mg to 45 mg 
• white teas: 6 mg 60 mg 
• matcha: 70 mg 
• yerba mate: 85 mg 
• herbal teas: up to 12 mg
• decaffeinated teas: less than 3 mg

Break Room Beverages

What types of hot, caffeinated beverages do your Phoenix employees look for during their workday? Can they find them on-site? With a daily bank of up to 400 mg of caffeine for each employee, that’s three to five 8-oz cups of coffee or even more tea every day. Offering free coffee and tea in the break room is a great way to express your appreciation. Add snacks, cold beverages and fresh food, and employees will be more likely to visit the break room instead of going off-site.

For more information about upgrading your current refreshment menu or customizing a new one, please call Southwest Refreshments at 623.780.3036.

October 1 is International Coffee Day, a day celebrated around the world. Each year, the International Coffee Organization, the founder of the holiday, recognizes a different part of the coffee industry. This year, the holiday is focused on the farmers who produce the beans.   

Farmers go through six different stages before the beans are sent to market: 

1. picking the cherries (what a coffee bean is called when it’s still on the tree); 
2. washing to remove the outer skin of the cherry; 
3. drying the beans; 
4. grading the beans based on size, where and at what altitude they were grown and how they were prepared and picked; 
5. roasting; and 
6. cupping or assessing coffee according to sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, balance and flavor.

Once the beans make it to Scottsdale break rooms, choosing the right type of brewer becomes the next step. It is important to understand which types of brewers should be used for different types of beverages and the number of employees. 

There are four types of brewers that are primarily used in break rooms: automatic brewers, drip brewers, single-serve machines and bean-to-cup brewers. 

Automatic Brewers: Never run out of freshly made, hot coffee with an automatic machine. Connected to an incoming water line, an automatic brewer can brew either a single pot or multiple pots at one time. Automatic brewers are built to handle high levels of daily traffic.   

Drip/Pourover Brewers: Built similarly to automatic brewers, drip or pourover brewers can handle high amounts of daily traffic. The key difference is that drip brewers are not connected to an incoming water line. The user is responsible for adding water to the machine each time a new pot is brewed. 

Single-Serve Machines: This type of brewer can meet a different set of needs when compared to the previous two brewers. A single-serve machine requires less physical space in a break room and can cater to employees who have very different coffee preferences, but it works better in areas with less traffic. 

Bean-to-cup Machines: A bean-to-cup machine uses a built-in grinder to deliver freshly ground and brewed coffee. As with traditional single-serve machines, only one cup can be brewed at a time, but Scottsdale employees have the option to make a variety of espresso-based, specialty beverages.

There’s one other thing to remember when choosing a brewer. It’s important to understand the steps involved to keep your machine in top shape. Not only will regular maintenance extend the life of the machine, but it will impact the taste of everyone’s coffee. 

But don’t worry, Southwest Vending can help your facility/office manager choose the best brewer for your organization, perform required maintenance and create a customized refreshment menu that meets everyone’s snack and beverage needs. We offer a variety of office coffee service, micro-market and vending service solutions for your Scottsdale break room. 

For more information, please call Southwest Vending at 623.780.3036. We look forward to celebrating International Coffee Day with you.