From Café Culture to the Office Kitchen: How Exeter's Love of Coffee Is Changing the Workplace
If your workplace coffee setup is starting to feel a little outdated, there are plenty of ways to improve it. We spoke to the team at Connect Vending, who shared their advice on what businesses should consider when choosing a workplace coffee solution.
Exeter's café scene is vibrant and deeply rooted in the city's passion for speciality, locally roasted coffee. A quality cup of coffee has become part of the everyday rhythm of the city, whether that's on the walk into work, during a lunchtime catch-up or over an informal collaboration meeting. For many hybrid employees, Exeter’s café scene acts as an extended communal office that hosts coffee meetings, socialising and ultimately has become a regular part of the working week.
Expectations Don't Disappear When People Get to Work
With such a prominent café scene in Exeter, employees have become accustomed to enjoying premium coffee outside of work, so they increasingly notice the difference when workplace coffee is limited to instant coffee or when the coffee machine setup is basic. Hybrid working has made the increase in employees' expectations more prominent because employees begin to compare the office experience with their home setup or from working in the local café.
Coffee Breaks Still Matter
The role of coffee in the workplace is becoming more central. Many employers find that offering coffee in the workplace is often seen as a simple workplace perk that employees regularly use. The commercial coffee machine is also becoming the modern-day water cooler, giving employees a space where they can step away from their desks to enjoy informal conversations and social interactions with colleagues. Ultimately, coffee breaks make the communal kitchens or breakout areas more useful.
Bringing More Café-style Choice into the Office
Workplace coffee has evolved way past the traditional setup of a kettle and a jar of instant coffee. Nowadays, businesses who are looking to improve their workplace coffee setup can choose from a wide range of commercial coffee machines, from straightforward self-service systems to bean-to-cup machines offering a broad choice of drinks.
Bean-to-cup coffee machines are the most popular machine type for businesses who want to bring the café experience into the workplace because they use fresh milk, or plant-based alternatives, and fresh coffee beans to produce espresso-based barista-quality drinks at the touch of a button. The commercial coffee machines can also be calibrated to suit each site's needs to offer different coffee strengths and drink selections.
What Should an Exeter Business Look For?
An Exeter business that is looking to introduce a premium coffee station into their workplace should consider the size of their business to work out the expected cups per day, their employees' drink types (especially when deciding whether the commercial coffee machine uses fresh or soluble milk). The space and layout available in the breakroom or office kitchen is also something important to consider, as well as whether you opt for a premium tabletop coffee machine or a floor-standing coffee vending machine.
The type of milk also needs to be considered, especially in a place like Exeter where the café scene is full of independent coffee shops offering all different types of milks and coffee blends. If a good portion of the team drinks oat or soya, the machine needs to handle that without it feeling like an afterthought.
Cleaning, maintenance and restocking are just as important as the machine itself. Some machines only need a quick daily rinse, while others benefit from a regular servicing schedule, so it is worth being honest about who will actually look after the machine day to day. The same goes for restocking beans, milk and consumables, as even the best machine loses its shine if it regularly runs empty.
Finally, think about who else will use it. If the machine also needs to serve visitors, clients or customers in a reception or meeting area, ease of use and drink presentation matter that little bit more.
The Right Setup Will Differ from One Workplace to Another
Commercial coffee machines don't come in a one-size-fits-all, so a small professional office in Exeter's city centre may need a different type of machine or drinks menu compared to a larger office or an industrial site out at Sowton or Marsh Barton. It is important to tailor the offerings to fit each site's individual needs rather than using a blanket machine type.
A Local Workplace Perk That People Notice
Good coffee does not replace the city's cafés, but having a better option at work can make the office kitchen or breakout area more appealing and convenient. It is a simple, everyday perk that people notice and use.
Connect Vending works with businesses on workplace coffee and refreshment solutions and can help assess the most suitable setup for your site, team size and drink preferences.
Conclusion
Exeter's café culture has helped raise expectations around everyday coffee, and those expectations are now following people into the office.
For local employers, improving workplace coffee does not have to mean creating an office café. A suitable machine, reliable supply and enough drink choice can make a noticeable difference to the day-to-day workplace experience, and it is one of the easiest ways to bring a little of the city's café culture into the working day.
