‘Promoting workplace wellness through office coffee culture is something I’d encourage’, says Elyas Coutts

Who knew coffee would become such an important part of so many people’s lives?

According to the British Coffee Association, the UK drinks approximately 98 million cups of coffee, every single day. So, supplying your workforce with a coffee machine that delivers high quality drinks can make a major difference, and not just to morale – a happy workforce is a more productive workforce.

Coffee is far more than just a hot drink, it’s a perk

When you think about it, coffee is far more than just a hot drink, it’s a perk. It helps in making people feel valued and respected. Better yet, the office coffee machine is a social hub. It’s the place where people connect. It’s a stress buster; a safety valve if you like. It’s no wonder that workplaces are designed these days with break out areas in mind.

In recent years, the high street coffee shops have been adding to the variety of drinks they offer. You can have a flavoured syrup in your latté, if that floats your boat. Needless to say, this translates to the workplace – and why not?

Get on board with the growing consumer preference for non-dairy milk

The one thing that I would advise employers to do, urgently, is get on board with the growing consumer preference for non-dairy milk. For many years, these products were the preserve of vegans, they didn’t have much traction elsewhere. However, the main arguments in favour of non-dairy products these days are environmental rather than ethical.

Non-dairy milks are much better for the environment than cow’s milk. The production process uses less land, less water and generates lower amounts of greenhouse gases. The milk with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions is almond milk, because the trees lock up a lot of CO₂ as they grow. Oat milk and almond milk are the most common, butresearch by Appinio suggests that consumers are now regularly drinking coffee made with soy milk and coconut milk.  Just a few years ago, that was unheard of.

I don’t think that this is a trend, or a fad. I think it’s here to stay. With tastes shifting so rapidly, keeping your coffee provisions front and centre is something staff will appreciate, more so now than ever before.

Promoting workplace wellness through office coffee culture is something I’d encourage businesses to consider in 2022. It starts with providing your workforce with quality coffee – and of course, a top-quality drinking water, for when the temperatures soar…

*Elyas Coutts is Chief Executive Officer at Connect Vending

Connect Vending is a leading supplier and operator of healthy drinks vending machines and water coolers. Click HERE to visit the company’s web site.

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Featured Image courtesy of Evoca Group