Companies tend to rush to install the latest bean to cup machines thinking that it will offer them some amazing benefits only to be disappointed. Office vending machines are typically more robust, reliable, easy to use and above all give much more choice to staff while still delivering on the quality. That’s why we’re busting 5 common myths around office vending machines:

1. QUALITY

At Lavazza Professional, our time and effort is solely dedicated to give great quality drinks and we conduct extensive research on taste and health such as sugar or salt intake. Our dedicated research and development team are committed to making our drinks as tasty as possible. Organising 138 tasting sessions per year in our sensory lab, we ensure that we offer amazing drinks with a great taste.

Quality also applies to the vending machine being used. This is equally important, especially if you think that one person could be vending a soup and the next a coffee, for sure, you do not want a tomato aftertaste in your coffee! To avoid such contamination, our vending machines use an in-cup system which means that the ingredients are already in the cup and the machine only dispenses a shot of hot (or cold) water to avoid cross-contamination drink after drink meaning we always deliver on both quality and consistency.

2. SUSTAINABILITY

Some may believe that because we use plastic cups we are not environmentally friendly. On the contrary, our cups are all recyclable and we offer a closed loop recycling system to our customer-base. We’ve established a partnership with Simply Cups, a waste management company who collect the waste cups directly from the customer sites and recycle them. We are continuously thinking about ways to improve our environmental footprint and are looking into more sustainable solutions for our cup. 

At Lavazza Professional, we aim to provide “the most sustainable workplace drinks solution” and our sustainability strategy is focused around three key pillars:

  • Sustainable agriculture – Finding the most sustainable sourced ingredients is important to us, 100% of our Alterra coffees and black teas are purchased from certified sources.
  • Sustainable operations, our UK factories send zero waste to landfill. All sites in the UK aim to eliminate fossil fuel energy and greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
  • Sustainable solutions, soon, we will be introducing two new cups which will can be readily recycled via standard waste recycling routes. 

3. PRICE

The third myth is about price: aren’t office vending machines expensive? Well, not really! We provide a cost effective solution suitable to every businesses and are transparent in our pricing with no hidden extra or ongoing costs:

  • A large product selection from some of the nation’s best loved brands.
  • Very easy maintenance – our machines can be cleaned in less than 5 minutes.
  • A hassle free vending experience.
  • Extremely reliable machines, we have over one year between each service.
  • Machines and drinks which are manufactured in the UK at our Basingstoke factories.

4. RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The fourth myth is about return on investment, it’s all about savings and return on investment and here, we would highlight a few considerations:

  • Cost of restocking, it is up to you to decide which drinks and snacks are offered in the vending machines. It is also up to you to make people pay for those items or not, which means that you’re in charge!
  • Time/labour cost saving if you are self-filling compared to a traditional or bean to cup machines.
  • Cost of machine failures, it is important to purchase a reliable and robust vending machine, you don’t want to call an engineer out every other week or once a month. At Lavazza Professional we pride ourselves that we have 83 weeks Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), which means that for almost 20 months, there is no need to call an engineer out!

5. EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

There is a direct correlation with having hot/cold drinks at work and employee satisfaction. As Lavazza Professional’s research shows, 72% of people agree “Coffee and other drinks energize and focus people, enabling them to be more effective collaborators at work.”

  • Impact on engagement: 73% agree “Coffee and other drinks in the workplace boost morale and attitude.”
  • Impact on well-being: 80% agree “People are happier when good-tasting coffee and other drinks are available at work.”
  • Impact on productivity: 73% agree “People are more productive when they have their preferred drinks at work.”

Try out our vending machines and see how Lavazza Professional can help you to create an ultimate employee experience.