How to Choose the Right Coffee Machine for Your Office
Been tasked to source a coffee machine for the office?
With different machine types, capacities and payment options available, knowing where to start can be tricky.
Here are 6 things to consider before making your pick.
1. Start With Your Office Coffee Habits
Before comparing machines, think about the people who will actually be using it.
- How many employees are in the office?
- Roughly how many cups are consumed each day?
- When’s the coffee rush — 9am, after lunch, or all day?
- Is your team happy with black coffee, or are lattes and cappuccinos a must?
- Does it need to be completely self-service?
A 30-person office of occasional coffee drinkers needs a very different setup from a 200-person workplace running on caffeine.
2. Convenience Matters — Especially at 9am
For most offices, nobody wants to queue for coffee or figure out how to operate a complicated machine before their first meeting.
That’s where fully automatic (or super-automatic) coffee machines come in. They handle everything from grinding fresh beans to brewing and, depending on the setup, preparing milk-based drinks — usually at the touch of a button.
For example, Schaerer’s range of fully automatic coffee machines caters to different workplace needs, from compact offices to higher-volume environments.
The goal isn’t to get the machine with the most features. It’s to get the one your team will actually enjoy using.
3. Size Matters — But So Does the Coffee Rush
Headcount is a good starting point, but think about when everyone wants their coffee too.
Your Workplace | Indicative Team Size* | What to Look For |
Smaller office | Up to ~50 | Compact, easy to use, essential drink choices |
Medium office | ~50–150 | More capacity, beverage variety and easy cleaning |
High-volume office | 150+ | Speed, reliability and the ability to handle peak-hour demand |
*Indicative only. The right machine also depends on daily consumption and peak usage.
After all, a machine that’s perfectly adequate at 3pm might be a very different story when 20 colleagues want coffee at 9am.
4. Think About What Your Team Actually Likes to Drink
And when it’s something employees use every day, getting those basics right can make the humble office pantry a much nicer place to take five.
5. What Happens When The Machine Needs Help?
It’s easy to focus on choosing the machine and forget what happens after it’s installed. Who sets it up? Who trains your team? Who handles regular servicing? And most importantly — who do you call when the coffee machine decides not to cooperate on a Monday morning?
Look for a supplier that can support you beyond installation with maintenance and responsive technical assistance.
At Kaffa Kaldi, our commercial coffee solutions are backed by KaffaCare, covering local installation, training and after-sales support.
6. Buy, Lease or Rent?
You don’t necessarily have to purchase a machine outright.
Buying gives you ownership but comes with a higher upfront investment.
Leasing lets you spread the cost over a longer period.
Rental options, where available, can offer greater flexibility depending on your requirements.
Rather than comparing the machine price alone, look at the total package — machine, coffee supply, installation, servicing and ongoing support.
So, Which Coffee Machine Is Right for Your Office?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
The right office coffee solution should fit your team size, coffee habits, budget and day-to-day operations — while being simple enough that nobody needs an instruction manual just to get their morning coffee.
Not sure where to start?
Speak with Kaffa Kaldi about an office coffee solution tailored to your workplace, consumption and beverage preferences.
