What is the cost of good coffee?

Coffee is one of the most celebrated and significant plants and it is widely enjoyed around the world. With a long history and many competing claims of, it has been recorded consumed as a drink at least as far back as the 15^th Century in Yemen. Since then, there has been global adoption of this drink, with the prevailing worldwide being essential for daily functioning and enjoyment of life.

However, like every commercial product, the demand for coffee has resulted in increasing prices due to multiple factors. So just where does the price per cup come from when purchasing your favourite dose of caffeine? And how can you ensure you are not only getting the best value, but also be confident that your money is going to the key producers and facilitators that allow you to start each morning with a comforting ritual?

Cost of coffee beans

There are predominantly two varieties of coffee which are sold as a food commodity, this is Coffea robusta and Coffea arabica. Being a crop with incredibly specific requirements for growth, the yield of the plant is highly dependent on seasonal changes, resulting in being a volatile commodity on the global market. This already results in dramatic fluctuations in the price per kilo of green coffee, with the global price currently trading at a nearly 50 year high.

On top of this, coffee is a value-added product with heavily involved processes which need to be followed, prior even to the purchasing by a roaster. These reasons are why coffee prices is expensive to buy to start with, but what about the costs of being able to provide coffee in your workplace?

Cost of coffee machines

Whilst there are certain fixed costs when it comes to providing quality coffee within your workplace (a worthwhile investment that was explored here) there are ways you can get the most out of your budget and actually make unexpected savings. Generally professional coffee equipment can be grouped into 2 distinct classifications: traditional espresso machines, and bean to cup machines. Both have their benefits and drawbacks depending on the requirements of the business.

Traditional espresso machines work by heating large water boilers to an ideal brewing temperature. Initially this was a costly way to generate the heat and steam needed for great coffee, but the application of Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controllers allowed fine-tuning to maintain optimal temperature by pulsing the heating element. This technology has allowed steam boilers in espresso machines become significantly more efficient by minimising wasteful heating. This technology has also been adapted for bean to cup use, with machines like the Crew CM Hybrid utilising this alongside other crew technology to keep your costs down and your coffee perfect.

Along with the finetuning of heating mechanisms, Crew have also developed eco modes all for significant energy savings during periods of extended standby. This works by reducing the boiler temperature when inactive after a programmable period, with the time to heat back up afterwards only adding up to 10 seconds on to the first coffee brewed.

Alongside this they also have a uniquely designed brewing unit and ultra-fine mesh filter allowing for increased coffee extraction. This means not only are you getting the absolute most out of each espresso shot, but your gram per shot will be less than similarly priced professional bean to cup machines.

Make it worth it

The best way to maximise the value for each cup of coffee is to ask your employees what they want. There is little point in providing a cheap but substandard offering, just for the staff to ignore it and purchase their own alternatives. Instead gauging what an offices particular tastes are allows an accurate budget to be made for coffee that will be enjoyed by the office.

Good coffee has been found to significantly impact employee morale and productivity, and with many independent roasters providing high quality offerings whilst also engaging in positive social impact, your daily coffee actually goes towards improving countless causes.

With a price of £12 per kilo for coffee, each cup would have roughly £0.16 of coffee, combined with an average Crew Machines lease, expected energy costs, and milk, if 20 coffees are made a day, it would only cost 50p per coffee to cover the expenses of owning and operating the machine.

Whilst free coffee is great, being able to offer your employees a heavily reduced price of just 50p per cup, which also goes to support the social causes in your local area, for quality coffee on par with a specialty café is arguably even better. With the integrated payment options the Crew CM70 and CM90 offer, loyalty schemes can be included so individuals can work towards free drinks, or even bags of their new favourite coffee!