In-office barista vs office coffee machine: UK workplace comparison

Surveys find that around 75–87% of employees say good coffee signals that employers value their well-being. The choice between hiring an in-office barista or installing an office coffee machine hinges on cost, environmental goals and staff experience. This article compares these options across those criteria.

Cost

In-office barista

Employing a barista means taking on a paid staff member or contractor. In the UK, baristas earn an average of £13 per hour, so a full-time, 40-hour-per-week barista would cost around £25,000 to £30,000 per year (plus employer NI, pension, training). This would scale with staff size, as for larger offices, you may need more than one barista to avoid long wait times. In addition, the cost of a commercial espresso machine, equipment, ingredients and servicing should be included in the budget.

Office coffee machine

An office coffee machine can either be purchased or rented, with coffee beans, milk and cleaning supplies ordered as needed. Generally, purchase and rental costs are tax-deductible as business equipment. As with espresso machines, maintenance is an important consideration. In most cases, the ongoing cost of running a quality office machine (including coffee and maintenance) is just a fraction of a full-time barista’s salary. Plus, rental agreements often include servicing, helping to avoid unexpected costs.

Environmental impact

In-office barista

The main aspects for both types of coffee solution are coffee grounds, cups and energy consumption. Impact can be minimised if the in-office barista has a good system in place to reduce or prevent single-use waste, e.g. using mugs instead of disposable cups. Advice on how to dispose of used coffee grounds at scale can be found here. Power usage for an espresso machine is fairly high. Using a small cafe as our benchmark, we found that consumption for a commercial coffee machine is between 12 – 20 kWh per day. About 75% of an espresso machine’s energy is spent keeping boilers hot.

Office coffee machine

The environmental impact of your coffee setup depends on the type of machine you use. Bean-to-cup machines are generally far more sustainable than pod machines, as they avoid single-use plastics and packaging. Like traditional espresso machines, their main waste product is used coffee grounds, which are compostable. In terms of energy use, a high-capacity office bean-to-cup machine typically consumes around 5.8 kWh per day during standard office hours with intermittent use.

Staff experience

In-office barista

Provides barista-style specialty drinks on demand. Employees often feel valued and pampered with a dedicated barista on hand. Skilled baristas can offer variety (lattes, cappuccinos, custom drinks) and even latte art or branded cups, making coffee breaks feel special. Research has shown that 75% of staff feel that good coffee reflects that the company cares about them. It’s important to factor in wait times when thinking about how your coffee setup might affect productivity. When you’ve planned for your busiest times, your team can grab a coffee quickly and enjoy the boost that comes from short, regular breaks. The worst-case scenario would be that long wait times would completely deter your team from going to get coffee. Additionally, if the barista is absent, the office would lose its coffee service.

Office coffee machine

A premium office coffee machine can brew café-quality drinks (if well-maintained and stocked with fresh beans and milk options). It runs continuously (no staffing needed) and makes coffee breaks readily available. Machines like the Egro Next offer a wide range of customisation features, so you can cater to different tastes and dietary needs. In many workplaces, the coffee point becomes a natural social hub for informal chats and quick catch-ups. When your coffee station is designed with your team in mind, it can become a central part of the office culture and help encourage connection. On the flip side, if the machine is low quality or poorly maintained, the coffee may fall short of expectations. And if it lacks the capacity to handle busy periods, queues can quickly build up during breaks. The key is choosing the right machine. Without the human touch of a barista, the machine needs to deliver a consistently high-quality, barista-style experience to make it worthwhile.

At a glance:

Both options have clear trade-offs. An on-site barista delivers premium, café-style drinks with a personal touch, creating a standout experience and boosting morale, but at a high labour cost, limited scalability, and the potential for queues in larger offices. A single barista can only serve so many people at once, which makes this option best suited to smaller teams or occasional use (e.g. events, wellness days).

By contrast, a bean-to-cup machine offers consistency, speed and 24/7 availability with lower overhead. Although this means you miss out on the flair of having a skilled barista and the added social aspect that they bring. Most office coffee machines serve drinks in under a minute, making them far better suited to larger teams where minimising wait time matters. Machines also scale more easily: if demand grows, you can add more machines without needing extra staff.

Crucially, staff retention, wellbeing and productivity are all positively linked to the quality of workplace coffee. So, whether it’s a barista or a high-end machine, investing in better coffee is never just about the drink. It’s about making people feel valued.