The definitive commercial coffee machine buying guide

We’ve tested the leading machines in the UK, and in this commercial coffee machine buying guide, we’ll show you exactly what to look for. This should guide you through the steps and considerations to get reliable, high-quality coffee every time. We’ve been in business for 40+ years, so we know how to help companies find the right solution for their needs.

What you need to know

Types of commercial coffee machine

A bean to cup machine is a coffee machine that turns whole coffee beans to espresso. These are a type of automatic coffee machine (press a button to make a coffee).

These commercial coffee machines contain the grinders, boilers and brewers within the appliance. Depending on the capacity of the model you choose, you can serve between 50 to 400 coffees a day, usually taking around 30 seconds to brew a cup.

The kind of machine you’d see in a coffee shop. These typically have 2 or more group heads, where ground coffee is placed in a small basket, which is placed into a handle and inserted into the heads. Hot water is then forced through the coffee under pressure, producing espresso.

These machines require training to be used safely, as the group head and steam wand dispense high-pressure boiling water outside the machine. Depending on the skill level of your barista, they can produce around 50 coffees per hour.

Pod machines take small single-use capsules of ground coffee and brew drinks with water from a refillable reservoir. Though some larger commercial models can be plumbed in.

The pods can generate a lot of waste if used by large teams, and generally have a smaller capacity. They are better suited to small offices, and they require a smaller initial investment.

These machines are made up of a hot water dispenser and a brewing chamber. The filter coffee is brewed by the pour-over method, allowing the proper infusion of aroma and flavour profile. They allow you to brew large quantities of coffee at once, for example the P3 Bunn ICB can brew up to 35 litres of filter coffee in one go. These are usually budget-friendly, but not the most aesthetically pleasing appliances.

Things you need to consider

What are your priorities?

There are a few areas that you should consider:

Quality

A quality coffee setup produces quality coffee. This is achieved with high-tech machines and top-quality coffee beans. Most suppliers will have a recommended coffee for you to use with your machine. E.g. Nespresso brand pods with a Nespresso Machine or GRIND coffee with a Thrive machine.

Flexibility

Do you need a contingency plan in case your business up or down-sizes? It’s worth asking your prospective suppliers if you can adjust your agreement and change machines if you need to.

Price

Do you want the cheapest possible option? Or are you willing to pay a bit more for better quality coffee. Also worth considering how you want to pay, quarterly, annually, or up-front? The capacity of the machine, contract length and features or add-ons that you select will all influence the price of your coffee solution.

Uptime/reliability

How do you want to deal with breakdowns, should they occur? Do you want to deal with it yourself? Or do you want to be able to get an engineer call-out?

Environment Social Governance (ESG)

When it comes to coffee, there are a lot of environmental considerations. If your business has ESG targets, having criteria for suppliers can help you meet your targets. Suppliers that offer a socially responsible coffee would be most appropriate in this case.

Innovation

Do you want your workplace to be fitted with modern appliances? . Today’s cutting-edge coffee machines offer features like remote control, touchscreen displays, customisable recipes, compact design, and energy-saving modes. They also cater to evolving tastes, with options for alternative milks and even matcha, ensuring your team’s preferences are met with style and substance.

Maintenance/service

Do you want to keep on top of proactive maintenance with scheduled engineer visits? Or do you just need a callout when a problem occurs. And for routine things like filter changes, do you want to do them yourself or have someone come and do it for you. More on this later…

We have an article with 15 key questions to ask before choosing a coffee machine. Give it a read if you’re preparing to choose a new office coffee machine.

Features to choose from

If you opt for a bean-to-cup coffee machine, the following features can be added to improve the user experience.

Automated cleaning cycles
Multiple bean hoppers
Powdered milk or fresh milk for lattes, cappuccinos etc.
Dairy-free milk options
Hot chocolate and mocha modules
Cup warmer
Touchless machines
Remote control
Custom branded screensavers for user interface

If you’re interested in the difference some of these can make to the cost, check out our pricing page here.

Choosing a coffee supplier

Once you have a better idea of what sort of coffee solution you’re looking for you will want to start researching different suppliers.

There’s a myriad of commercial coffee machine suppliers around the UK. They will all have a range of machines that cover the full spectrum of requirements, though the brands on offer may differ slightly.

Make sure you understand your team’s needs properly. Do you have any colleagues with dairy allergies? Or who are vegan? Do you have any people who need a low caffeine option? Define the scope of what you are asking for.

A good place to start is looking at reviews. Social proof from actual customers will inform you on what sort of experience a supplier truly gives. Most suppliers host reviews on independent platforms, like TrustPilot (we host ours on Reviews.io).

From that you can shortlist your favourites and then think about reaching out.

Consider requesting a trial period. To use ourselves as an example, we offer machine trials for a few weeks, or a short term 3-month rental, both of which are popular with businesses that want to try us out before committing.

Servicing is a really important differentiator for suppliers. Ask them about their coverage, what sort of plans they offer, and how it works if something goes wrong.

Things to expect from your supplier

Your ideal supplier will have a quality range of machines on offer. They should be reliable in times of need, a quick response time is part of this. A dedicated account manager is usually a good sign that they will take the time to understand your business. You should also expect proper customer resources that are easy to find, such as cleaning guides and an easy-to-use system of ordering new beans and cleaning products.

Maximising ROI – Making your office coffee work harder for you

Productivity, engagement and wellbeing

Research and industry data shows that putting money into good quality coffee for the workplace pays off in a big way.

For a reasonably-sized investment, employers can earn better engagement, improved focus and mood, and a stronger sense of loyalty. These translate into tangible benefits, from faster daily output (estimated at 13% boost) to thousands of pounds saved per employee in turnover costs.

67% of UK employees agree they feel more productive after a coffee break.
Over one-third of employees say they’ve solved a difficult problem during a coffee break.
82% of respondents agreed that having coffee at work improves their morale.

75% of UK employees agree that having high quality coffee available in their office would suggest their employer cares about their wellbeing at least to some extent.
72% of those who take coffee breaks with their manager say coffee breaks have helped them develop a stronger working relationship.

68% of UK workers would recommend an employer as a good place to work based on having high-quality coffee.
By contrast, a survey found nearly one-third of employees would consider leaving a job that doesn’t even offer basic comforts like on-site coffee or snacks.

Coffee breaks helped 81% of UK employees surveyed build stronger relationships with their colleagues.
76% of UK employees agree coffee breaks are a good way to collaborate with people across different teams.

Hopefully these stats can help speed up and bolster the decision-making process for your workplace’s coffee. If you need to convince any C-suite colleagues of the value of investing in coffee, just show them the stats from above. The source can be found here.

Claiming business expenses

In case you aren’t already aware, your office coffee machines are a tax deductible business expense! You’d be surprised how many of our customers weren’t aware of this when they first reached out to us.

Renting a coffee machine qualifies for corporation tax relief, as it comes under capital allowance for ‘plant and machinery’.

This means the upfront cost can be deducted from your taxable profits, reducing the effective cost to the business.

Furthermore, when you choose to rent a coffee machine, you don’t pay VAT.

Extending machine lifespan with servicing

One way you can maximise your return on investment is by taking proper care of your coffee machine.

If you purchase out right, then proper maintenance and cleaning is in your best interest to keep you coffee flowing for longer. You can do this yourself, with proper cleaning products and by replacing parts and repairing it yourself. Or you can outsource the more complicated maintenance to a service provider, one that is experienced working on that particular model.

If you rent your office coffee machine, the supplier will usually offer a servicing agreement as part of the package.

You can usually opt for different levels of servicing depending on the needs of your business. More comprehensive servicing will likely give you better peace of mind, but a more basic plan will cost less. So, make sure you consider the trade-offs.

If you want an example of coffee machine service plans, you can read the FreshGround service page.

The typical journey

These are the steps of a typical customer journey.

Research > initial enquiry > meet with suppliers > trial coffee machines > compare proposals > make your choice > onboarding > new machine delivered and set up > use and enjoy > explore and use customer resources and online shop.

The contracts available from office coffee machine suppliers usually range between 3-months to 5-years, with the option to renew at the end.

We have an article that explains what happens after you order your machine. There is also a guide to how long each machine that FreshGround offers takes to install. Though these are specific to our business, it shouldn’t differ too much from other suppliers.

Examples of use case

Here is an example of a time we helped a business find the right solution, which a good supplier will be able to do for you.

We have worked with the Law Society in London for several years. They came to us looking for a sophisticated coffee solution that wouldn’t take up too much space in their historic building.

Through their decision making process, we took into account the footprint of all our machines and the foot traffic throughout the Law Society halls. They were establishing a hybrid workforce at the time, so that had to be taken into account.

They opted for a fleet of Jura GIGA X machines, which they chose to upgrade with fresh milk capabilities and dual bean hoppers to offer a variety of choice to their colleagues.

We have a few different case studies on our website that you can explore to learn more about what coffee machine suppliers do to help businesses.

Common questions

As a commercial coffee machine supplier we get asked A LOT of questions. Here are a few of the most common: