Interesting Office Coffee Drinking Habits
The traditional image of British people around the world is that we sit sipping cups of tea all day. Actually, you might be surprised to learn that a huge number of Brits prefer coffee. The industry is huge, and 95 million cups of coffee are consumed daily in the UK. That’s a crazy amount.
Whether we like it or not, the office runs on coffee. Luckily, there are a lot of benefits to the drink so many of us love, and it can keep you alert and give you that morning boost, as well as being full of antioxidants.
Below, we look into some of the most interesting coffee drinking habits in the UK, based on studies and anecdotal evidence.
The Industry is Worth a Fortune in The UK
According to this study, coffee consumption in offices in the UK is worth around €245 million – that’s around £200 million. The country may be going through a period of significant uncertainty, but it seems that this is not being felt within the offices where we are still sipping away at our coffee!
People’s habits have changed, and we tend to spend more on coffee.
You might remember a time when getting a coffee offered to you at work meant an instant coffee. Some Brits were even guilty of making their coffee straight out of the hot tap rather than boiling the kettle.
Luckily, we now tend to understand what makes a good coffee, and value the flavour of a single origin or speciality coffee. The average Brit now spends over £300 a year on coffee. This suggests we’ve all moved away from drinking instant coffee from the supermarket.
Coffee Drinkers Are More Likely to Head Out of the Office
Numerous studies have shown that those who prefer coffee are more likely to leave the office in search of a coffee that is to their tastes. Because coffee is harder to prepare and get right when compared to tea, people are happy to go further afield to get it. This might even be wasting time when they could be working or taking a hard-earned break.
This habit does appear to be changing a little. Companies who are wise enough to bring quality coffee preparation techniques and thing like a coffee machine into the office are more likely to keep employees on-site.
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People Need Their Morning Coffee Hit
This smaller study (around 1,000 people) has some really fascinating findings. It shows that around 80% of coffee drinkers need their hit in the morning, and this trails off over the course of the day.
It makes perfect sense, really, the fact that most of us are still a little bit bleary-eyed in the morning and need that little boost. This means you can expect a rush for the coffee machine early in the morning.
Women May Drink More Coffee than Men
Though this is from a small sample size, one of the interesting takeaways is the fact that more women in this cross-section preferred coffee. Many cited health reasons as the root of their coffee preference. For instance, someone might be lactose intolerant but prefer black coffee to black tea.
More studies are needed to confirm this. There are some fascinating patterns once you delve into some of the statistics though. For instance, Southampton and Newcastle are the most popular places in England for drinking coffee. It’s hard to know why, but the facts back this up.
People Want Barista-Style Coffee
Given the choice, people would rather drink a barista-style coffee rather than an instant or batch-brewed coffee. A study of 2,000 adults in the UK found that around 25% favour a latte, whereas 20% prefer cappuccino. 20% would rather an Americano. Other barista-style drinks were also very popular, but barely anyone would rather put some instant coffee in a mug with hot water.
Image source: canva.com
Office drinking habits are moving more towards speciality coffees and barista-style drinks. You don’t have to open your own coffee shop on-site, but there are many ways that you can bring quality beverages to your employees, something they will appreciate.
A simple way to be able to offer this in an office is to purchase a coffee machine that can brew using pods, or even a full bean-to-cup coffee maker. This definitely keeps your employees happier. It also can cut down all those trips to the coffee shop round the corner from the office.
Conclusion
Every office is a little bit different, so if you are thinking about how you can enhance the coffee experience of your employees it is worth asking around. However, studies show that Brits really value their access to coffee in the office, and this means that it can be an important part of the working day, and an opportunity to boost morale.
Brits will always love tea, that can be pretty much guaranteed, but coffee continues to become more of a part of everyday life, especially in the office where people might need that little energy boost.
