Krema FAQs
Workplace Coffee
What is the best coffee machine for a corporate office?
For most medium to large offices, a fully automatic bean-to-cup machine is the right choice — café-quality coffee at the touch of a button, low cost per cup, and minimal manual operation. The right model comes down to your team size and peak demand: the 340 Series suits smaller workplaces, the 360 Series adds greater drink and milk variety, and the 400 Series handles high-demand offices of up to around 150 staff a day. We size it against your actual usage, not a guess.
How much does office coffee cost per employee?
Krema's automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines typically work out to under 90c per cup, with KremaCare included— compared to $1.15+ per cup for more expensive alternatives like pod systems and manual barista setups. Based on an average of 1.7 cups a day across roughly 230 working days a year, that's around $350 per employee annually with Krema, versus around $450+ for the alternatives. Not only is Krema cheaper per cup, but with all-inclusive KremaCare, there are no nasty servicing bills throughout the contract either. Explore why Australia's biggest organisations are choosing Krema.
What size coffee machine does a 100-person office need?
It comes down to expected daily volume rather than headcount alone. As a general guide, estimate average daily cups per person (typically 1–2 for most workplaces), multiply by your total headcount, and match that figure against a machine's rated daily cup capacity — then build in some buffer for peak periods like Monday mornings. Talk to Krema for a tailored recommendation.
What is the difference between pod machines and bean-to-cup machines?
Pod machines use a pre-measured capsule of ground coffee for each cup — convenient, but each pod is single-use and the coffee inside can lose freshness over time. Bean-to-cup machines grind whole beans fresh for every cup, giving a more authentic, café-style result with less single-use waste, generally at a lower cost per cup over time.
Is providing good coffee worth it for employee productivity?
It adds up more than most people expect. A typical café run takes around 25 minutes of micro-leave, and at three trips per person a week, that lost time compounds into a significant annual cost across a team. Café-quality coffee at the desk removes the reason to leave — people stay, focus holds, and the workday feels less interrupted. Try the Mico-Leave Calculator.
How much coffee does an office typically consume?
Most offices average 1.7 cups per employee per day, though this varies with workplace culture, office attendance and what other drinks are on offer. Understanding real consumption is the key to sizing a system correctly. Krema uses actual usage patterns — and, on connected machines, live data — to get this right and adjust over time.
How do companies manage coffee in hybrid workplaces?
The smart approach is to size the coffee solution around peak office days rather than total headcount, so the system copes on busy days without paying for idle capacity the rest of the week. Attendance patterns shift, so a supplier who can adjust the setup as your workplace changes matters. Ongoing optimisation is built into every Krema arrangement — see KremaCare.
What are the most common problems with office coffee machines?
The usual culprits are under-sized machines that can't keep up at peak, inconsistent or reactive maintenance, declining coffee quality, and no one clearly accountable when something goes wrong. Almost all of these trace back to the supplier and service model rather than the machine itself. A fully managed partner who owns the outcome removes them at the source — that's the whole point of KremaCare.
How do facilities managers choose an office coffee supplier?
Facilities managers weigh machine reliability, service response times, coffee quality, cost transparency and the ability to scale across sites — and above all, whether ongoing support is genuinely dependable. The machine is rarely the deciding factor; the service model behind it is. Worth asking any supplier a direct question: when a machine goes down at 9am, who fixes it, and how fast? Krema resolves 45% of issues remotely within an hour and the majority of the rest on-site within six, with 100% of service levels tracked and reported.
Can office coffee be sustainable?
Yes — sustainability in office coffee generally comes down to three things: how the beans are sourced (fair trade and ethical grower relationships), how coffee is delivered (mains-fed filtered water cuts single-use plastic versus bottled alternatives), and how machines are serviced (proactive maintenance extends equipment life and reduces waste). Look for a supplier who can speak to all three. More at Why Krema.
Working with Krema
What's actually included in a Krema coffee service?
Everything needed to keep great coffee flowing, under one agreement. KremaCare covers installation, commissioning and onboarding; proactive servicing and preventative maintenance; responsive support from technicians who know your site; automated consumables supply and stock management; and ongoing optimisation as your workplace changes. It's built in, not bolted on. Full detail at KremaCare.
What happens if a machine breaks down? How fast do you respond?
Melbourne & Sydney CBD response averages under four hours, whilst most issues are caught before they happen with the included pre-emptive servicing. See KremaCare reliability
Do we buy the machine or rent it?
Most workplaces rent — it's predictable and hands-off. Outright purchase is available for manual machines paired with Krema coffee supply. Explore Krema Rental Model
Are we locked into a long, inflexible contract?
No — our arrangements are designed to be straightforward and fair, with a clear minimum term and no hidden traps. What matters most to our clients is that the service actually performs, which is why 93% stay with us beyond three years. We'd rather earn the relationship than trap you in it.
Can you service all of our sites across Australia?
Yes. Krema services CBD workplaces Australia-wide through a national support network, currently supporting 400+ active client sites across the country. You get one accountable partner and one consistent standard of service with KremaCare.
What milk options do you offer — including plant-based?
Both dairy and plant-based milks are supported. Our fresh-milk machines (including the 340, 360 and 400 Series) deliver a proper café finish, and the 360 Series carries dual-milk capability for running dairy and a plant-based alternative side by side. For high-volume, industrial and healthcare sites, the 450P Series uses a powdered-milk system built for speed and minimal upkeep.
How disruptive is installation?
Minimal. Installation is handled end-to-end by our team — professional install, commissioning, on-site onboarding and go-live support — planned around your workplace so day-to-day operations aren't interrupted. See KremaCare
Do you provide workplace water solutions too?
Yes. Alongside coffee, Krema supplies workplace water solutions — including sparkling water dispensers and underbench boiling and chilled taps — managed under the same KremaCare model. One partner, one point of accountability, for both coffee and water across your sites.
How do we get started?
Book a consultation and we'll learn about your workplace and what your team needs, recommend a tailored coffee (and water) solution, and handle everything from there — setup, supply and ongoing service. Simple, no pressure, and sized to your team. Request a consultation and the Krema team will be in touch within 24 hours.