Good morning office coffee lovers! Fresh brew I front of you? Right, I’ll get started.
Can you believe we’re over a month into 2016 already? How is the year going for you so far? I’d welcome any progress reports on your New Year’s resolution for #betterofficecoffee. Leave a comment in the section below, or tweet us @Abe_Greener.
Are you having trouble convincing your bosses of the ROI of quality office coffee (They obviously haven’t read my guest series on Honest Coffees’ blog!)? I bet there are hundreds of you out there who would love to enjoy better coffee in the office, but the decision is out of your hands.
Well, this week, I’ve got the answer – why not put the coffee back in the hands of the people, and start your own office coffee club?
First of All, What Is An Office Coffee Club & Why Do You Need One?
If the powers that be in your office refuse to budge on the coffee that they provide to employees, even after reading my column (unbelievable!), then fellow coffee lovers in your office can band together to form a coffee club. A coffee club involves a few like-minded individuals agreeing to share the responsibility and cost of improving the coffee that they drink in the office.
It’s a great way to democratise office coffee and make sure the cup that gets you through the work day is of the highest quality possible. If you don’t believe me, read this account in the Washington Post of the coffee club at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, run by “ayatollah of coffee”, Doug Cohen.
How to Start An Office Coffee Club
Are you at the end of your tether with the bitter, burnt ‘dirty dishwater’ that you are forced to drink at your office? Start an office coffee club! Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: With the permission of management, promote your new coffee club through posters, in-house social media and email, to gauge interest and dig out the real coffee evangelists in your office.
Step 2: In your first meeting arrange a rota of who’ll supply the coffee each month, and the brewing method you’ll use to get the best out of them. Agree a budget or put money into a pot to be used for coffee each month.
Step 3: Research coffee companies that will supply high quality, ethical Arabica beans through the post. This column from last year will help you choose your coffee beans.
Step 4: It doesn’t matter how good your beans are if you don’t brew them properly. Make sure everyone in your coffee club is familiar with proper brewing techniques, and if they’re not, send them a copy of my free guide to #betterofficecoffee, available to download here.
Step 5: Share your #betterofficecoffee with non-club members and spread the message. You never know, if your bosses see the positive effects of #betterofficecoffee on your work then they might come around!
Good luck, and let me know how you get on! If you need any tips for setting up your coffee club, or on any aspect of #betterofficecoffee, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Thanks for reading, and see you all for more coffee fun in a couple of weeks!
