Contract caterers have been urged to tap in to the increasing demand for high-quality coffee in the UK workplace.

New research from market analysts Allegra Strategies shows coffee expenditure at work has more than doubled since 2000 and is now valued at £1.18b.

The UK Coffee at Work report says employers, driven by rising expectations fuelled by the high-street coffee chain revolution, are now looking to provide better coffee at work to keep workers on site and boost productivity.

Although coffee consumption has grown only modesty to 6.06 billion cups of coffee a year in the same period, the value of the market has grown strongly as instant coffee and vending machines are ditched in favour of high-street style concessions selling ethical coffee.

Allegra also found 52% of employees do not drink coffee at work, compared with 30% of the overall adult population, which suggests “substantial scope to expand the consumer base”.

The analyst firm predicts that by 2013 the workplace coffee market will have grown by 31% to a value of £1.55b, with annual consumption at 6.21 billion cups of coffee.

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By Chris Druce

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