Mark Vend

Maintaining recommended fitness levels is a challenge for many individuals, but there is new research about caffeine that might make it just a bit easier to accomplish. Recent research from the University of São Paulo in Brazil found a link between caffeine consumption and more effective workouts. In the study, the participants’ cycling speed was recorded after the cyclist burned 450 calories. The first time after taking a caffeine pill, the second time after taking a placebo, and the third time after taking nothing. The average cycling speed after consuming the caffeine pill was 3.3 percent faster than when compared to taking nothing. That is a substantial boost.   

Benefits

But caffeine offers more benefits to Chicago individuals who consume it than just improving one’s workout performance. If you ask, most individuals know that it decreases fatigue first thing in the morning as well as during the mid-afternoon slump. Less familiar may be the idea that caffeine has been found to provide a mental boost for 45 minutes after consuming it and improved memory over the next 24 hours. Chicago employee’s reaction time, and concentration also increases. Each of these benefits on their own are good for employee productivity, but when combined, they could be great.  

Caffeine has also been found to play a role in preventing a number of health conditions including type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, as well as reduce the risk of liver cancer and mouth and throat cancers.

Sources

To get the most benefit, it is best to consume snacks and beverages with naturally occurring caffeine. “Added” caffeine does not contain the powerful antioxidants and vitamins that are found in the naturally occurring form causing its boost to be a sudden jolt up and a fast crash down. Some of the 60 plant species that contain naturally occurring caffeine include cocoa beans, kola nuts, tea leaves, coffee beans, yerba maté, guarana berries, guayusa, and the yaupon holly. Chocolate, tea, and coffee are three of the more popular forms of naturally occurring caffeine in Chicago, and each one contains different beneficial antioxidants.

• Chocolate: flavonoids, procyanidins, epicatechin, cocoa phenols
• Tea: epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin
• Coffee: chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and melanoidins

Which one is your favorite type—chocolate, tea or coffee? Offering all three of them in your Chicago office break room is a cost-effective way to help your employees relax and  at the same time, boost their productivity. For more information about different vending machine or Food Room options, call Mark Vend at (847) 291-9216. We can help you determine the best caffeinated options for your employees.

Did you know that the majority of U.S. coffee drinkers do not drink their coffee black? According to the most recent National Coffee Association’s National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) report, 68 percent of coffee drinkers add some type of non-dairy or dairy product to their coffee, and about 50 percent add a sweetener.

Cream & Sugar Trends

• Dairy and Non-Dairy Additives
  • 35% add a non-dairy creamer (or coffee whitener, as it is known in some regions)
  • 14% use half and half
  • 13% prefer whole milk
  • 5% enjoy a non-dairy milk alternative
• Coffee Flavoring Preferences
  • 21% prefer the flavor to be in a powder or liquid creamer
  • 5% would rather add the flavoring by itself
• Demand for “clean label” creamers or creamers made from natural ingredients including plant-based creamers has surpassed demand for “traditional” flavored creamers
• Increased Demand for Sweeteners
  • 38% use sugar
  • 12% prefer artificial sweeteners
    

With an increase in the type and number of potential options that can be used to change the flavor or sweetness of a cup of black coffee, it is important to take the time to understand your employees’ preferences. If their preferences aren’t available, they are likely to go offsite to find that “perfect” beverage.  

Cafe-Style Coffee Service

Offering cafe-style office coffee service in the office break room is a cost-effective way to help encourage Chicago employees to stay onsite when they want a cup of coffee. To make sure everyone is able to customize their coffee, consider offering a mixture of the following products in the office break room:

• non-dairy creamer (or coffee whitener): a plain or flavored liquid or granular substance added to coffee, tea or hot chocolate
• half-and-half: contains equal parts of whole milk and light cream, and has 10 to 12 percent fat content (more fat than milk, but less fat than cream)
• milk: cow’s milk that has been fortified with vitamins A and D, and is available as whole milk (~3.5% fat), 2% reduced-fat milk, 1% low-fat milk, and fat-free or skim milk
• non-dairy “milk” options: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, etc.
• sugar: granulated or “regular” sugar, cane sugar, organic sugar, etc.
• artificial sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, etc.

Which items do your Chicago employees request the most? Are they available? Whether your current coffee service needs a tune-up or you want to create the ultimate break room by adding cafe-style coffee service, Mark Vend can help. For more information, contact us at (847) 291-9216.

Have you noticed that coffee has had a makeover? Kyra Auffermann, National Coffee Association communications and content manager, described it best when she wrote,

“Coffee” used to be associated with a traditional percolated brew, consumed at home at the breakfast table. Now the perception of coffee has expanded to include an afternoon nitro cold brew while working at a café, or a bottle from a vending machine in the train station after work.

And the makeover has definitely had a positive impact. 62 percent of Americans now drink coffee on a daily basis—up from 57 percent in 2016. How that coffee is prepared at home, and the types of coffee consumers drink have also changed.   

Single-Cup Brewing

The introduction of single-cup brewing systems has impacted how consumers prepare their coffee at home and in the office break room. Not only have single-cup brewing systems had a 500 percent growth rate since 2012 but 33 percent of U.S. households now own one. The flexibility of the single-cup brewing system takes into account individual preferences when compared to traditional drip brewers and allows users to enjoy all types of coffee as well as tea and hot cocoa; a bonus at any Chicago workplace.

Gourmet Coffee

The classification, gourmet coffee, covers many different types of coffee beverages and represents 59 percent of coffee consumed daily; a 13 percent increase since 2012. Gourmet coffee offers consumers a way to experience new flavors and preparation methods. While there isn’t a specific definition for gourmet coffee, for a beverage to be called gourmet coffee, it must meet several criteria. Gourmet coffee…

• is “specialty coffee” consumed any time of the day
• is often not made at home
• must meet a higher level of quality
• is more expensive than traditional coffee as consumers are willing to pay more for better drinks
• includes non-espresso based beverages such as cold brew, nitro coffee, and frozen blended coffee

And it’s not just one segment of the population that is requesting gourmet coffee beverages. In fact, individuals between 40 and 59 years of age had a 16 percent increase in daily consumption followed by 10 percent for those 60+ and 9 percent for 25 to 39-year-olds. With the increase in coffee consumption at all times of the day, it isn’t surprising that research has found that coffee service at work is a benefit that Chicago employees value.

Does your coffee service match what your employees are looking for—individual gourmet choices? We can help you meet those needs by developing a plan for new coffee service or upgrading your current break room. Contact Mark Vend at (847) 291-9216 to make the next step.

Coffee seems to be transforming its reputation. It’s no longer seen as the harmful beverage it once was. Just this year, the International Journal of Cancer published the results of a study examining “the effect of Italian-style coffee consumption on prostate cancer risk” in almost 7,000 men in the Molise region of Italy (Pounis, et al., 2017, p. 72). The researchers determined that the men who consumed more than three cups of Italian-style coffee per day had a 53 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who drank zero to two cups per day. That is great news!

But, wait a minute—what is Italian-style coffee? Is it the same as American coffee? Turns out, it isn’t. Italian-style coffee is prepared in high-pressure hot water (over 1600 degrees Fahrenheit) without using filters. Most Chicago employees know it as espresso, not coffee.

This isn’t to say that coffee doesn’t have any health benefits. In fact, the results of two studies that were published in 2016 show that coffee does more than offer an energy boost and decrease the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. The International Agency for Research on Cancer determined, after reviewing 1000 previously completed studies, that coffee cannot be classified as a cause of cancer anymore. At the same time, a different group of researchers was performing a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between coffee and different cancer types. They found that coffee intake was associated with reduced risk of oral, pharynx, liver, colon, prostate, endometrial cancer, and melanoma. More good news.

There is one concern, however, that researchers discovered while studying coffee. Drinking hot or very hot beverages, whether coffee, tea, or something else, can contribute to an increased risk of esophageal cancer or cancer of the esophagus when compared to lower temperature beverages. To help avoid that, remember to give your coffee a few minutes to cool before drinking it. Chicago consumers also have a variety of cold beverages such as cold brew coffee, iced tea, or filtered water to choose from if they are looking for something at a lower temperature.

With such a variety of benefits and coffee’s improved reputation, it’s time to consider either updating your current Chicago office coffee service or offering a new benefit to your employees—the gourmet coffeehouse experience in your break room. Uniquely sourced and locally roasted beans are the foundation for a great cup of coffee and a relaxing mid-afternoon break. To learn more, contact Mark Vend at (847) 291-9216 for more information.

Reference:

Pounis, G., Tabolacci, C., Costanzo, S., Cordella, M., Bonaccio, M., Rago, L., D’Arcangelo, D., Castelnuovo, A. F., Gaetano, G., Donati, M. B., Iacoviello, L., & Facchiano, F. (2017). Reduction by coffee consumption of prostate cancer risk: Evidence from the Moli-sani cohort and cellular models. International Journal of Cancer, 141(1), 72–82.    DOI: 10.1002/ijc.30720