Just where would workers around the country be without that caffeine powered boost at their desk or in the breakroom? With UK Coffee Week taking place from 10-16 April 2017, now is the perfect time to celebrate all things coffee.

From early morning starts and late meetings to fuelling our creative energies or completing a project, thousands of people know that a cup or two of the hot stuff is what they need to get things done.

DID YOU KNOW…

People in the UK are drinking 70 million cups of coffee a day, so it’s clear we love this hot drink, in and outside of the workplace!

Here are five reasons all businesses should stock up on good quality coffee:

People stay around

Making great tasting coffee easily available on-site to employees and visitors not only provides a feel good factor about the environment, but also encourages people to stay rather than head off somewhere else to find a latte, cappuccino or Americano.

And any old jar of instant isn’t the solution. If the coffee on offer isn’t particularly special, people will go out to find a better option. Around 47% of workers say they leave the office to purchase coffee from the high street each day.

It improves performance

Recent news reports that coffee could help ward off dementia, after researchers found that caffeine can boost an enzyme in the brain that protects against this illness. There have been a range of studies concluding that coffee can power our mental performance in lots of useful ways at work.

Caffeine has been found to improve brain energy levels, which helps to enhance cognitive performance, increase alertness, decrease mental fatigue, quicken reactions and increase the ability to concentrate and focus attention.

Fairtrade is on the up

2016 saw Fairtrade coffee sales rise in the UK by 8%, with new ranges launched in coffee shops and supermarkets last year and more consumers choosing Fairtrade options for their shopping baskets.

Cuts down wastage

Making a coffee at work using a mug or cup can help play a part in reducing waste. This is because we throw away an incredible seven million disposable coffee cups every single day but only recycle 1% of this waste and a parliamentary enquiry has just been launched to look at the impact this is having. It’s likely that recommendations will be made to reduce this waste.

By drinking from a cup that can be washed and re-used, people are helping reduce the environmental impact of disposing of hard to recycle coffee drink containers.

And finally, it feeds the office plants

If you make fresh coffee at work and have leftover grounds, these do not need to go to waste. They can be added to the soil around office plants to boost drainage, aeration and water retention. The recommendation is to rinse the grounds first for use on most plants, but leave them as they are for acid-loving plants such as azaleas and gardenias.