How Much Milk, Water, Tea & Coffee Does an Office Need?

Planning office refreshment requirements can be difficult when every workplace has different staff numbers, attendance patterns and preferences. Knowing approximately how much milk, water, tea and coffee your team needs can help prevent shortages, reduce unnecessary waste and make workplace ordering easier.

Whether you manage a small London office or a workplace with more than 100 employees, the best approach is to start with sensible quantities, monitor consumption and adjust future deliveries according to what your team actually uses.

At Wayfresh Group Limited, we help London businesses organise regular workplace refreshments with flexible deliveries tailored to their requirements.

Why Office Refreshment Requirements Vary

There is no single quantity of milk, water, tea or coffee that will work for every office.

Two businesses with 50 employees may consume completely different amounts. One might have employees working in the office five days a week, while another operates a hybrid working pattern with only part of the team present each day.

Consumption can also depend on:

• Number of employees attending each day
• Hybrid and remote-working patterns
• Tea and coffee preferences
• Availability of coffee machines
• Dairy and dairy-free milk preferences
• Meetings and visitors
• Seasonal changes
• Existing water facilities
• Staff events and training days

This is why workplace refreshment orders should be flexible rather than based solely on total employee numbers.

Complete office refreshments delivered to London workplaces by Wayfresh Group Ltd.

How Much Milk Does an Office Need?

Milk is one of the most frequently replenished office kitchen essentials, particularly in workplaces where employees regularly drink tea and coffee.

Rather than calculating milk requirements from total employee numbers alone, consider how many people are actually in the workplace each day and how frequently they use milk.

You should also consider the type of milk employees prefer.

A typical workplace might stock:

• Whole milk
• Semi-skimmed milk
• Oat milk
• Almond milk
• Lactose-free milk

Semi-skimmed milk is often a practical starting point for general workplace use, while dairy-free alternatives can accommodate different preferences.

For offices with fluctuating attendance, smaller and more frequent deliveries may help maintain freshness and reduce waste.

How Much Drinking Water Does an Office Need?

Water requirements depend heavily on whether your workplace already provides drinking water from mains-fed taps, filtered dispensers or water coolers.

Offices using bottled water as an additional refreshment will have different requirements from workplaces relying primarily on bottled water.

Businesses should consider bottled water for:

• Meeting rooms
• Reception areas
• Client meetings
• Training sessions
• Conferences
• Workplace events
• Staff refreshments

Both still and sparkling water can be useful, particularly for hospitality and meeting rooms.

Rather than storing excessive quantities, businesses can use scheduled deliveries to replenish stock according to actual consumption.

UK employers are required to provide an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water that is readily accessible to employees.

How Much Tea Does an Office Need?

Tea remains an important part of many workplace kitchens.

The amount required will depend on how many tea drinkers you have and how frequently employees make drinks throughout the working day.

Instead of stocking only one variety, many workplaces provide a small selection.

Popular options can include:

• English breakfast tea
• Green tea
• Peppermint tea
• Herbal teas
• Decaffeinated tea

For a new workplace order, start with the most popular varieties and monitor which products disappear fastest.

You can then adjust quantities during future deliveries.

How Much Coffee Does an Office Need?

Coffee consumption can vary significantly between workplaces.

An office using instant coffee will have very different purchasing requirements from one operating bean-to-cup, pod or professional coffee machines.

When planning coffee supplies, consider:

• Number of regular coffee drinkers
• Cups consumed per employee per day
• Type of coffee machine
• Instant versus ground coffee
• Decaffeinated requirements
• Milk consumption
• Sugar and sweetener requirements

Coffee supplies should therefore be planned alongside milk and other kitchen essentials rather than treated as an isolated product.

Example Refreshment Quantities by Office Size

The following should be treated as a starting point rather than a fixed ordering rule.

The important point is that these aren’t rigid quantities.

For example, a hybrid office with 100 employees might only have 40–50 people present on an average day. Ordering refreshments for all 100 employees could result in unnecessary waste.

Don’t Forget Dairy-Free Milk and Alternative Drinks

Modern workplaces increasingly provide alternatives to traditional dairy milk.

Oat milk is particularly useful for offices with coffee machines because barista varieties are designed to work well with coffee.

Depending on employee preferences, workplaces may also consider almond, soya or lactose-free alternatives.

You don’t necessarily need large quantities of every variety. Start with the alternatives employees actually request and adjust quantities based on consumption.

How Often Should Office Refreshments Be Delivered?

Delivery frequency is just as important as quantity.

Products with longer shelf lives, such as tea, coffee and some bottled drinks, may not require frequent replenishment.

Fresh milk, however, often benefits from more regular deliveries.

Depending on workplace size and consumption, businesses might choose:

• Weekly deliveries
• Twice-weekly deliveries
• Fortnightly deliveries
• Monthly pantry replenishment
• One-off deliveries for meetings and events

A larger office could also combine delivery schedules—for example, receiving fresh milk twice per week while pantry products are replenished less frequently.

The objective should be to maintain adequate stock without unnecessarily filling workplace storage areas.

Your delivery schedule should reflect your office refreshment requirements, available storage space and how quickly products are consumed.

Reducing Waste and Avoiding Shortages

Finding the right balance usually takes a few delivery cycles.

If products consistently remain unused, reduce the next order. If certain products repeatedly run out before the next scheduled delivery, increase their quantities or delivery frequency.

Keeping a simple record of consumption can make this process much easier.

Pay particular attention to fresh products because over-ordering can result in unnecessary food waste.

Seasonal changes should also be considered. Water and cold-drink consumption, for example, may increase during warmer periods.

Using One Supplier for Workplace Refreshments

Managing several suppliers can create unnecessary administration for office managers.

Milk might arrive from one company, water from another, while tea, coffee, snacks and pantry products are ordered elsewhere.

Using a workplace supplier that can provide several product categories can simplify procurement and reduce the number of orders and deliveries that need to be coordinated.

Wayfresh can supply businesses with workplace essentials including milk, water and drinks, tea and coffee, fruit, snacks, pantry products and kitchen supplies.

This allows businesses to build a workplace delivery around the products their employees actually use.

Office Refreshment Delivery Across London

Wayfresh Group Limited supplies workplace refreshments to businesses across London.

Our service can include office milk delivery, water and drinks, tea and coffee, office fruit, snacks, pantry essentials and other workplace kitchen supplies.

Delivery schedules can be arranged around your workplace requirements, whether you need regular replenishment or a one-off order.

As your employee numbers or consumption change, your order can also be adjusted.

How to Work Out Your First Office Order

If you’re arranging workplace refreshments for the first time, don’t worry about predicting every product perfectly.

Start by establishing:

1. Average daily office attendance

Use the number of people normally present rather than your company’s total headcount.

2. Employee preferences

Find out how many employees regularly drink tea or coffee and which milk alternatives are required.

3. Existing facilities

Check whether you already have filtered water, coffee machines, dispensers or other equipment.

4. Available storage

Large bulk orders aren’t always practical for London offices with limited kitchen or storage space.

5. Delivery frequency

Decide whether smaller regular deliveries would be more convenient than storing several weeks of stock.

After the first few deliveries, actual consumption will give you much better information than estimates.

Get a Tailored Workplace Refreshment Quote

Every workplace is different, so your office refreshment requirements should reflect your actual team rather than a generic ordering formula.

Wayfresh Group Limited can help London businesses put together a tailored workplace refreshment supply based on employee numbers, product preferences and preferred delivery frequency.

Whether you need milk and coffee for a small team or a broader refreshment supply for a large London workplace, we can help create an arrangement that works for your business.

Request a free Wayfresh business quote today and tell us approximately how many employees you have, what products you need and how often you’d like them delivered.