How Much Fruit Does an Office Need? A Guide for London Businesses

How much fruit does an office need? It sounds like a simple question, but ordering the right amount can be surprisingly difficult. Order too little and the fruit disappears before everyone gets a chance to enjoy it. Order too much and overripe bananas and uneaten apples can end up going to waste.

For London businesses, the right quantity depends on much more than total employee numbers. Office attendance, hybrid working, delivery frequency, employee preferences and the other snacks available all influence how much fruit is actually consumed.

This practical guide will help you estimate how much office fruit to order for teams of 10, 25, 50, 100 employees and beyond — while keeping the workplace stocked without unnecessary waste.

For a broader overview of choosing fruit, delivery frequency and suppliers, read our Ultimate Office Fruit Delivery Guide for London Businesses.

A Simple Office Fruit Starting Point

There is no universal formula that works for every workplace.

However, a useful starting point is to consider providing approximately one piece of fruit per employee for each day you intend fruit to be available.

That does not mean every employee will eat one piece every day. Some employees may eat more, while others may not take any.

Therefore, use the calculation as a starting estimate rather than a fixed rule.

For example, if 25 people are normally in the office and you want to provide one piece each, you might initially order around 25 pieces.

After several deliveries, actual consumption will tell you whether that figure needs to increase or decrease.

What Counts as One Portion of Fruit?

For context, NHS guidance states that an adult portion of fresh fruit or vegetables is generally 80g.

For many medium-sized fruits, one individual piece is approximately a portion. Examples include an apple, banana, pear or orange.

However, workplace fruit ordering does not need to be calculated strictly according to nutritional portions.

For office purchasing, counting individual pieces is often easier and more practical.

For example:

• 1 apple = 1 piece

• 1 banana = 1 piece

• 1 pear = 1 piece

• 1 orange = 1 piece

• 1 easy peeler = 1 piece

• Grapes can be divided into suitable bunches or portions

This makes stock planning much easier for office managers.

How Much Fruit for an Office of 10 People?

For a small workplace with around 10 employees, start with approximately:

10–15 pieces per delivery

A simple mixed selection could include:

• 3 apples

• 3 bananas

• 2 pears

• 2 easy peelers

• A few additional seasonal pieces

If all ten employees are present every day and fruit is particularly popular, you may need more.

On the other hand, if employees only attend the office two or three days per week, a smaller delivery may be sufficient.

The advantage of a small office is that consumption is relatively easy to monitor.

How Much Fruit for an Office of 25 People?

For approximately 25 employees, a reasonable starting point could be:

25–35 pieces per delivery

For example:

• 8 apples

• 8 bananas

• 5 oranges or easy peelers

• 4 pears

• A small quantity of seasonal fruit

Again, this is only an initial estimate.

If fruit disappears on the first day, increase the next delivery. If several pieces remain when the next order arrives, reduce the quantity.

How Much Fruit for an Office of 50 People?

For a workplace with approximately 50 people present, consider starting with:

50–70 pieces per delivery

At this size, variety becomes more important.

A possible mix might include:

• 15 apples

• 15 bananas

• 10 oranges or easy peelers

• 5 pears

• 5–10 pieces or portions of seasonal fruit

Rather than buying exactly the same quantities every week, businesses can adjust the mix according to employee preferences.

If apples consistently disappear while pears remain untouched, the next delivery should contain more apples and fewer pears.

How Much Fruit for an Office of 100 People?

For around 100 employees, a starting delivery might contain:

100–130 pieces of fruit

At this level, businesses should pay particular attention to where the fruit will be placed.

A single fruit basket in one kitchen may not work well for a large workplace.

Instead, fruit could be distributed between:

• Different floors

• Multiple kitchens

• Breakout areas

• Staff cafés

• Reception areas

• Meeting spaces

This makes the fruit more accessible and can provide a better picture of consumption across different parts of the workplace.

How Much Fruit for Offices With 200+ Employees?

Large corporate workplaces require a more structured approach.

Rather than simply multiplying the employee count, consider actual daily attendance.

A company may employ 250 people but have only 140 employees in the building on a typical day.

In that situation, ordering fruit for all 250 employees could create unnecessary waste.

For larger offices, start with the average daily attendance, then monitor consumption by location.

For example:

150 people normally present × approximately one piece = around 150 pieces as an initial starting point.

From there, adjust according to actual usage.

Office Fruit Quantity Guide

As a simple starting reference:

Employees Normally Present	Suggested Starting Quantity
10	10–15 pieces
25	25–35 pieces
50	50–70 pieces
75	75–100 pieces
100	100–130 pieces
150	150–190 pieces
200	200–250 pieces

These figures are planning estimates, not fixed nutritional recommendations.

Every workplace consumes fruit differently.

The most accurate ordering system comes from monitoring what your employees actually use.

Don’t Base Your Order on Total Headcount

One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is ordering according to the company’s total number of employees.

Hybrid working means total headcount and actual workplace attendance can be very different.

Imagine a business employs 100 people.

However:

• Monday: 35 employees attend

• Tuesday: 70 employees attend

• Wednesday: 85 employees attend

• Thursday: 75 employees attend

• Friday: 30 employees attend

Ordering fruit for 100 people every day would probably be unnecessary.

Instead, deliveries could be concentrated around Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when attendance is highest.

How Hybrid Working Changes Office Fruit Orders

Hybrid working has made flexible ordering increasingly important.

Businesses should review:

• Average attendance by weekday

• Team collaboration days

• Company-wide meetings

• Events

• Holidays

• Remote-working periods

• Seasonal attendance changes

For example, if Wednesday is consistently your busiest office day, arranging a fresh delivery on Wednesday morning may work better than receiving the same quantity every Monday.

The goal is to match fruit availability with the people who are actually in the workplace.

Should You Order Fruit Once or Twice a Week?

Delivery frequency can have as much impact as total quantity.

Once-Weekly Fruit Delivery

One delivery per week may work well for:

• Smaller workplaces

• Lower fruit consumption

• Offices with suitable storage

• Businesses where employees attend only part of the week

However, fruit ripens at different speeds.

Apples may remain appealing longer than ripe bananas or certain seasonal products.

Therefore, the fruit mix should reflect how long it needs to last.

Twice-Weekly Fruit Delivery

Two smaller deliveries can be useful for:

• Larger offices

• Busy workplaces

• High fruit consumption

• Businesses prioritising freshness

• Offices with limited storage

For example, rather than ordering 100 pieces every Monday, an office could receive 60 pieces early in the week and another 40–50 later.

Actual quantities should be based on consumption.

Which Fruits Should Make Up the Order?

A good office fruit order usually contains familiar favourites with some variety.

Apples

Apples are useful workplace staples because they are easy to store, easy to eat and generally have a good shelf life.

Bananas

Bananas are extremely popular but can ripen quickly.

Avoid over-ordering them until you understand workplace consumption.

Oranges and Easy Peelers

These provide useful variety and can generally be stored reasonably well.

Pears

Pears work well in mixed boxes, although ripeness should be monitored.

Grapes

Grapes can be popular in meetings and shared spaces but require more careful storage.

Seasonal Fruit

Adding seasonal products occasionally can prevent the fruit selection from becoming repetitive.

The ideal mix is the one your employees actually eat.

A Practical Fruit Mix by Percentage

As an initial guide, an office might divide its fruit order approximately like this:

• 30% apples

• 25% bananas

• 20% oranges/easy peelers

• 10% pears

• 15% grapes or seasonal fruit

This is not a fixed formula.

After a few weeks, change the percentages according to consumption.

For example, if bananas are always gone by lunchtime but oranges remain for days, increase bananas and reduce oranges.

How Other Office Snacks Affect Fruit Consumption

Fruit consumption does not happen in isolation.

If your workplace also provides:

• Crisps

• Chocolate

• Biscuits

• Cereal bars

• Nuts

• Breakfast products

• Cakes or pastries

employees will naturally divide their choices between different products.

Therefore, an office providing a large snack selection may require less fruit per employee than a workplace where fruit is the primary snack.

The entire workplace refreshment programme should be considered when deciding quantities.

Fruit for Meetings and Visitors

Regular employee consumption is not the only factor.

Businesses hosting clients, training sessions or large meetings may need additional fruit.

For example, if your normal delivery is 50 pieces but you are expecting a meeting with 20 visitors, increasing the order temporarily may be sensible.

The same applies to:

• Conferences

• Training days

• Recruitment events

• Client meetings

• Staff wellbeing events

• Company celebrations

A flexible supplier should allow businesses to adjust quantities when necessary.

How to Know if You’re Ordering Too Much Fruit

Common signs of over-ordering include:

• Fruit remaining when the next delivery arrives

• Bananas becoming overripe

• Apples repeatedly accumulating

• Employees avoiding particular varieties

• Fruit being thrown away each week

If this happens regularly, reduce the overall quantity or change the product mix.

Even a reduction of 10–15% can make a significant difference.

How to Know if You’re Ordering Too Little

You may need to increase your order if:

• Fruit disappears immediately after delivery

• Employees regularly miss out

• Baskets are empty for several days

• Certain workplace areas receive no fruit

• Staff frequently request more

Increase quantities gradually rather than making a dramatic change.

For example, if 50 pieces disappear too quickly, try 60 on the next delivery rather than immediately ordering 100.

How to Reduce Office Fruit Waste

Accurate ordering is one of the best ways to reduce waste.

Businesses can also:

• Monitor leftovers before each delivery

• Rotate older fruit forward

• Reduce orders during holidays

• Adjust quantities for hybrid working

• Order popular varieties more heavily

• Reduce unpopular products

• Use smaller, more frequent deliveries

• Store fruit appropriately

WRAP’s food waste guidance promotes a Target, Measure, Act approach to reducing food waste. The same basic principle works well for workplace fruit: establish what you want to achieve, monitor what is being wasted and adjust future orders accordingly.

Keep a Simple Fruit Consumption Record

You do not need complicated software.

For four weeks, record:

• Number of pieces delivered

• Number remaining before the next delivery

• Most popular fruit

• Least popular fruit

• Number of employees normally present

After a month, you will have much better information about the right quantity for your workplace.

For example:

Week 1: 60 delivered / 12 left
Week 2: 50 delivered / 5 left
Week 3: 50 delivered / 0 left
Week 4: 55 delivered / 3 left

This suggests approximately 50–55 pieces may be close to the right quantity under normal attendance.

What Should an Office Fruit Budget Include?

When setting a budget, consider more than the number of pieces.

Your requirements may depend on:

• Employee numbers

• Delivery frequency

• Fruit varieties

• Seasonal availability

• Premium products

• Meetings and visitors

• Other office snacks

• Workplace location

Rather than trying to find one universal cost per employee, businesses should set a realistic refreshment budget and adjust the fruit quantity within it.

Why Flexible Office Fruit Delivery Matters

The right order today may not be the right order in three months.

Teams grow.

Office attendance changes.

Employees develop different preferences.

Holidays affect workplace numbers.

Therefore, businesses benefit from a fruit delivery arrangement that can change with them.

A flexible service allows quantities, products and delivery frequency to be reviewed instead of locking the workplace into an unsuitable order.

Office Fruit Delivery With Wayfresh

Wayfresh Group Ltd helps London businesses arrange workplace fruit deliveries around their actual requirements.

Rather than simply choosing a standard box and hoping it is enough, businesses can consider:

• Employee numbers

• Typical office attendance

• Preferred fruit

• Delivery frequency

• Other workplace refreshments

• Budget

Orders can then be reviewed as consumption becomes clearer.

Combine Fruit With Other Workplace Essentials

Wayfresh can also supply other workplace products alongside fresh fruit, including:

• Office snacks

• Milk and dairy alternatives

• Tea and coffee

• Water and drinks

• Biscuits

• Breakfast products

• Pantry essentials

• Workplace kitchen supplies

• Cleaning essentials

Combining products can make workplace purchasing easier and reduce the number of separate suppliers that office managers need to coordinate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much fruit does an office need per employee?

A practical starting point is approximately one piece for each employee you expect to consume fruit during the relevant period. However, actual consumption should determine future quantities.

Is one piece of fruit per employee enough?

It can be a useful starting estimate, but every workplace is different. Some employees will eat fruit regularly while others may choose different snacks.

How much fruit should I order for 50 employees?

Consider starting with approximately 50–70 pieces per delivery and adjust after monitoring consumption.

How much fruit should I order for 100 employees?

Approximately 100–130 pieces can provide an initial starting point if around 100 people are normally present. Hybrid workplaces should use actual attendance rather than total headcount.

How often should office fruit be delivered?

Weekly delivery may suit smaller offices, while larger or busier workplaces may benefit from twice-weekly deliveries.

What fruit is best for an office?

Apples, bananas, oranges, easy peelers and pears are useful staples. Grapes and seasonal fruit can provide additional variety.

Can we change our fruit quantities?

Yes. Quantities should ideally be reviewed as workplace attendance and consumption change.

Can fruit be delivered with office snacks?

Yes. Wayfresh can combine fruit with snacks and other workplace refreshments.

Find the Right Fruit Quantity for Your Workplace

So, how much fruit does an office need?

There is no single number that applies to every business.

The best starting point is to consider the number of employees actually present, provide a sensible initial quantity and then monitor consumption.

For many workplaces, approximately one piece per person provides a useful starting estimate. However, hybrid working, employee preferences, other snacks and delivery frequency can all change the amount required.

The important thing is to measure, review and adjust.

That approach helps keep fruit available for employees without consistently creating unnecessary waste.

Request a Free Wayfresh Business Quote

Need help deciding how much fruit to order for your London workplace?

Tell Wayfresh your approximate employee numbers, typical office attendance and preferred delivery schedule.

We can help you plan a suitable workplace fruit order and combine it with snacks, milk, tea, coffee and other office essentials if required.

Request your free business quote and build a fruit delivery schedule around your workplace.