Latest office perk? Gourmet coffee

Some companies are upgrading the java to keep workers on the grounds

By Anjali Athavaley
The Wall Street Journal
Originally published March 26, 2007
The coffee break refuses to die.

As more workers flee their cubicles to get a latte fix, the office coffee machine has become a forgotten stepchild. Of people who drink coffee at work, the percentage who drink the in-house brew dropped to 52 percent last year from 64 percent in 2003, according to the National Coffee Association, an industry group.

Now, in hopes of keeping their employees on the premises -- and sparing them the pain of a $4.95-a-day habit -- some companies are trying new measures. First and foremost: upgrading the java.

Employers ranging from Microsoft Corp. to law firms and plumbing contractors are ditching their old suppliers and hot plates and switching to Starbucks Corp. and its competitors. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., a wholesaler based in Waterbury, Vt., says it saw a 29-percent increase in its office coffee sales in 2006. In the past year, offices have surpassed supermarkets and convenience stores as the company's largest customer type.

More...