"How much coffee does an office of 60 people get through in a week?" is the question every new office manager asks and almost nobody answers with a number. The cost per employee benchmarks give you a budget. This guide gives you the quantities behind it: what people actually drink and eat at work, per person per day, so you can size a first order, set par levels and spot waste.
The figures are planning assumptions drawn from what we see across UAE offices, not laws. Every office differs, so use them as a starting point and adjust after two to four weeks of real consumption.
The headline figures per person per day
| Item | Typical range per person per working day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | 1.5 to 3 cups | Higher in sales, finance and tech teams; lower where tea dominates |
| Tea (black, green, karak) | 0.5 to 2 cups | Very high in some teams; karak often replaces coffee |
| Herbal tea | 0.2 to 0.5 cups | Rises in the afternoon and in winter |
| Water | 1.5 to 2.5 litres | More in summer and for anyone outdoors or on the phone all day |
| Milk | 80 to 150 ml | About 30 to 50 ml per coffee or tea, plus cereal and porridge |
| Fruit | 0.6 to 1 piece | Uptake 60 to 80 percent when fruit is visible and fresh |
| Snacks | 1 to 2 units | Bars, nuts, biscuits; highest around 11 am and 4 pm |
| Sugar and sweeteners | 1 to 2 sachets or teaspoons | Falls in offices that offer low-sugar options |
| Cups, stirrers | 2 to 3 per person | Zero where ceramic cups and a dishwasher are used |
Turning figures into a weekly order
Take headcount, multiply by average attendance, multiply by working days, then by the figure per person.
A worked example for an office of 60 people with 80 percent average attendance over five days gives 240 person-days a week. At 2 cups of coffee each, that is 480 cups, which is roughly 4 kg of beans at 8 g a cup, or 480 capsules. At 2 litres of water each, it is 480 litres, which is about 25 dispenser bottles of 19 litres. At 0.8 pieces of fruit each, it is about 190 pieces, or 10 to 12 standard fruit boxes spread across two or three deliveries so nothing ripens unused.
Milk at 100 ml per person-day gives 24 litres a week. Snacks at 1.5 units give 360 units. These are first-order quantities. The inventory management guide explains how to convert them into par levels and reorder points, and the budget template turns them into money.
Adjustments that matter in the UAE
Summer. From May to September, water consumption rises by 20 to 40 percent, iced and cold drinks replace some hot coffee, and fresh fruit spoils faster. Raise water pars and shorten fruit deliveries. The summer hydration playbook covers it.
Winter. From November to February, hot drinks rise, including hot chocolate and winter drinks, and water falls slightly. See the winter hydration guide.
Hybrid attendance. Use actual attendance by day of the week, not headcount. Many UAE offices run at 90 percent on Tuesday to Thursday and 50 to 60 percent on Monday and Friday. Fruit and milk, the two items that spoil, should follow the low days. The hybrid work planning guide has a method.
Ramadan. Daytime consumption drops sharply for fasting staff, while dates, water and light food are needed at iftar if the office hosts one. The healthy fasting at work guide explains how to plan the month.
December. Attendance falls unevenly in the second half of the month. Follow the December holiday pantry guide to avoid waste.
Differences between teams
- Sales, trading and finance floors run at the top of the coffee range and consume more snacks at the 4 pm dip.
- Engineering and creative teams drink more coffee late in the day and favour cold drinks.
- Call centres and service floors need the top of the water range and more warm, throat-friendly drinks; see the call centre pantry guide.
- Site offices and warehouses can need 3 to 4 litres of water per person per day in summer; see the site office refreshments guide.
- Client-facing offices consume less at desks and more in meeting rooms; count meeting room refreshments separately.
Using the figures to spot waste
Compare what you order with what the table predicts. If an office of 60 orders 20 fruit boxes a week and the figures say 10 to 12, the fruit is being thrown away or taken home. If coffee consumption is far below the range, the machine may be slow, the beans stale or the queue too long. The reducing food waste guide and the pantry KPIs guide show how to track it, and a good supplier will give you consumption reports so you do not have to count.
Where to buy
The ranges in this guide map to our categories: coffee and coffee machines, juices and waters, dairy and plant-based milk, fresh fruit and cut vegetables, nuts and seeds, herbal teas and office snacks. We deliver across Dubai and Abu Dhabi to every industry we serve.
The short version
- Plan on about 2 cups of coffee, 2 litres of water, 100 ml of milk, 0.8 pieces of fruit and 1.5 snacks per person per working day.
- Multiply by real attendance, not headcount, and by working days to get a weekly order.
- Raise water in summer, hot drinks in winter, and cut fruit and milk on low-attendance days and in December.
- Compare orders with the figures every month to find waste or an under-used machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much coffee does an office use per person per day? Most UAE offices see 1.5 to 3 cups per person per working day. At about 8 g of beans a cup, 2 cups a day for 50 people at full attendance is roughly 4 kg of beans a week, or 500 capsules.
How much water should an office provide per employee? Plan on 1.5 to 2.5 litres per person per working day in an air-conditioned office, rising by 20 to 40 percent in summer and to 3 to 4 litres for staff working outdoors or on site.
How much fruit should we order for the office? About 0.6 to 1 piece per person per working day. For 60 people at 80 percent attendance that is roughly 190 pieces a week, best split across two or three deliveries so it stays fresh.
How much milk does an office pantry need? Roughly 80 to 150 ml per person per working day, or 30 to 50 ml per hot drink. An office of 60 at 80 percent attendance uses about 24 litres a week, more if cereal and porridge are offered.
Should we plan from headcount or from attendance? From attendance. Hybrid working means a 100-person office may average 70 to 80 people a day, and perishable items ordered on headcount will be wasted.
