How Office Coffee Culture Is Evolving in China

Ever wonder why your coworkers constantly leave the office for coffee, or why the office coffee machine never seems to satisfy anyone? In modern workplaces, especially in China, employees have vastly different drink preferences—some want strong black coffee, others prefer tea or even hot chocolate. These habits vary by age, gender, and personal taste, creating a challenge for companies trying to keep everyone happy without sending them running to Starbucks every break.

The short answer: Offices that offer a diverse, high-quality, and free beverage system—like Mars Drinks’ single-serve hot drink machines—can save employees over ten hours a year in commute time to cafés, boost morale, and increase productivity. Mars serves over 100,000 offices globally with over 100 drink varieties.

Why Office Workers Don’t All Drink the Same Thing

Xavier Unkovic, Global President of Mars Drinks, starts his day with two green teas and a coffee at noon. His observation? Office workers are not a monolith. A 20-something might reject black coffee entirely, while those over 25 often develop a taste for stronger brews. Some love espresso, others prefer lattes, tea, or even hot chocolate. These preferences shift with age, gender, and personal habit—and that’s why a one-size-fits-all coffee solution, even from a global brand like Starbucks, often falls short inside corporate walls.

The Evolution of Workplace Drink Systems

Mars Drinks began in 1984 with an innovative idea: a single-cup filtration system that could prepare different hot beverages on demand. The concept originated with John Mars, a Mars family member, who noticed that Brits often paired chocolate purchases with a drink. This insight evolved into a full-scale beverage system designed to serve varied tastes from a single machine. Today, Mars Drinks operates in over 100,000 offices worldwide and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue. But despite its global reach, the brand remained relatively unknown in China until March 2014, when it officially entered the market.

“The premium office hot drink market in China is growing over 20% annually. We expect it to exceed 5 billion RMB by 2018,” said Unkovic at the product launch. With coffee shops booming in Chinese business districts, Mars Drinks saw a major opportunity to install its systems in office pantries and compete for employee attention without relying solely on retail cafés.

The Battle for the Office Pantry

Mars Drinks focuses exclusively on B2B channels, meaning it must serve both corporate clients and individual employees. The challenge? Convincing companies to invest in a beverage system their staff will actually use. Unkovic frames it as a people-first investment: “People are a company’s greatest asset. A great drink experience keeps them onsite and productive.”

Office design trends support this. Since the 1990s, open-plan offices and collaborative spaces have replaced cubicles. More interaction means more opportunities for employees to gather—and often, they gather over drinks. “When employees come together, beverages become a tool for better collaboration,” said Unkovic. Mars even partners with Herman Miller to study how office layouts and break-room amenities, including beverage quality, impact creativity and efficiency.

But the real competition isn’t just other beverage providers—it’s Starbucks, Costa, Pacific Coffee, and other retailers. A consulting study found that 22% of employees spend around 14 minutes daily buying drinks outside work. For a 3,000-person company, that’s over 10,000 hours of lost productivity a year. “Either I’m at Starbucks, or I’m on my way to Starbucks,” as the saying goes—highlighting just how deeply café culture has penetrated workplace routines in China.

How Mars Drinks Wins Back the Office

Mars Drinks’ competitive edge is variety. Its single-serve system can deliver over 100 drink options through different combinations of 18 core products, including four roast profiles of coffee, multiple teas, and hot chocolate. Unlike capsule-based systems, which are usually coffee-only, Mars offers coffee, tea, and chocolate in one platform.

The secret lies in its patented single-cup filtration technology. Each drink pod is sealed in light- and air-proof packaging with an integrated filter. When inserted into the machine, the beverage filters directly into the cup—eliminating cross-contamination, like chocolate residue in your next coffee. “It’s the razor-and-blades model,” explained Bobby Chacko, Global Chief Marketing Officer. “The machine is low-cost; the real profit comes from high-volume consumables.”

To attract large clients, Mars often gives away machines for free, profiting instead from long-term consumable sales. The average machine serves 50–70 people, brews a cup every 40 seconds, and holds 24 used pods. At 432mm tall, it’s designed to fit seamlessly into office kitchens and cabinetry—a detail refined through user testing with staff and facilities managers.

What Chinese Offices Really Want

In China, early data shows that Dove hot chocolate is the most popular Mars Drinks offering—consistent with global trends. In other markets, localization is key: Japan gets matcha flavors, London favors black tea, and the U.S. varies from light roasts on the East Coast to dark roasts on the West Coast. “We tailor our recipes based on regional preferences,” said Chacko. Mars is now studying Chinese taste patterns to adapt its offerings accordingly.

Becoming Part of Big Business Events

Mars Drinks also made a splash as the official hot beverage sponsor of the 2014 Boao Forum for Asia, replacing Starbucks. Organizers found that three Starbucks counters couldn’t handle thousands of attendees during short breaks. “They chose us because we offer diverse flavors that meet varied tastes without long queues,” said Hu Kaiping, Mars Drinks China General Manager.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problem does Mars Drinks aim to solve in offices?

Mars Drinks addresses the issue of diverse employee drink preferences in workplaces. Instead of forcing everyone to rely on a one-size-fits-all coffee machine or making them leave for cafés, it provides a single-serve system with over 100 drink varieties, including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

How many office locations use Mars Drinks systems globally?

Mars Drinks systems are installed in over 100,000 office locations worldwide, serving a workforce that values convenience, variety, and quality in their daily beverages.

Why do companies invest in office beverage systems like Mars Drinks?

Companies see free, on-site beverage systems as a productivity and retention tool. Keeping employees in the office saves time (up to 10+ hours per year per person), boosts morale, and supports collaboration—all while reducing foot traffic to external coffee shops.

What makes Mars Drinks’ system different from capsule coffee machines?

Unlike capsule systems that are usually coffee-only, Mars Drinks offers coffee, tea, and chocolate. Its single-cup filtration tech avoids flavor cross-contamination and uses a proprietary pod system that ensures freshness and variety.

How does Mars Drinks encourage companies to adopt its system?

Mars often provides machines for free to large clients, earning revenue through ongoing sales of beverage pods. The system is designed for high volume and ease of use, appealing to both employers and employees.

What is the most popular Mars Drinks flavor in China?

Dove hot chocolate is currently the most popular flavor in Chinese offices, aligning with its global success. Other markets get localized favorites like matcha in Japan or black tea in London.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee Beans for Office Use

For office brewers looking to elevate their pantry setup, FrontStreet Coffee’s Classic Blend offers smooth body and excellent crema for milk drinks like lattes and cappuccinos—perfect for non-specialist machines. The Black Cocoa Blend brings bold, rich flavours with 100% Arabica beans and great value, ideal for cost-sensitive setups needing strong black coffee. Both blends are optimized for consistency and user-friendly brewing, whether you're using drip machines or single-serve systems. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.