Uncategorized Archives - BostonbeaN Coffee

BOSTONBEAN® Coffee Company is proud to announce we are now 100% employee-owned!

It is with great excitement that we announce that BostonbeaN is now an employee-owned service provider.

As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a culture that includes rewarding our employees for their hard work BostonbeaN has officially transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)—allowing every team member, once eligible, to share in our collective growth and success.

This transition reflects our core belief that our people are our greatest asset, and because of them we are able to provide our customers with the best products and service our industry has to offer. By empowering our talented staff with a real stake in BostonbeaN’s future, we’re strengthening our collaborative culture and ensuring the continued pursuit of service excellence.

This milestone is a testament to the trust we have in our team, our dedication to sustaining the legacy of BostonbeaN, and our shared promise to deliver exceptional service and enduring value to our clients for generations to come.

Thank you to our clients, partners, and vendors who have helped shape BostonbeaN into the service provider it is today—we can’t wait to see what we’ll create together next!

The Coffee Culture in Boston: A Look at How the City Embraces Its Love for Coffee

Boston is famous for its love of sports, its thriving academic scene and, of course, its rich tapestry of American history. But if you ask most Americans about Boston coffee culture, they probably wouldn’t realize how important this delicious beverage is to the city’s history and modern functioning.

While it’s true that Bostonians love a great cup of coffee to get them up and moving in the morning, Boston’s coffee tradition dates back to the birth of this nation and is interwoven into the very fabric of the city. Let’s take a look at what coffee means to Boston and her people.

Coffee in Boston’s History

When we are taught about the Boston Tea Party in school, the focus is on Americans dumping tea into the harbor. But what did they drink after that? Since tea represented British rule, and since Americans still wanted a warm caffeinated beverage in the morning, patriots of all ages began to imbibe coffee as an alternative. In fact, The Green Dragon Tavern, known for its significance in revolutionary planning, saw the likes of Paul Revere, John Adams and John Hancock making plans while drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Boston’s Favorite Cup

Boston’s local coffee shops are abundant and well loved. Bostonians favor a freshly roasted cup of coffee, with pour overs and presses being some of the most popular ways to brew. Macchiato is the king in Boston, and iced coffee is popular when the weather is warm.

Still, the focus is on quality, sustainability, freshness and taste. Why settle for an average cup of coffee in a place that prides itself so much on quality java?

Coffee in the Boston Workplace

It should be little surprise that coffee plays an integral role in the average Boston workplace. Coffee fuels our morning commutes, our staff meetings run on the rich flavors of a freshly brewed cup, and our late-night work sessions are powered through with the magical power of the coffee bean.

Where workplaces need delicious, fresh, high-quality coffee, BostonbeaN Coffee Company provides top-of-the-line beans for your brews. We supply break room and pantry essentials for companies all over the Boston area, from the most delicious snacks to exquisitely roasted coffees, and the absolutely flavor-packed coffee syrups are not to be missed.

If you are interested in stepping up your company’s breakroom game, contact us at BostonbeaN Coffee Company to set up a free coffee demo. We offer a wide range of delicious blends, with seasonal varieties arriving all the time.

If your business is in Boston, it’s safe to say your employees are going to be drinking coffee at some point during the morning. Make it the best experience possible with BostonbeaN.

Bring Summer Into the Office With Seasonal Snacks and Drinks

Summer is finally here and your staff is staring out the office window, waiting for the weekend. You can boost their spirits and their focus by bringing summer fun indoors. Turn your office break room into a summery oasis with some clever decorating for a fun, tropical atmosphere. Complete the scene with a variety of cold drinks, light and airy snacks, and fresh fruits from summer’s little helper, BostonbeaN. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

7 Fun & Tasty Ways To Bring Summer Into Your Office

1. Decorate to Invigorate

Brighten up workspaces with scenes of summer and the outdoors. Hang up travel posters, pictures of sunny beaches, family picnics, blue skies, golf courses, seashells and swimming pools to set the mood.

2. Cool Coffee & Tea

Step away from the traditional hot office drinks with something more appropriate for the season. Serve up some refreshing cold brewed and iced coffee and tea and espressos, along with canned and bottled tropical fruit drinks, and flavored waters and seltzers.

3. Heat Up the Playlist

If you have music playing in your office, change the usual repertoire to your favorite summer hits, such as music from the Beach Boys, Elvis movie tunes, or anything that reminds you of fun outdoor adventures and summer vacations.

4. Summertime Snacks

Fortify your break room with picnic-style snacks including a variety of fresh fruits and light fare like salads, fresh sandwiches, energy bars, and ice cream.

5. Dress for Summer Success

Loosen up the wardrobe and the office dress code to allow shorts, light blouses and shirts, sandals, and other hot weather wear (while staying within appropriate guidelines, of course).

6. Add Lighting

Illuminate those dark office corners to help create a brighter, sunnier atmosphere.

7. Jungle It Up

Bringing live plants and flowers into the office areas and break room is one of the best ways to feel the summer inside. Ask for volunteers to rotate with the watering duties.

For the best flavors of summer, equip your office with a ColdSnap frozen treats maker from BostonbeaN. This versatile device serves up fresh, frozen delights including ice cream, frozen smoothies and lattes, and protein shakes in a variety of delicious flavors.

Contact BostonbeaN today to schedule your delivery of fresh summery treats to your Boston-area office.

SmartSoda: The Ultimate Beverage for Flavor and Health

We here at BostonbeaN are never ceasing in our quest to bring better and healthier snacks and beverages to the break room in your Boston-area office. Now, we’d like to introduce the newest addition to our lineup: SmartSoda.

You already know how unhealthy it is to drink regular soda, with all that added sugar and caffeine, but unfortunately, it has become a staple in the office environment. Now you can offer your employees a healthy and delicious alternative with all the flavor and fizz and no down side. Read on to learn more about all the great benefits of SmartSoda from BostonbeaN.

Healthier Hydration

You’ve probably heard doctors warn that people don’t drink enough water in their daily lives. They tout all the good reasons why you should drink more water. The essential ingredient in SmartSoda is pure alkaline water, which has a higher pH level than tap water, more hydroxyl ions, and fewer free hydrogen ions. Without going into all the science behind it, this means that alkaline water neutralizes acidity in the body that can cause inflammation and chronic disease, boosts antioxidant intake, and hydrates more efficiently than tap water.

In short, drinking alkaline water on a regular basis can improve memory and cognition, increase energy levels, strengthen the immune system, improve digestion, promote cardiac health, and help to keep bones and muscles healthy. And SmartSoda can do all that while tasting great, too, offering 29 popular and delicious flavors, plus extra functional shots on demand for energy, immunity and relaxation. To top it all off, the alkaline water in SmartSoda is infused with essential vitamins and minerals. You simply can’t find a healthier alternative to regular soda.

Easy-To-Use Dispenser

The SmartSoda dispensing machine, known affectionately as The JuLi, is a sleek and compact countertop unit designed for maximum space-saving in your break room, with all plumbing contained within the unit. It sports an easy-to-use, 12.1-inch VGI touch screen with an interactive user interface, making it simple for your employees to choose just the drink they want. It uses bag-in-box technology to make reloading the dispenser a breeze. SmartSoda allows you to reduce the cost of having to stock bottled and canned beverages, and your employees will love it.

Contact BostonbeaN to learn more about SmartSoda and how you can order one for your own Boston area office.

Steeped in Tradition, Tea Has a Rich History

Water is the most consumed beverage in the world, with tea in the No. 2 spot, followed by coffee. America is the exception, with coffee edging out tea for the No. 2 position.

At BostonbeaN Coffee Company, we love tea and coffee equally. Read on to learn more about the history of tea, and why adding a cup of tea to your hot beverage consumption is beneficial to your health.

A Brief History of Tea

Tea has its origins in China somewhere around 2737 BC. The story goes that Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was sitting under a tree when tea leaves were conveniently blown into a pot of hot water being prepared by a servant. The emperor was also a herbalist, and decided to see what became of the resulting concoction.

As always, you should take origin stories with a grain of salt, but it’s thought that tea didn’t grow in popularity as a beverage until the Tang dynasty (618-930 AD). Tea didn’t reach Europe until the late 1500s, and the first commercial shipment reached Holland in 1606, kickstarting the demand for tea.

Popular Flavors and Types of Tea

There’s no one consensus on the most popular tea flavors, but as a general rule, you can expect to find the following flavors and bases readily available on store shelves:

Earl Grey
Chai Masala
Green tea
Black tea
Black lemon tea
Peach tea
Matcha
Mint
Chamomile
Tulsi

Tea comes in a variety of formats that include loose-leaf, bagged and powders. Its caffeine content range includes full strength, half-caff and caffeine free. Some varieties of teas have more caffeine than others for a nice jolt of energy in the morning.

Benefits of Drinking Tea

The benefits of drinking tea reach further than providing a power-up. They include:

Boosting your immune system
Reducing inflammation
Protecting against cancer and heart disease
Protecting your bones
Lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes

Bring Our Teas to Your Boston Office

At BostonbeaN Coffee Company, we feature cold brew coffee and tea crafted by the local micro-roaster Barismo, among other offerings. Get in touch with us today to learn about our services and how we can turn your office kitchen into a private café that provides customized tea and coffee to your employees.

Celebrate National Pie Day From Crust to Crumb With These Pieces of Advice

Few things warm the heart as well as your favorite pie and a cup of coffee. With National Pie Day quickly approaching on Jan. 23, 2024, we thought sharing some tips for celebrating this delicious holiday with the ultimate cup of coffee would be appropriate. Let’s dive in and explore more about this fun-filled occasion and how to make it one to remember.

Delicious History of Pie

Did you know pie dates back to 9500 B.C. in ancient Egypt? It was also mentioned in the works of the first Greek writer, Homer. Today, pie is a staple dessert enjoyed worldwide with various flavors and crusts. No matter how you slice it, people have been enjoying this delectable dessert for thousands of years. While National Pie Day reminds us of how amazing this special treat is, people enjoy it for birthdays, holidays, or just to indulge in something delicious.

Celebrating Sweetness

There’s no wrong way to celebrate National Pie Day on Jan. 23, but here are some quick ideas for your friends and family.

Have a “pie-luck” where everyone can bring a different pie to share and enjoy together.
Host a pie-making competition and invite your friends and family to bake their best pies and everyone gets a slice of each (win!). The winner gets bragging rights until you meet again in 2025.
Visit your local bakery or cafe. Support small businesses and treat yourself to a slice of their delicious pies.

Pie-Baking Tips

Celebrating National Pie Day wouldn’t seem appropriate without sharing some tips on how to create the perfect dessert. Don’t underestimate the importance of using quality ingredients, from the dough to the filling. Experiment with different flavor combinations, keep your ingredients cold, and be OK with making the occasional mistake. It’s all part of the fun! You can even go to a pie-baking class to get up to speed if you want to hone your craft.

BostonbeaN Can Help Make National Pie Day One to Remember!

Are you looking for the perfect coffee or tea to pair with your pie? Whether it’s National Pie Day or every day (we won’t judge!), we have exactly what your Boston office needs to perfectly complement your dessert. Don’t hesitate to browse products from BostonbeaN today!

Move Over Turkey! Coffee on Thanksgiving Day Is a Must-Have

Coffee becomes an important part of the Thanksgiving Day celebration as it helps to jump-start the day’s activities of cooking and socializing. It’s a great day to brew the ultimate cup of coffee that brings everyone to the table for camaraderie and the joy of the holiday season. Here’s a look at some ways to turn your coffee into a sweet, tasty delight.

Keeping the Coffee Flowing All Day Long

Thanksgiving is a long day of preparation and cooking, which means you’re putting your best effort forward. Do the same for your coffee by avoiding common brewing mistakes that can ruin its flavor. Take the time to clean and prepare your coffee maker, use the right amount of ground coffee, and use filtered water to eliminate impurities.

Thanksgiving Coffee Recipes

The flavors of fall are behind most Thanksgiving coffee recipes, and they’re sure to deliver comfort and pleasure. Here are some popular recipe ideas to serve your guests.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Add nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves with cream and/or milk to a cup of coffee to imitate the rich smoothness of pumpkin pie. You can make it even more pie-like by adding a teaspoon of pumpkin purée.

Maple Pecan Coffee

This preparation is more informal in that you add ingredients to taste. Begin with a cup of coffee and stir in a desired amount of maple syrup and cream, then stir. Finish off with whipped cream and garnish with chopped pecans.

Gingerbread Latte

Combine a half-cup of frothed milk with the desired amount of espresso or strong coffee, then add in gingerbread syrup or molasses and ginger to taste. Garnish with whipped cream and bits of gingerbread cookies.

Caramel Apple Coffee

Start with a cup of coffee brewed to taste, then add caramel syrup and a splash of apple cider. You can also add applesauce for a deeper flavor. Add a drizzle of caramel sauce on top of whipped cream for a buttery note.

BostonbeaN Keeps Your Office’s Pantry Stocked

At BostonbeaN, we provide and maintain coffee makers that range from traditional drip coffee to pod systems and bean-to-cup brewers. We also restock your coffee and related supplies so no one has to go without a cup of coffee. Give us a call today to learn how easy we make it to turn your office kitchen into a space that’s a joy to return to after the holiday break.

Drum Roll, Please! Introducing Symbol Bean-to-Cup

If you’re looking for a new brewer for the office that everyone can enjoy, Symbol Bean-to-Cup offers a unique, flexible experience. Your machine can adapt to the needs of your office, making sure everyone is satisfied.

With three brew sizes and three brew strengths, Symbol Bean-to-Cup can make up to 60 drinks per hour. Whether you need coffee, hot chocolate, specialty coffee or an Americano, you can quickly enjoy fresh coffee made to order.

The two-bean hopper makes it possible to switch between different kinds of coffee beans. To ensure the freshest experience possible, the machine comes with its own burr grinder for each hopper. Two soluble powder canisters (dry milk and hot chocolate) are included to provide materials needed during brewing.

With so many options, having a Symbol Bean-to-Cup in the office is like having several coffee makers. Do your employees enjoy a cup of robust, freshly ground coffee? What about a smooth, hot cappuccino? Are they more of a latte-loving team or do you have some on your staff that like to satisfy their chocolate craving with a mocha? Whatever their flavor preference is, this one machine offers dozens of options for your employees. (Did we mention it can make up to 60 cups in an hour?)

The 10-inch HD touch screen makes your brewer easy to use. Symbol Bean-to-Cup has a sophisticated, modern look in keeping with its up-to-date technology.

The Emblem Bean-to-Cup is also a great choice if you are looking for a specialty brewer. The Emblem has all the advantages already mentioned, but includes three bean hoppers and three soluble powder canisters. For an extra sanitary experience with a shared brewer, you can enjoy touchless brewing options.

Contact BostonbeaN Coffee Company today to learn about all the options we offer for keeping your staff satisfied.

BostonbeaN Can Provide Frozen Treats for Your Office With Just a Snap!

Satisfied office staff tends to have greater motivation and focus when there’s access to snacks and refreshments including hot and cold brew beverage options. ColdSnap is an innovative, sustainable and revolutionary system that literally transforms team members’ moods with frozen treats and beverages. Sound yummy? BostonbeaN has the goods!

Give Your Team Options for Top-Notch Frozen Drinks and Snacks

If you want to go beyond your traditional options of cold beverages and coffee and tea for your Boston-area office break room, consider ColdSnap. This amazing new system offers personalized ice cream in a variety of product and flavor options made with the finest quality ingredients.

Reasons To Expand Your Break Room Options With ColdSnap

ColdSnap can quickly make ice creams, smoothies, protein and fruit shakes, frozen coffee treats — and for those after-hours holiday parties, they can make slightly boozy ice cream! Beyond the freshness and array of flavor options, (which we’ll get to in a snap!) there are plenty of other reasons to get a ColdSnap frozen and cold beverage machine.

Some perks of perking up staff with this modern cold drink maker include:

Named Food & Beverage 2023 Product to Watch
World Dairy Innovation 2022 Best Manufacturing/Tech Innovation Award
CES 2021 Innovation Award Honoree & Finalist
Easy to use with beverages ready in less than 2 minutes
No plumbing installation required for use
Pods are ready to go upon arrival and are shelf stable (recyclable aluminum options will be ready soon!)
Other than wiping exterior, no cleaning needed

Enjoy Flavors and Options Galore for Treats and Drinks

We are pleased to be adding to our flavor selections that consist of vanilla, coffee, chocolate and caramel for our premium frozen ice cream and lattes with options for dairy-free oat treats.

The ColdSnap beverage maker can also make natural fruit smoothies and protein shakes with or without dairy added. For those company parties, we also have pods to make alcohol-infused ice cream, frozen cocktails and mocktails — no bartender required!

Ready To Bring ColdSnap to Your Office?

While people will always love traditional hot beverages, many are also opting for tasty, refreshing iced and frozen coffee drinks, smoothies and protein shakes. BostonbeaN Coffee Company is the Boston area’s go-to source for those offices looking to upscale the break room experience for staff and make their client waiting areas stand out from the competition. Come to our showroom for a demo of ColdSnap, or contact us to schedule a consultation, receive a brochure or have your questions answered.

Decoding Snack Labels: Understanding Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non-GMO, All-Natural and Soy-Free

Navigating snack labels while staying focused on healthy eating habits can be complicated. That’s why more people are seeking snacks that are non-GMO, gluten free or vegan.

But what does all of this mean? It’s important to realize that while some people truly need to avoid gluten for health reasons, most of the gluten-free (GF) buzz is simply marketing by the food industry. So, while a product can’t say it’s GF if it’s not, many products are GF without the claim. For this reason, it’s important to look past marketing to what snack food labels mean.

Gluten-Free

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Most bread, pastries and cereals will have it –except when they’re made of rice, potato, oats, tapioca, beans, buckwheat, etc. In those cases, they should be naturally gluten-free, even if the snacks you choose do not make this claim.

However, keep an eye out for mixed ingredients on labels. You could have an “oat bar” that also includes wheat. Wheat may also be called semolina, spelt, farro, and “cereal grass.”

Soy-Free

Soy may appear as soybean oil, soya, soy isolate, soy lecithin, soy protein, and miso. Additionally, anything labeled “tofu” should be suspect since tofu is traditionally made from soybeans.

Non-GMO

Humans have been genetically modifying plants for centuries through selective breeding. Did you know that we wouldn’t have bananas, watermelon, or corn without them?

But Genetically Modified Organisms today are different. Genes from non-plant organisms (such as bacteria) are inserted into the DNA to make them herbicide resistant or produce “natural” insecticides.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, you can count on big cash crops like wheat, corn, and soy and their derivatives to be GMO.

Vegan

When we’re speaking about food, vegan means no animal-derived ingredients. It sounds easy to spot “animal products” on a label. Whether you eat vegan for health concerns or personal preference, here are some non-vegan products you might not know about:

Gelatin – made from animal bones
Honey – “bee spit” (regurgitated nectar)
L-cysteine – food affitive made from featehrs; makes some bagels chewy
Chitosan – derived from crustaceans; used to slow decomposition of fruits like bananas

All-Natural

Here’s a marketing term that really doesn’t mean anything. Many isolates and unfamiliar chemicals you see on labels have natural origins and were altered. That doesn’t mean they’re bad. These are often just flavor and color enhancers. They have chemical-sounding names but come from natural sources.

BostonbeaN Snack Options Satisfy

You can enjoy a wider variety of snacks when you know what labels mean to ensure that what you are eating aligns with your dietary needs. BostonbeaN offers a wide assortment of healthy snacks (and some sweet ones, too) so that you can stock options to satisfy every member of your team.

Keep those hunger pangs at bay so employees stay energized and focused throughout the day — the perfect accompaniment to our water, tea and coffee machines.