If you need 240 individually portioned drinks, look at coffee bags or sachets rather than treating a box of whole beans as 240 servings. If the break location has a bean-to-cup machine or a grinder and suitable brewer, whole beans are an option—but choose the pack weight using your actual drink recipe, expected attendance and preferences for roast and decaf.
The useful starting point is whether the break needs measured beans for a brewer or individual portions that attendees can prepare.
A bean-to-cup machine, or a grinder and suitable brewer, makes whole-bean packs a practical format for repeated breaks. Check the machine’s dose and the number of drinks you expect before choosing a case size.
If 240 means one portion per attendee, individually wrapped coffee bags or sachets are easier to count. They are a different format from whole beans, so check the preparation instructions before substituting them.
Smaller whole-bean packs make it possible to choose separate roast profiles or a decaf option. Each bean choice still needs suitable brewing equipment, and the exact format varies between ranges.
Settle what “240” counts and how drinks will be prepared before comparing whole-bean pack weights. Then consider the coffees and serving information the group needs.
Choose when: The location has a bean-to-cup machine or a grinder and suitable brewer, and drinks will be made from a measured dose.
Allow for: Grinding, brewing and cleaning; a case does not provide one ready-portioned item per person.
Choose when: You need to count individual portions or do not have equipment for whole beans.
Keep in mind: These are not whole beans; check how the particular product is prepared and what each pack contains.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Confirm whether there is a bean-to-cup machine or a grinder and suitable brewer. Check the brewing method required by any portioned alternative. | I need a coffee format people can actually prepare at the break location. |
| Quantity | Establish whether 240 means drinks, individual portions, grams or something else. Compare bean weight with the dose in your own recipe, allowing for how often the break takes place. | If I am planning for 240 drinks, I need to calculate the beans required rather than assume a case contains 240 portions. |
| Roast and flavour | Read the specific pack’s roast description and flavour notes. Consider whether different coffees are needed for the drinks the group makes. | Some attendees may want a different roast or flavour, especially if coffee is served both black and with milk. |
| Decaf | Check the exact decaf pack and whether your serving setup can keep it identifiable and separate from caffeinated beans. | I want people avoiding caffeine to be able to identify the decaf drink they are offered. |
| Serving information | Keep the exact product information for the beans and any additions, including milk, syrups or accompaniments. GOV.UK guidance requires food businesses to provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink. | If I am serving drinks as a food business, I need to communicate allergen information for what is actually served, not just for the coffee beans. |
For an illustration of why the recipe matters, Waitrose & Partners recommends 16–17 g of its Espresso Beans for a 50 ml double espresso. That product-specific guidance is not a serving count for every machine, drink or bag of beans.
A weight-based bean case and a box of individually portioned drinks solve different ordering problems. A count on a tea-bag listing, for example, does not establish a count of coffee servings in a bean case.
Write down the intended unit first. If it means drinks, use the dose for the drinks you will make to work out the required bean weight.
Whole beans cannot be prepared simply by adding hot water. They need a bean-to-cup machine or grinding followed by a suitable brewing method.
Check the equipment at the venue before ordering; if individual preparation is needed instead, compare coffee bags or sachets.
A whole-bean setup can also involve grinding equipment and time for brewing and cleaning.
Roast descriptions, flavour notes and decaf options differ between the specific ranges. A large case of one bean leaves less room to offer another choice.
For an unfamiliar group, consider smaller packs for different profiles and check whether a separately identifiable decaf drink is needed before committing to one case.
For food businesses, GOV.UK guidance requires allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink. Information for a finished drink must account for additions such as milk or syrup where used.
Keep current labels or supplier information accessible and record the ingredients used in the drinks and accompaniments you serve.
These brand and retailer examples show formats and profiles worth checking; they do not establish that each range offers a 240-portion product.
Whole-bean choices include a Qualità Rossa 6 × 1 kg case listed by Joybuy and decaf beans shown in Lavazza’s UK range.
illy lists Classico whole beans in 250 g and 500 g packs, alongside other bean choices in its range.
Union lists a 1 kg House Roast option. Its chocolate and caramel notes are the brand’s description of that coffee.
Waitrose & Partners lists Taylors of Harrogate Rich Italian Beans in a 200 g pack.
M&S lists whole-bean coffees including a 227 g Single Origin Peruvian pack.
These packs are whole-bean choices for a break with suitable grinding and brewing equipment. The selection includes one 6 × 1 kg case and four 1 kg packs; choose between those weights using your planned drinks, rather than treating any pack as 240 individual portions.
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A weight-based option for repeated shared breaks where whole-bean equipment is available. The case contains six 1 kg bags; calculate drinks from your actual brewing dose rather than assuming 240 portions.
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A single 1 kg whole-bean pack to consider when a case is more than the planned break calls for. It still requires a way to grind and brew the beans, and its drink count depends on the recipe.
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This 1 kg whole-bean pack is an option where the break has compatible preparation equipment. Check the exact pack’s coffee profile against the group’s preferences and calculate quantity from the drinks you plan to make.
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A 1 kg whole-bean choice for a break with grinding and brewing equipment. Compare the exact pack’s roast description with other options if the group wants a different coffee profile; the pack weight alone does not establish a serving count.
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This 1 kg whole-bean pack needs suitable grinding and brewing equipment. If roast profile or decaf provision matters to the group, check those details on the exact pack before choosing it.
Not by its pack description alone: whole beans are supplied by weight, while the number of drinks depends on the dose and recipe. Check what “240” means for your event, then calculate the bean weight using the drinks your equipment will make.
You need a way to grind whole beans and a suitable way to brew the ground coffee, whether that is a bean-to-cup machine or separate equipment. If the venue has neither, consider an individually portioned coffee format and check its preparation instructions.
Compare the roast and flavour description on each specific pack with the drinks the group usually makes. If preferences differ, smaller packs can allow more than one choice without assuming a single roast will suit everyone.
Consider a clearly identifiable decaf option if some attendees avoid caffeine. Lavazza lists decaffeinated beans in its UK range; check the exact pack and how your serving setup will keep the decaf choice separate.
GOV.UK guidance requires food businesses to provide allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink. Check the information for the exact coffee and anything added or served with it, such as milk, syrup or biscuits, so it reflects the finished service.