What FreshGround does

FreshGround is a UK-based B2B office coffee and water supplier founded in 1982 and headquartered in Norwich, England, with owned CoffeeCafé experience centres in London (Moorgate) and Manchester. The company distributes and rents premium commercial coffee machines — bean-to-cup, fresh milk, filter/pour-over, and hot-chocolate capable units sourced from Egro, Jura, La Cimbali, Gaggia, Bunn, and Animo — alongside undercounter water dispensers and freestanding water coolers from Borg & Overström, Billi, and Zip Water. Notable technical features include dual-milk configurations for simultaneous dairy and dairy-free service and touchless ordering via the Jura J.O.E. smartphone app on selected Jura units.

The company serves UK businesses through a direct field sales motion, beginning with discovery sessions at the customer's workplace or at one of the two CoffeeCafés, and offering free coffee tastings and machine demonstrations. Customer logos span enterprise technology (Booking.com, Just Eat), legal services (Kennedys, The Law Society), media (Global Radio), insurance and consulting (Marsh McLennan), commercial real estate (Oktra, Creo), advertising (Mullen Lowe), healthcare (NHS Blood and Transplant), sports (Everton Football Club), and education (University College London). Contract terms start from 3 months and include rental, free-loan, and purchase options.

FreshGround monetises through four streams: recurring equipment rental (subscriptions starting at £11.15/week for basic machines up to £230.25/week for premium units), service and maintenance packages (Essential and Complete Care), consumable sales through an online shop including Minor Figures oat milk, MONIN syrups, and cleaning accessories, and a free-loan programme in which the machine is provided at no cost in exchange for a minimum coffee order commitment. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed and the company operates exclusively within the United Kingdom.

Name

FreshGround

Legal name

FreshGround

Website

https://freshground.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FreshGround is a Norwich-headquartered B2B supplier founded in 1982 that rents commercial coffee machines and water dispensers, and sells consumables, to UK corporate workplaces via direct field sales and two CoffeeCafé experience centres in London and Manchester.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Coffee and Water Dispenser Services

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Tea Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bar & Beverage Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAG)

Keywords

• Office coffee machines
• Water dispensers
• Bean-to-cup coffee
• Workplace refreshment services
• Commercial coffee supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: FreshGround rents commercial coffee machines and water dispensers to businesses on flexible short-term contracts starting from 3 months. Rental prices range from £11.15 to £230.25 per week for coffee machines and £6.95 to £82.65 per week for water dispensers, depending on machine type, capacity, contract length, and service package selected.
2. Coffee and Consumables Sales: Sale of whole bean coffee, filter coffee, tea, dairy-free milk (including Minor Figures oat milk), hot chocolate, syrups, biscuits, snacks, and machine accessories through their online shop.
3. Service and Maintenance Packages: Service packages (Essential and Complete Care) offered as add-ons to equipment rentals, covering reactive maintenance, proactive servicing, filter changes, and engineer visits.
4. Free-Loan Model: Machine provided at no cost in exchange for a minimum monthly coffee order commitment. Revenue generated entirely from consumables rather than equipment rental.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FreshGround supplies, rents, and services premium commercial coffee machines and plumbed-in water dispensers to UK workplaces. The offering combines equipment rental from brands such as Egro, Jura, La Cimbali, Gaggia, Animo, Bunn, Borg & Overström, Billi, and Zip with premium coffee beans, consumables, and inclusive service plans on flexible 3-to-60-month contracts.

Product overview

FreshGround is a premium office coffee and water dispenser supplier offering a comprehensive B2B rental and supply solution for workplaces. The core offering combines commercial coffee machines (bean-to-cup, fresh milk, filter/pour-over, and hot chocolate-capable units from Egro, Jura, La Cimbali, Gaggia, Bunn, and Animo brands) with water dispensers (undercounter taps and freestanding coolers from Borg & Overström, Billi, and Zip brands), complemented by premium coffee beans and consumables. All equipment is available via flexible rental agreements starting from 3 months with inclusive service plans, or free-loan arrangements tied to minimum coffee orders. The company also provides coffee experience sessions for prospective customers and sells consumables including syrups, oat milk, and machine accessories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Office Coffee Machines (Rental and Supply) Rental and supply of premium commercial coffee machines for office environments, including bean-to-cup, fresh milk, filter/pour-over, and hot chocolate-capable units from Egro, Jura, La Cimbali, Gaggia, and Bunn, available on flexible 3-to-60-month rental contracts or via free-loan with a minimum coffee spend commitment.
• Office Water Dispensers (Rental and Supply) Rental and supply of undercounter taps and freestanding water coolers providing chilled, boiling, ambient, and sparkling water from Borg & Overström, Billi, and Zip, with installation, filtration servicing, and flexible contract terms.
• Service and Maintenance Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.87 average rating from 1,226 verified customer reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Minor FigurescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreshGround partners with Minor Figures, the 'oat milk masters', to provide oat milk products specifically formulated for coffee machines. The partnership ensures FreshGround can offer high-quality dairy-free milk alternatives for offices requiring plant-based options. Minor Figures Barista Oat Milk is available for purchase through FreshGround's online shop.
• Egro (by Evoca Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationEgro is a key brand in FreshGround's coffee machine portfolio, offering premium bean-to-cup machines including the F5 Egro Next, F4 Egro MoDe, and A5 Egro Next Touch. Egro machines are positioned as high-capacity solutions for large offices.
• JuracoreTechnology or IntegrationJura is a Swiss coffee machine manufacturer offering bean-to-cup machines suitable for small to medium offices. FreshGround offers the F3 Jura GIGA X, featuring touchless coffee ordering via the Jura J.O.E. app.
• La CimbalicoreTechnology or IntegrationLa Cimbali is an Italian espresso machine manufacturer. FreshGround offers the F4 La Cimbali S15, a premium machine for small to medium offices supporting up to 200 drinks per day with fresh milk and hot chocolate capabilities.
• Borg & OverströmcoreTechnology or IntegrationBorg & Overström is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of water dispensers. FreshGround offers a bespoke range of their products including undercounter taps (T1-T5) and freestanding water coolers (W1-W3) with chilled, sparkling, boiling, and ambient water options.
• BillicoreTechnology or IntegrationBilli is an Australian manufacturer of commercial water dispensers founded in 1989, known for energy-efficient boiling and chilled water tap systems. FreshGround offers the Billi Quadra range with instant boiling, chilled, and sparkling water options.
• Zip WatercoreTechnology or IntegrationZip Water is an Australian company that pioneered commercial boiling water taps in 1970. FreshGround offers Zip Classic Plus taps providing instant boiling and chilled water, with sparkling water options available.
• GaggiasecondaryTechnology or IntegrationItalian espresso machine manufacturer. FreshGround offers Gaggia machines including the G100 Fresh Milk (F3), G100 Granulated (G3), and G300 models for various office sizes and milk preferences.
• AnimosecondaryTechnology or IntegrationDutch coffee equipment manufacturer. FreshGround offers Animo OptiMe and OptiBean machines featuring granulated milk options for offices seeking cost-effective solutions.
• BunnsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationAmerican commercial coffee equipment manufacturer. FreshGround offers Bunn pour-over filter coffee machines including the P2 SmartWAVE and P3 ICB for high-capacity environments.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Office Coffee Solutions (OCS Group): UK workplace refreshments provider offering coffee machines, vending, water solutions and consumables to corporate customers. Directly comparable in product breadth (coffee + water) and enterprise target segment.
• UCC Coffee UK: UK arm of Japanese coffee group serving foodservice and office channels with coffee beans, machines, and service. Comparable as a B2B coffee service provider to UK workplaces, though at larger scale.
• Bewley's: UK and Ireland office coffee service provider offering bean-to-cup machines and coffee supply to workplaces. Comparable as a B2B office coffee specialist with direct machine-plus-consumables offering.
• Kafévend: UK office coffee and vending solutions provider serving corporate workplaces with machine rental and consumables. Highly comparable in customer profile (UK offices), product mix (commercial bean-to-cup machines), and service-led B2B distribution model.
• Northstar Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster and office coffee supplier offering workplace coffee solutions and machine partnerships. Comparable in UK office focus, premium bean offering, and B2B coffee service model.
• Pelican Rouge: UK-based office coffee service provider offering bean-to-cup machine rental with consumables supply, directly comparable to FreshGround in product offering, target customer (UK workplaces), and recurring revenue model.
• Lyons Coffee: UK office coffee supplier providing bean-to-cup machine rental, traditional vending, and consumables. Comparable in B2B rental model, UK geographic focus, and tiered product offerings across price points.

Broad incumbents

• JDE Professional (Jacobs Douwe Egberts): Global coffee company serving out-of-home and workplace channels with brands including L'OR, Jacobs and Douwe Egberts. Comparable workplace-coffee presence but as a much larger incumbent with broader geographic and product footprint.
• Nestlé Professional UK: Out-of-home beverage arm of Nestlé serving workplaces, foodservice and vending channels with Nescafé, Nespresso Professional and machines. Comparable as a workplace coffee supplier but operating at much larger scale across multiple beverage categories.

Others

• Marco Beverage Systems: UK-based commercial coffee equipment manufacturer (brewing systems, boilers, precision coffee). Comparable as a UK coffee industry participant and ecosystem partner, though operates upstream as equipment maker rather than B2B distributor like FreshGround.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FreshGround