Beverages in the office are considered a given. Water, soft drinks, maybe juice or coffee – all of this has long been part of the modern workplace.

But as soon as companies have multiple locations, a simple benefit quickly turns into an organisational problem.

While some offices are well equipped, others struggle with empty fridges, complicated orders or local stopgaps. The reason is rarely the budget – but almost always the lack of central organisation.

The real problem: Decentralised beverage procurement

Many companies organise beverages in a historically grown manner:

• Location A orders from supplier X

• Location B uses a local beverage supplier

• Location C drives to the supermarket themselves

This leads to:

• Different beverage selections

• Different service quality

• Different cost structures

• High bureaucratic effort

The more locations, the greater the chaos.

Beverage management: Decentralised chaos vs. central efficiency

Why local providers (e.g. metropolitan services) are not sufficient

Providers like Flaschenpost are strongly represented in big cities – but:

• Not every location is in the delivery area

• Service & range vary regionally

• No real central billing for companies

For companies with locations outside metropolitan areas, this means:

More suppliers, more invoices, more coordination.

The bureaucratic effort behind beverages – underestimated & costly

What is often overlooked:

• Multiple suppliers = more contracts

• More invoices = more accounting effort

• Different prices = no cost overview

• Local responsibilities = internal friction

Beverages thus become an ongoing organisational problem rather than a benefit.

Germany-wide beverage suppliers: Who can really scale?

In Germany, there are only a few providers that work not only regionally but structurally nationwide – especially for offices.

Typically, they are:

• Regional beverage suppliers (strong, but limited)

• Platform solutions with changing sub-service providers

• Big city focus (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg)

What is often missing:

❌ Uniform service level
❌ Central control
❌ One contact person

Why a nationwide service is crucial for employees

A central solution like ReDrink means for employees:

• Same beverage selection at every location

• Same quality & availability

• No "location envy"

• Equivalent benefits – regardless if big city or small town

This directly affects:

• Satisfaction

• Sense of belonging

• Employer branding

.

Administrative advantages for companies

For the companies themselves, further often decisive advantages arise:

• Central invoicing

• One budget, one contract, one provider

• Less supplier maintenance

• Clear cost control

• Easy onboarding of new locations

👉 Beverage provision changes from an operational stress factor to a scalable service module.

Further advantages of central beverage provisioning

Additionally, this leads to:

• Time savings for Office & Ops

• Planning ability with growth

• Sustainability through less logistical overhead

• Standardisation of processes

• Transparency in consumption

Conclusion: Beverages are not a side issue – they are an organisational question

The larger and more distributed a company becomes, the clearer it becomes:

Beverage provision is not a purchasing issue – it is an organisational and scaling issue.

Companies that rely on nationwide, central solutions not only save time and costs, but they also create a consistent experience for all employees.

ReDrink shows how modern beverage provisioning works today: centrally, nationwide, efficiently – and without bureaucracy.