Beverages supply in companies: Why nationwide providers make the difference in Germany

Beverages in the office are taken for granted. Water, soft drinks, perhaps juice or coffee – all of that has long been part of the modern workplace.

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

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

The real problem: decentralised beverage procurement

Many companies organise beverages through historical growth:

• Site A orders from supplier X

• Site B uses a local drinks wholesaler

• Site C drives to the supermarket themselves

This leads to:

• Different beverage selections

• Different service quality

• Different cost structures

• High administrative effort

The more locations there are, the bigger the chaos.

Beverage management: decentralised chaos vs central efficiency

Why local providers (e.g. big-city services) are not enough

Providers such as Flaschenpost are strongly represented in large cities – but:

• Not every location lies within the delivery area

• Service & range vary by region

• No true central billing for companies

For companies with locations outside conurbations, that means:

More providers, more invoices, more coordination.

The bureaucratic effort behind beverages – underestimated & expensive

What is often overlooked:

• Multiple suppliers = more contracts

• More invoices = more accounting effort

• Different prices = no cost overview

• Local responsibilities = internal friction

Beverages thus turn from a benefit into a permanent organisational problem.

Nationwide beverage suppliers: who can really scale?

Typical are:

• Regional drinks wholesalers (strong, but limited)

• Platform solutions with changing sub-service providers

• Big-city focus (Berlin, Munich, Hamburg)

What is often missing:

❌ Consistent service level
❌ Central control
❌ One point of contact

Why a Germany-wide service for employees is crucial

A central solution like ReDrink means for employees:

• Same beverage selection at every location

• Same quality & availability

• No "location envy"

• Equal benefits – whether big city or small town

This has a direct impact on:

• Satisfaction

• Sense of belonging

• Employer branding

.

Administrative advantages for companies

For companies themselves, further, often decisive advantages arise:

• Central invoicing

• One budget, one contract, one supplier

• Less supplier management

• Clear cost control

• Easy onboarding of new locations

👉 Beverage supply becomes from an operational stress factor into a scalable service module.

Further advantages of a central beverage supply

In addition, the following arise:

• Time savings for Office & Ops

• Predictability during growth

• Sustainability through less logistics overhead

• Standardisation of processes

• Transparency in consumption

Conclusion: beverages are not a side issue – but an organisational question

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

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

Re:Drink shows how modern beverage supply works today: central, nationwide, efficient – and without bureaucracy. Discover in our case study how Tunap with Re:Drink refreshes its teams at different locations.