Coffee Service

Van Houtte introduces OCS plan for at-home employees

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September 17, 2020

Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc., Canada's leading business coffee services provider and a subsidiary of Keurig Canada Inc., has designed a coffee program especially for work-at-home offices, according to a press release. The program, HomeBase Café, is designed to give employers solutions that work to keep employees engaged and maintain the benefits of coffee breaks in the remote-work context, the company said.

Employers that would like to offer their employees this program select the monthly coffee allowance plan that best suits their budgets. Employees are then prompted to go online to order tea, hot chocolate or coffee for delivery to their door.

"The pandemic, stay-at-home guidelines and teleworking have changed everything," Martin Rivard, national director, sales and marketing, said in the press release. "Here at VHCS, Canadian companies' No. 1 choice for coffee, we wanted to find a way for employers to continue delivering this much-appreciated moment of the day for remote workers."

In a prepared statement, Marwan and Karl Rahman, of Groupe Belli Inc. said, "We are new owners of three locations in the convenience store industry. We therefore wanted to find a way to thank our employees who embarked on this new adventure with us, all while adapting to a new reality. The HomeBase Café program was a good way to give them this extra motivation."

There are three plans available to employers, depending on their needs and budget: Mocha Lounge, Java Bistro and Coffee Corner. All feature a 15% employee discount on beverages, while the amount of the monthly bill covered by the employer varies depending on the plan chosen.

Employers can also adjust their plan and budget from month to month to suit their groups of employees.

HomeBase Café also includes a "Bring Your Team Together" contest, in which companies who are interested in the program are eligible to win a prize valued at $3,250 and comprised of 25 Keurig K-Mini coffee makers and a total of 25 $50 coffee vouchers to be redeemed online by their employees.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting convenience services, click here.