Office Coffee...the good, the bad and the ugly

"If I am providing coffee for my employees, does it really matter how good it is?" 
Of course, if you ask me the answer is a resounding "YES!".  Not only because I have a business in Office Coffee Service, but I have also been an employee.  If you are providing coffee at no charge or minimal charge for your employees, that is a wonderful gesture and I truly believe that it shows you value your employees.  However, if you are providing coffee for your employees and it tastes bad, what is the point?  You are not getting the value out of providing the service and the employees are not "feeling the love".  It becomes something you feel you have to do rather than something you want to do and then that is what you get back from your staff.  The staff goes somewhere else to get their coffee, a cup of coffee that is good.  You have lost any productivity you were trying to obtain with providing the coffee.  It just becomes a bad investment.
Think of this scenario, you provide a wonderful, fresh ground and fresh brewed specialty coffee for your employee.  The employee looks forward to getting to work, to start the day with a Cappuccino.  They get to work early because they didn't have to stop on the way in.  Later in the afternoon, the employee decides they need a little pick me up, they have been going over in detail a spreadsheet that has to be completed for year end.  They go to the lunch room and get a Latte, a few minutes later they are tackling that spreadsheet and it is ready by the end of the day. 
The employee loves the coffee, loves that there is so much to choose from and really appreciates the employer for this value added service and then that is what the employer gets back.  Lots of appreciation and productivity.  And that becomes a good investment.
The bottom line is...you get what you give.