Seattle’s Best Coffee brings premium OCS solutions to workplace programs

With more than 50 years of history behind it, Seattle’s Best Coffee offers both veteran operators and industry newcomers a powerful, trusted OCS solution. It is part of a portfolio of products from Nestlé Professional Solutions that meets the demand from workplaces to give their employees an enhanced OCS program.

Dora Marquez, marketing director for NESCAFÉ and Seattle’s Best Coffee at Nestlé Professional Solutions, said she understands that finding the right OCS solution can be a challenge for operators.

“The end users in the workplace want perks more than ever today,” she said. "They want to feel connected to their colleagues in the office. It is the coffee moment, which brings people together and builds the company’s culture. If they don't have the right solution in their office, they leave the building for an alternative, they lose focus, and those important connections are lost.”

Coffee is important

The National Coffee Association's Spring 2025 report found that 48% of respondents said poor coffee negatively affects their perception of an employer. Don’t overlook this important part of the work experience.

Seattle’s Best Coffee: The solution

Marquez pointed to Seattle’s Best Coffee, a $100 million-per-year, trusted national brand, as an obvious solution for OCS operators.

The company has a wonderful story of its own. There were no big investors, just Jim Stewart, the founder, who opened a little shop called “The Wet Whisker” on Washington’s Whidbey Island, serving ice cream and coffee. While the ice cream was a hit, the coffee created all the excitement. It wasn’t long before they packed up their 12-pound peanut roaster, used it to roast beans, and set up on Seattle’s iconic Pier 70. The mission was simple: brew coffee so surprisingly smooth and approachable that it could make every day just a little bit better.

“For more than 50 years, Seattle’s Best Coffee has been enjoyed by consumers, which gives it tremendous credibility. It has been successful because it is a dark roast with a smooth, balanced flavor, without bitterness and less aftertaste. Seattle’s Best Coffee is sustainably grown and sourced, which is also a strong selling point,” Marquez said, adding that the coffee’s story and the strength of the brand are especially important to Gen Z, who will make up 30% of the workforce by 2030. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer’s 2023 study, 79% of Gen Z respondents said brand trust is more important than ever.

Offering value and variety

Even though Seattle’s Best Coffee comes at a small price premium, Marquez said it is important for operators to know that the pricing structure represents tremendous value for operators and their clients, with multiple formats available: 2oz and 6oz portion packs, plus 5lb bags of espresso.

Seattle’s Best Coffee offers a variety of options, all crafted from premium, 100% Arabica coffee beans and finished using their smooth-roasting process. “We invest in extensive research to ensure we have a winning value proposition vs. the competition,” Marquez said. “We deliver a superior taste compared to national and unbranded offerings, and our research indicates that consumers place greater trust in branded programs such as Seattle’s Best Coffee.”

Marquez outlined the popular product lineup for OCS operators.

Medium blends

• • PORTSIDE BLEND - Deep, well-rounded and exceptionally smooth.
  • PIER 70 BLEND - Bright and lively with a slight aroma of cocoa and acidity.

Medium-flavored blends

• • VERY VANILLA - Smooth and full of flavor with subtly sweet vanilla taste.
  • TOASTED HAZELNUT - Rich & nutty with a nuanced sweetness.

Dark blends

• • 6TH AVE BISTRO - Roasty and balanced with notes of dark chocolate.
  • HENRY’S BLEND - Complex and robust with a well-rounded finish.

A true partnership

Seattle’s Best Coffee comes with a strong added benefit: the support from Nestlé Professional Solutions, which Marquez described as a true partnership.

“Our brewed commercial coffee machines and dispensers make every pot consistent and effortless, every time. Our bean-to-cup equipment supports seamless implementation and enhances the entire coffee experience. Our branded cups and sleeves and dynamic point-of-sale materials create a café-style presentation that captures attention and drives engagement,” she said.

The partnership promotes customization, which is important to today’s consumers and is supported nicely by Coffee mate non-dairy creamers. According to a Datassential, Nestlé Coffee mate Away From Home Research Study, September 2025:

• 71% of consumers said Coffee mate is their preferred flavored creamer away from home.
• 78% of employees think more highly of workplaces offering Coffee mate.
• A Technomic 2023 survey reported that 45% of Gen Z coffee drinkers highly value coffee customization options.

“Operators have an opportunity to create the ultimate coffee experience at their OCS locations with the perfect pairing of Seattle’s Best Coffee and America’s favorite creamer, Coffee mate,” Marquez said. “Our team is ready to work with operators to choose the right mix for their specific needs.”