Flavor, function and flex: Why OCS operators must rethink coffee whiteners
The days of stale, black breakroom coffee are long gone. To keep employees happy, today’s office coffee service (OCS) operators must serve up a high quality cup of joe along with the personalized flavor profiles employees are likely to find at their neighborhood café. This means workplace operators must think beyond the basics and offer a choice of coffee “whiteners” that includes unique flavors, healthier options, and plant-based alternatives to satisfy the growing need for differentiation and variety.
Employees demand satisfaction in every cup
The good news is that 97% of coffee drinkers agree that drinking coffee is an enjoyable experience, and 62% of employees say high quality workplace coffee improves their daily satisfaction, according to the 2025 Coffee mate Away from Home Datassential Study.
The bad news? Sixty percent of office coffee drinkers are not satisfied with their current options, and 48% say poor coffee negatively impacts their perception of their employer, say reports from Curion Insights and the National Coffee Association.
Fortunately, coffee whiteners are an easy way to ensure satisfaction in the breakroom, according to the 2025 Technomic Away-From-Home Beverage Navigator. Why> Because nearly 75% of coffee drinkers prefer hot brewed coffee whitened. But, today’s workforce thinks variety is the spice of white.
Savor the flavor
Coffee mate’s Away from Home study found that 88% of coffee drinkers believe the ability to personalize and customize their coffee is important. A whopping 87% say coffee creamer enhances their coffee-drinking experience, and more than 75% of respondents use flavored creamer and enjoy trying new flavors.
This is especially true of younger consumers. “Younger consumers want personalization, seasonals and unique flavors,” says Pasquale LaRocca, senior brand manager for Coffee mate at Nestle Professional Solutions.
Although Coffee mate’s Original, French Vanilla and Hazelnut are the brand’s most popular flavors in the workplace, a range of flavors, including off-beat combos — like its Caramel, Maple, Waffle, Bacon Oat Milk creamer — is available to perk up the workplace coffee-drinking experience. Coffee mate plans to offer Snickers, Crème Brulee, Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha flavors on a rotating basis throughout 2026.
“One of the many things I love about Coffee mate is our rich history,” says LaRocca. “Since 1961, we are working on perfecting one thing … how to make every cup delicious and something to feel good about.”
Confirming the importance of flavor, Danone’s International Delight devised a pop-up, hidden-camera social experiment — the “Simply Coffee Café” — disguised as a coffee shop to capture consumer reactions to offers of free coffee without creamer, foam or flavors. Danone says the reaction — “we hate plain coffee” — highlighted what people really love about coffee…the flavorful creamer.
“Creamer lovers believe that plain coffee sucks, and we couldn’t agree more,” says Olivia Sanchez, senior vice president of creamers for Danone North America. “Creamer fans not only reach for International Delight to add delicious flavor to their cup of coffee, but they choose International Delight because we bring joy to every cup through our flavors like French Vanilla, Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate Marshmallow. Without creamer, ‘coffee lovers’ don’t exist.”
Jumping on the flavor innovation bandwagon, Chobani recently debuted two new flavors: Chocolate-Covered Strawberry and Toasted Coconut Vanilla, both made with “real cream, real milk, cane sugar and natural ingredients.” The company describes the limited-time Chocolate Covered Strawberry as a “decadent creamer crafted with real Dutch cocoa.”
A (coffee) break from tradition
Chobani is on to something. While traditional flavored coffee creamers are wildly popular, many office coffee drinkers want whiteners that align with their dietary preferences, including plant-based, low sugar and minimal-ingredient options.
According to the June 2025 Coffee Creamer Market Share, Size, Trends & Industry Analysis Report by Polaris Market Research, the trend toward healthier and natural alternatives, along with non-dairy options such as almond, soy, oat and coconut milk, is contributing significant growth to the industry.
Per the report, non-dairy creamers accounted for the largest market share in 2024, driven by the escalating demand for plant-based products, the expanding vegan population and a rise in lactose intolerance. And, the fat-free creamer segment is expected to grow during the forecast period thanks to consumers who want to minimize calorie and fat intake.
Similarly, S&S Insider’s Coffee Creamer Market Report, which predicts the U.S. coffee creamer market will reach over $2 billion by 2033, says a rising demand for plant-based and dairy-free creamers is driving growth.
“Driven by the ongoing pursuit of healthier, clean-label, vegan-friendly options, consumers are replacing traditional dairy creamers with almond, oat, soy and coconut varieties,” notes the report. “In 2025, over 55% of non-dairy coffee consumers preferred plant-based options, making it the fastest growing segment.”
Accordingly, new non-dairy creamers allow plant-based coffee lovers to enjoy their cuppa on their terms. For example, expanding beyond its original line of almond milk creamers, Malk now offers coconut creamers in Unsweetened, Vanilla and Sweet Cream flavors.
The coconut-based creamers are certified USDA Organic, non-GMO and glyphosate-residue-free. “The products deliver rich, satisfying flavor without compromising on ingredients, so consumers can feel good about what they’re adding to their daily routine. We’ve seen a strong demand for coconut-based options,” says Ryan Rouse, Malk’s president.
And, Plant Oat now offers its oatmilk creamer in a variety of limited-edition flavors, such as White Chocolate Raspberry, to satisfy the flavor cravings of today’s plant-based coffee klatch. According to Planet Oat, the company sees growing interest in flavor, variety and sophistication in coffee, and it strives to indulge those demands with decadent flavor profiles.
Additionally, S&S’s report notes that high sugar content and clean-label concerns are pushing consumers to avoid artificial ingredients in coffee creamers. Creamer manufacturers are poised to fill those cups, too.
For example, JOI’s Oat Milk Creamer non-dairy creamer packets are formulated with organic oats for natural sweetness, prebiotic fiber, avocado oil and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil for a smooth, creamy texture. According to the company, it contains no refined seed oils, no gums and no “weird” preservatives for a “stark contrast to the ingredient lists of conventional non-dairy creamer packets.”
And, Danone’s Too Good & Co. yogurt brand is introducing coffee creamers in three flavor options — Sweet Cream, Roasted Vanilla and a seasonal Lavender — each containing about 3 grams of sugar per serving. Danone’s Sanchez says, “Sixty-eight percent of consumers prefer creamers made with natural ingredients, while four out of 10 are looking to reduce sugar intake, according to a survey by Kantar and Danone.”
The best part of waking up is function in your cup
And for office coffee drinkers looking for clean-label ingredients and functional benefits in their morning cuppa, Laird Superfood recently reformulated its liquid creamer line with USDA-certified organic ingredients, including organic coconut milk and organic vanilla extract, which it says offer “real-food ingredients and flavor without seed oils or artificial sweeteners.”
Rather, ingredients include lion’s mane functional mushrooms, adaptogens and MCTs to deliver creaminess. Laird’s creamer line now includes a caramel variety, along with Sweet & Creamy, Vanilla, and Unsweetened.
And Javvy Coffee now offers its functional creamers with 11 grams of protein and no sugar per scoop in three new flavors: White Chocolate Mocha, Sweet Cream, and Hazelnut. The lactose-free creamers contain no sugar or artificial sweeteners, colors or other ingredients, but offer prebiotics and MCTs to support gut health, energy and cognitive function.
With growing demand for unique flavors, clean-label and plant-based creamers, smart operators should offer a variety of whiteners so employees can find satisfaction in their cup as well as in their breakroom.
About the Author
Joy LePree
Joy LePree is a freelance contributing writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering a range of B2B topics. Skilled in long-content, feature and news writing, editing and proofreading, she has covered a multitude of topics in the food and beverage, manufacturing, engineering and process industries. A strong media and communications professional, Joy has a bachelor of arts focused in journalism from Rowan University.