Those who have spent a lot of time at the coffee machine over the past few days may have already noticed the new price. Supplier Maas was a little too proactive in implementing the price increase, says contract manager facility services Marleen Geerts-Gijsbers. “We were quick to reverse that. The new prices will go into effect on January 1.”

The reason for the price increase is the rising costs in the coffee market, says Geerts-Gijsbers. The price of coffee beans has skyrocketed worldwide. “Based on that, we set out to see if the price we were charging was in line with that of other universities. It turned out that we were on the lower end. To cover the gap of indexation (adjustment for inflation, Ed) as well, we decided to raise the price.”

Higher prices

There will be a new indexing in the spring, which may push the prices of hot drinks even higher, warns Geerts-Gijsbers. “Of course, we’re doing everything we can to keep the increases to a minimum. For example, we’ve made agreements with the supplier about what is and isn’t allowed in terms of indexing.” To avoid a large jump straight away, it was decided to start with a five-cent increase.

Students – the largest group that has to pay for coffee, employees get it for free – were not asked beforehand about their thoughts on the price increase. “It’s possible that this will cause a slight decrease in consumption, but we’re factoring that in. There will be a period of adjustment, but things should return to normal soon after.”