Drink prices from the coffee machines at the UG will increase starting 1 June. Hot and cold water from these machines will also no longer be free.
The price of coffee made from freshly ground beans will rise from 60 cents to 80 cents. Instant coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will cost 50 cents, while hot water — previously free — will now cost 20 cents.
Cold water, which was also free until now, will cost users 5 cents at the vending machines, even though it remains free from the taps in the restrooms.
Tender process
The university attributes the price increase to the rising costs of tea, cocoa, and especially coffee. ‘We outsource the supply of our coffee machines through a tender process. The relationship with the supplier hasn’t changed, except that we had to raise prices due to the sharp rise in coffee prices’, a university spokesperson said.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, global coffee prices rose by nearly 40 percent in 2024, reaching their highest level in years, mainly due to adverse weather conditions in coffee-producing countries.
Energy costs
The increase in water prices is due to rising energy costs, says the university. ‘Heating water requires energy, as does cooling it, so a price has also been set for cold water.’
With wages and energy costs having risen in recent years, the supplier is also feeling the impact, the university adds, which it says justifies the price hikes.