Month: July 2024

Break Room Snacks Jacksonville | Chocolate Candy | Orlando Office Snacks

What Goes Into Jacksonville and Orlando’s Top Candy: Chocolate

Posted on by Katie Waxman
Break Room Snacks Jacksonville | Chocolate Candy | Orlando Office Snacks

Have you ever wondered how that yummy chocolate bar you love goes from a simple cocoa bean to a delicious treat? Well, let’s take a peek behind the scenes! We’re going to share how the magic happens because at The Vending Station, we’re all about bringing the best sweets to your break room. Whether you use snack vending machines or a Jacksonville and Orlando micro market, we can help make every break a little sweeter.

From Bean to Chocolate

It all starts with cocoa seeds. These little beans go through some special processes like fermenting, roasting, and crushing to become cocoa liquor. This is the base for all chocolate, whether it’s a candy bar from the vending machine or a chocolate-covered office pantry snack. Dark chocolate, known for being healthy, has lots of cocoa and not much else. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, adds milk and sugar for that smooth, sweet taste we all love. 

Chocolate Bars for Your Break Room

To make cocoa liquor into a bar or kiss uses a process called conching. It involves mixing liquor to create a smooth texture. Next, is the most vital step — tempering. The heating and cooling process of tempering gives a shiny look and slows melting. If not tempered correctly, it can get a fat bloom. If you’ve ever left chocolate in a hot car and then tried to harden it back up in the freezer, the uncontrolled temp change can give it a whitish appearance. That is fat bloom. At The Vending Station, we’re serious about quality. That’s why we make sure chocolate treats arrive at your break room looking and tasting their best, without any unwanted bloom.

Jacksonville Vending Service | Mini Markets Chocolate | Orlando Coffee Service

Tasty Powders

Chocolate can come as powder as well. Think of hot cocoa or a tasty topping for your Jacksonville and Orlando office coffee. It can really add that extra oomph of flavor to the day. To make the powder, the cocoa liquor must be pressed. This removes part of the cocoa butter or fat. The compressed cocoa is then ground into the powder, often with sugar, so you can sprinkle and mix it into hot cocoa. 

Snacks to Drinks: The Vending Station Knows Break Rooms

Just like with chocolate, we know about all types of break room solutions. We will ensure your break room is always stocked with the best treats, drinks, and food. We can even add healthy options. Contact The Vending Station today at (407) 891.7632 to learn how we can make your Jacksonville and Orlando break room the best!

Jacksonville Vending Services | Bottled Water | Orlando Employee Health

Still vs. Sparkling: What Water is Best for Jacksonville & Orlando Employee Health

Posted on by Katie Waxman
Jacksonville Vending Services | Bottled Water | Orlando Employee Health

There is great debate over the benefits of still and sparkling water. While water is great for employee health and hydration, is one better? Does the carbonation make the water less hydrating? Is still water better for you? The Vending Station pulled together some facts in this blog about still and sparkling water. That way you can make an informed decision on what is healthiest for you to drink. And what types of water options to include in your employee break room. 

Taste and Texture Can Boost Employee Health

To reap the benefits of water, first, you need to drink it. For some people, this is easy. To them, water tastes great just as it is. They enjoy a glass straight from the break room tap. Others might enjoy still water if it’s chilled, like the bottles in Jacksonville and Orlando cold beverage vending machines. 

Other people find still water, regardless of what state it’s in, to be flat and tasteless. If still water is the only option, they are likely to drink something else. Enter sparkling water. The bubbles give water a different mouth feel. Carbonation is fizzy and a bit tangy. Plus, there are also lots of naturally flavored sparkling waters. The beverage coolers in your Jacksonville and Orlando micro-market might have LaCroix, Bubly, Polar Springs, or other sparkling water options. 

The better taste and mouth feel can encourage people to drink more water. That means, offering it in your break room could promote hydration. That boosts employee health and well-being too. 

Employee Health is All About Hydration

Jacksonville Micro-Markets | Orlando Water Filtration | Employee Health

So why exactly is drinking water so good for you? There are many reasons, but the broadest is that water replenishes your body. It refills fluids used as you think, eat, digest, sleep, move, talk, blink, etc. That makes it an all-around great thing to drink. There’s research that being hydrated can even improve concentration and boost mood. In addition, drinking water doesn’t add calories, sugar, or artificial additives (in most cases) to your daily total. That’s a win for anyone watching their weight and diet.  

But does the carbonation affect how hydrating water is? The answer is no. According to the Associated Press fact-checking and Healthline, sparkling water is just as hydrating as still water. The bubbles make no difference in how the body takes in the water.  

There may actually be an advantage to sparkling water. For some people, it can aid in digestion by making them feel full. That makes it a great option for employees trying to manage their weight in order to meet wellness goals. And as we mentioned earlier, many people prefer the taste.

For some people, carbonation can cause discomfort or even an upset stomach. Still water is the best option for these members of your team. We suggest a water filtration service to bring the best still water options to your break room. We can customize it to your break room space. Plus, the water is available on-demand via a tap, hot and cold. It can also be used to boost your Jacksonville and Orlando office coffee and tea service. 

The Choice Comes Down to Personal Preference

In the end, the choice of sparkling water or still water comes down to personal preference. If you like the crispness and fizz of a sparkling option, it’s a healthy beverage choice. But if you like the pure, smoothness of still water, that’s excellent too. Choose the option that helps you drink the most water and reap those water benefits! Interested in getting water options in your Jacksonville and Orlando break room? It’s time to contact The Vending Station. We have not just still and sparkling water solutions, but other services that will upgrade your break room. Call us today at (407) 891.7632. We look forward to working together.