Return-to-office planning in Singapore and across the globe is in full swing. If you’re finding yourself hanging up welcome balloons and dusting off monitors with a sense of confidence and hopeful prospect — you’re not alone. After two years of working from home, CEOs and managers are eager for their employees to return, but they know they are up for a new challenge. Many people have grown accustomed to working from home, putting leaders under the pressure of making the office-reopening feel like a homecoming.

While it will take trial and error to find the right approach for your organisation, one easy way to help ease your team’s transition back to office is to welcome them with a well-stocked pantry. As Popcorn Shed’s Co-founder Laura Jackson put it: “food has the power to bring people together — when shared with others, it can build relationships, help mend problems, and be a source of inspiration”  and we can’t agree more.

Why office pantry is so important is because food is a significant cultural marker for every organisation, and it can make everyone happy. A well-stocked pantry can help to boost energy and productivity when employees experience the afternoon slump, serve as a central hub where employees can reconnect in a way that feels familiar and is a great way for leaders to make their employees feel cared for.

The only question is, how can you make the office pantry a thoughtful and delightful experience in light of changing preferences and health requirements post-pandemic? The rapid rise in the popularity of healthy, natural foods, and vegan, plant-based diets hint at the opportunity to transform your office pantry and cut down on traditional snacks that are full of artificial ingredients and preservatives. In addition, with a great focus on health safety requirements at the workplace, single-serve packaged snacks and drinks are practical and useful choices and should be at the top consideration of your shopping list. And if you’re concerned about the environmental impact that comes with these single-service packaging choices, rest easy that we are working with many good brands who have a clear commitment to embracing more sustainable packaging and production in their supply chain.

And the best part is, you don’t need to be Shopee, Bloomberg, Facebook, or Google to have an amazing office pantry! Here are some recommendations from our Good Market for you to start – or restart – an office pantry experience that will make going back to work fun and delightful, and keep your team happy, regardless of your team size and budget.

#1 Start the day right with coffee, tea, and other natural caffeine alternatives

Photo credits: OFFBLAK, PerfectTed, Zinger, Hook Coffee, Minor Figures

Coffee and tea are always the go-to items to fill your office pantry with since they are the morning ritual for a lot of people, which helps clear up the grogginess and boost energy. However, natural caffeine alternatives are on the rise and we’ve got some yummy options you don’t want to miss. Stock up on the following brands of coffee, tea, and caffeine alternatives so your staff can discover something new for every morning lightning-boost (and even the afternoon pick-me-up whenever they need it most).

• Hook Coffee Drip Coffee Bag Series: These drip coffee bags come with funny flavour names, sure to bring a good laugh. Plus, they come in convenient single-used drip coffee bags. 
• Minor Figures: Plant-based nitro cold brew drinks that are delicious, portable, and playful.  
• OFFBLAK Tea: Great-tasting tea bags with fun packaging. Your team can choose from a great selection of flavours as well as caffeine levels — from zero to high.
• MingCha Wellness Tea: Hongkong’s wellness tea series that keep your team happy and healthy — from Warm Warm tea that keeps them warm (if your office A/C is too strong) to Tummy tea that soothes period cramps. How about that for thoughtfulness?
• PerfectTed: UK's first 100% natural, matcha energy drink brand, PerfectTed's delicious sparkling matcha drinks use ceremonial grade matcha blended with all-natural fruit juices. Our team verdict? They taste great and are super effective in keeping us awake.
• Zinger: Made with the finest pressed ginger, turmeric, lime, and apple juices, these fiery vegan shots make a lively and invigorating alternative to sugary and caffeine-loaded drinks. A little spicy shot with a big Zing. We can’t rave enough about this.

#2 Let’s go nuts with the nuts, seeds, and dried fruits!

Photo credit: Bruneus by Superlative Foods

Each nut and dried fruit contain its unique combination of nutrients and vitamins, which makes for a longer and more sustainable source of energy. The selection of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits from Bruneus, With Love, Gretel and NAKED would fuel your hungry team, even when it consists of people adopting the different dietary lifestyles like Halal, vegans, and vegetarians:

• Bruneus: Every bag of Bruneus superfoods clusters is handcrafted to perfection using only the best organic and natural ingredients. These superfoods clusters are made fresh in small batches with no additives or preservatives. Plus, everything tastes good with cacao nibs clusters.
• With Love, Gretel: With Love, Gretel is all about "sprouted" superfoods and nuts. All plant-derived foods like nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes contain phytic acid in varying quantities. Phytic acid reduces the absorption of iron, zinc, and other essential minerals and may promote mineral deficiencies in the human body. Through the sprouting process which involves soaking and baking together in the correct combination, and breaking down phytic acid, With Love, Gretel sprouted products help the body absorb nutrients better and reduce bloating & cramping. From Natural Baked to savoury flavours like Sriracha Ginger or Salted Caramel, you’re spoilt for choices.
• NAKED: With the name that says it all, NAKED brings out the best from organic, quality ingredients. Their naturally dried fruits have no pesticides, preservatives, or colourants added. 

#3 A sweet energy boost with gourmet chocolate and sweet treats

Photo credit: Krakakoa

Don’t we all have a cheat day for chocolates and sweet treats? With just a small portion, chocolate and sweet treats can add an extra boost and keep your team’s fatigue at bay. Stocking your office pantry with this collection of chocolate, chocolate snacks, and sweet treats from Krakakoa, Love Cocoa, Marou and Serious Cookies would be a great idea to keep your employees happy and energised when coming back to work.

• Krakakoa: Halal-certified, single-served irresistible chocolate snacks such as chocolate barks and blinkies are perfect additions to your office pantry. They are so good that they are often sold out on our website.
• Love Cocoa: Mini Chocolate Bars bring you classic chocolates with a contemporary touch and adorable packaging. 
• Marou: Single Origin Mini Chocolate Bars and Chocolate Fruit Bars are delicious, vegetarian-friendly, and with a great adventurous story behind them.
• Serious Cookies: These vegan cookies with grumpy bears are tasty, healthier, and sure to make anyone smile.

#4 The healthy snack station that satisfies all the afternoon cravings!

Photo credits: SPRICE by Superlative Foods, Primal Pantry

Pandemic-driven changes to snacking habits are expected, but one thing is likely to remain unchanged – your employee’s afternoon snack cravings. A wide selection of single-served healthier snacks from Confetti Snacks, Emily Snacks, Primal Pantry, Popcorn Shed, Rebel Kitchen, Serious Popcorn & Puffs, SPRICE, and The Protein Ball Co — can serve as a mini-break for the mind and the fuel your team members need to stay focused and improve productivity:

• Confetti Snacks: Singapore's award-winning snack brand that transforms ugly veggies into tasty, nutrient-dense snacks.
• Emily Snacks: A bold snacking brand that takes colourful combinations of real veg & fruit and transforms them into delicious snacks with vibrant natural flavours.
• Primal Pantry: On a mission ever since to give consumers a better snacking choice, Primal Pantry believes that everyone deserves real, honest food. Food that works with our bodies and not against it. They call it - Real Food, Untamed.
• Popcorn Shed: Bringing you British artisanal gourmet popcorns at their best, Popcorn Shed uses an artisan cooking process by making a fresh caramel batch with each production run.
• Rebel Kitchen: Rebel Kitchen is revolutionising food for everyone with sustainable, healthy, plant-based alternatives that taste mind-blowingly good.
• Serious Popcorn & Puffs: Serious Food is dead serious about its mission to make snacking sustainable — whether it’s popcorn, pea puffs (or even cookies).
• SPRICE: Singaporean healthy snack brand that specialises in making the best brown rice crisps that are irresistible, guilt-free snacking choices.
• The Protein Ball Co: The award-winning The Protein Ball Co. crafts simple, nutritious bite-sized protein balls packed with vitamins, fruits, and nuts, with the simple aim of making all-round healthy protein snacking easier.

#5 The happy hours and cold refreshments

Photo credits: Sachi, Galipette

What about a little celebration at the end of every week or when your team members achieve a milestone big or small? The team spirit (with safe distancing) is at its best with a celebratory drink, for small wins, big wins, and even key lessons learned from failures.

The alcoholic drink menus:

• Galipette Cider: Fine French cider of pure and vivacious fruit. Made from 100% fermented apple juice, with natural taste, aroma, and colour of apples are intact in every round bottle of Galipette.
• Sachi Soy Wine: Started here in Singapore, Sachi is the world's first wine made from Soy (Whey). Sachi is on a mission to show the world that there is a better way to drink - one that tastes great and feels good.
• The Uncommon: The Uncommon is a sustainable sparkling winemaker from the UK. The Uncommon goal is to democratise and revolutionise the winemaking process, to make it more accessible and enjoyable for the crowd. Did we mention that they make canned wines look so good?

The non-alcoholic drink menus:

• Almighty: Almighty makes drinks that are for the everyday moments as well as the special ones. Drinks for people who want healthy alternatives, care about the environment, and want to contribute positively to the next generation.
• Dash: Dash Water is a British brand of sparkling water on a mission to reduce food waste. Dash Water infuses its super tasty waters with real, wonky fruit.
• Galipette 0% Cider: Made of 100% cider apples from France, Galipette 0% delivers aromas of crisp red apples with citrus notes. The all-natural, non-alcoholic drink balances bright acidity with gentle spiciness and a refreshingly semi-sweet finish.
• Genie Kombucha: Genie Drinks makes tasty sodas and kombuchas from ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients.
• Prisecco: Prisecco is a 100% natural, alcohol-free sparkling wine brand from Singapore, created by the good people at Superlative Foods. Priseco is Muslim-friendly, and suitable for all including pregnant women, and children.
• Sansu: Sansu makes delicious yuzu seltzers with top-grade yuzu juice carefully procured from small orchards in Jeolla-Namdo Province, the granary of Korea.
• Shozu: Shozu makes healthy, delicious yuzu-based sparkling prebiotics with top-grade yuzu juice carefully procured from small orchards in Jeolla-Namdo Province, the granary of Korea.

Ready to stock’ em up?

The post-pandemic office pantry will be different and a modern, thoughtful office pantry cannot ignore the trend of healthy snacks and drinks that look good, taste delicious and do good to the planet and the communities. Just like how the Great Resignation can be the Great Attraction, you can choose to delight your team members with a well-thought-out office pantry experience and make offices feel like home again.  

The best part is, you can get started easily with our newly launched Good Market — home to over 50 amazing brands and over 300 quality products. With a min spending of SGD60, you can get your pantry well stocked and surprise your team with our free same-day delivery in Singapore. 

Ready to transform your office pantry with SnackGood? Start ordering.

If you need help customising a plan for your team with regular, scheduled stock-ups, email us at corporate@snackgood.co with your requirements. We’re always here to help!