Event planning guide
How much coffee do you need for an event?
Plan about 1.5 cups of coffee (12 oz) per guest for each event day. For 100 guests that's about 150 cups, roughly 14.1 gallons, brewed from 7.3 lb of ground coffee. For multi-day events like hackathons, multiply by the number of days.
Event coffee calculator
- 12 oz cups
- 150
- Gallons of coffee
- 14.1
- Ground coffee
- 7.3 lb
Coffee for 25 to 500 guests
| Guests | 12 oz cups | Gallons | Ground coffee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 38 | 3.6 | 1.9 lb |
| 50 | 75 | 7 | 3.7 lb |
| 100 | 150 | 14.1 | 7.3 lb |
| 150 | 225 | 21.1 | 11 lb |
| 200 | 300 | 28.1 | 14.7 lb |
| 300 | 450 | 42.2 | 22 lb |
| 500 | 750 | 70.3 | 36.7 lb |
How to adjust for your event
- Morning events and early keynotes: people drink more coffee before noon. Plan toward 2 cups per guest.
- Evening meetups: plan closer to 1 cup per guest and add a pot of decaf.
- Hackathons: count each day of hacking separately, and tell your caterer about overnight hours. See hackathon coffee catering.
- Conferences: coffee demand spikes at registration and breaks, so the total matters less than having enough ready at those times. See conference coffee service.
Questions
How much coffee do I need for 100 people?
About 150 twelve-ounce cups, which is roughly 14.1 gallons of brewed coffee made from 7.3 lb of ground coffee, assuming 1.5 cups per person.
How much coffee do I need for a hackathon?
Plan per day of hacking. A 150-person, two-day hackathon needs about 450 cups (42.2 gallons, 22 lb of ground coffee) at 1.5 cups per hacker per day.
How many cups of coffee does one pound make?
At a 16:1 water-to-coffee ratio, one pound of ground coffee brews about 20 twelve-ounce cups.
Should I order decaf?
For evening events, many organizers order a smaller pot of decaf alongside regular coffee. Ask your caterer to include it.
Planning a tech event in New York City? Vibe Coded Coffee brings the coffee, sets up and cleans up.
See coffee catering for your event