Usually you can only use whole coffee beans in Bean to Cup Coffee Machines.To make coffee the beans need to first be ground, however once beans are ground they begin to release oils that are protected within the whole bean, which is why coffee always tastes better when using beans that have been recently ground.The benefit of a Bean to Cup Commercial Coffee Machine is that beans are ground on demand whenever you want to make a coffee.If you would prefer to use pre-ground beans then we would suggest investing in a Filter Coffee Machine, though the finished cup will not be as delicious as it would be from a Bean to Cup Machine.