6 minute read
Class coffee
Paula Burns meets two West Cork school teachers who are running successful coffee businesses
SWAPPING the grinds of the educational kind for those of the coff ee kind is currently trending in West Cork. With two coff ee outlets owned by teachers you can be assured the coff ee is A+. But what was it that enticed these two to set up their own coff ee businesses? ‘When I was younger I worked in bars and the hospitality industry and I loved it. I really enjoyed interacting with people, having laughs and now I get to do this serving coff ee at Full of Beans,’ explains Patrick Hayes. Instead of relaxing for the threemonth summer break; secondary school teacher Patrick is whipping up cappuccinos in his coff ee trailer at Inchydoney beach. The students of Skibbereen Community School have nothing to fear though as this is just a summer gig for the moment. The proud Clonakility man is delighted to be bringing something new to the beach of Inchydoney where he spent so much of his childhood. ‘Serving coff ee here gives me a chance to welcome people to the area, especially tourists,’ he says. ‘As a local I’m able to chat away and provide people with some of the history and background of the area and I can advise
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them on places to visit.’ With Clonakilty being close to his heart, using local produce was the only choice. ‘The coff ee we use is roasted locally by Stone Valley, just two miles up the road in Clonakilty. It’s roasted in the shop so customers can go in and see the process. We have gotten great feedback and reviews and I’m delighted to be able to use a local company,’ he explains.
When setting up the trailer, Patrick was very conscious of any negative environmental eff ects it may have on the location. Instead of sachets of sugar that often fi nd themselves on the ground rather then in the bin he opted to store sugar in glass jars. You can also often fi nd him picking up other rubbish that may be littering the sandy shores of Inchydoney. ‘Clonakilty is an award winning town and I hate to see any rubbish around. If I see plastics and recyclables I will take them and quite often people have come up to me with plastics they have picked up. I’m always glad to take them and have given free coff ee in return!’ says Patrick.
In keeping with sustainability his coff ee cups and lids are 100% compostable and he promotes the #keepcups on his Instagram page. Customers can avail of
Above: The Full of Beans coff ee truck at Inchydoney. Patrick Hayes of Full of Beans with his girlfriend Tara.
20 cent off their coff ee for using their keep-cups. Although it has only been a few weeks since Patrick set up his coff ee trailer he has been extremely humbled by the response of locals, friends and family. ‘My girlfriend Tara has been such a huge support and really helped in the setting up along with my friends and family. There’s no way I could have done it without their help,’ explains Patrick.
In Skibbereen, former Special Needs teacher, Colm Crowley swapped the classroom for running his own coff ee shop two years ago and hasn’t looked back. Colm has transformed the well-known O’Neills grocery shop on Townshend St into the modern phenomenon of the coff ee shop. Taking inspiration from the coff ee shop scene he had enjoyed while living in Melbourne, Australia, Colm brought the concept back to the place he grew up. With the grocery shop as a backdrop he has created an old worldly vibe to the coff ee house. ‘When setting up the coff ee shop I decided to keep the old shop front which meant keeping the name. I also retained the original countertop and some of the shelving. I wanted to keep as much as I could,’ says Colm. Keeping old traditions Colm has ensured that local produce take pride of place. His coff ee hails from the West Cork Coff ee roastery in the Old Forge in Innishannon, while local dairy farmer, Kevin O’Donovan of Gloun Cross, provides his milk, in sustainable glass bottles. ‘Sustainability and keeping things local are very important. Our cups are compostable and so are the sugar sachets. Both are from Down2Earth in Cork,’ explains Colm. ‘We give 10 cent back on keep-cups and off er refi lls of water for people using reusable bottles.’ Colm admits there’s a huge diff erence from running a classroom to running your own business, though it has been a change he has fully embraced. ‘You get to meet a wide variety of people from in and around West Cork. You also meet tourists and those who have holiday homes down here. The exposure to meeting fascinating characters who are now my regulars has been great.’ says Colm. In the two years since opening,
O’Neill Coff ee House has become a regular stop-off for many on their way to work or on their lunch breaks. Keeping things fresh and being able to create a space for more then just coff ee is something Colm has embraced. “I want to make better experiences for my staff and customers. We have had pop-up afternoon tea and exhibitions from local artists. I’m always looking at ways of keeping things fresh.’ With nominations for Best Newcomer and Best Café in the Irish Restaurant Awards it seems the teacher has become something of a star pupil in the coff ee shop world.
At the WCC Roastery, Tony Speight specialises in roasting high quality, single origin coffee. West Cork Coffee supply multiple artisan & sustainable cafes and restaurants such as Good Day Deli, O’Neill’s Coffee House, TWIG, Food Depot and newly awarded Michelin Star, Ichigo Ichie.
WCC have now launched a very popular coffee subscription service. You can receive a 6 or 12 month supply of specialty coffee, roasted & delivered to your door. Free postage in the ROI.
For more information visit www.westcorkcoffee.ie
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