Coffee roastery bids for top award

An artisan coffee roastery that specialises in the premium and specialty coffee sector has been selected as one of the finalists for this year’s National Enterprise Awards.

The Old Barracks Coffee Roasters at Birdhill is in competition for the prestigious award with qualifiers from all regions of the country in the contest on this Thursday, February 11th.

Pergamino Ltd, T/a The Old Barracks Coffee Roasters, were selected to represent Local Enterprise Office Tipperary at the awards and will compete against 29 other finalists for a prize fund totaling €50,000.

Founded by Alan Andrews, the artisan coffee roastery commenced trading in 2018 in the picturesque village of Birdhill and showcases live coffee roasting via state of the art coffee roasting management technology that allows the company to deliver consistency and quality coffee at its flagship store.

The company currently supplies coffee to a range of wholesale clients, as well as direct to consumer both online and through retail. Recognising the power of brands, Alan has added Guji Coffee to his list, having opened Guji Cofffee Bar in Nenagh and more recently in October 2020 opened Guji Coffee Bar in Cork.

Alan acknowledges that Covid-19 really tested the team and 2020 was a tough year in many ways, thankfully the company was able to pivot their business model quickly and this helped him to not only maintain their core team but also tripling their workforce. The company now employs 26 staff at their three locations.

Now in their 22nd year, the awards celebrate small businesses and includes awards that recognise excellence in exporting, sustainability and innovation along with eight regional awards and an overall National Enterprise Awards winner.

This year also sees the addition of two new award categories that reflect the challenging business conditions that companies have faced in 2020. The Pivot Award will be presented to a company who has successfully pivoted their business in the face of challenging conditions in the last 12 months. The Brexit Ready Award will be presented to a company who have excelled in their preparation for Brexit particularly where it would have created specific challenges for them as a business. Michael Smith – Cathaoirleach Tipperary County Council said: “The National Enterprise Awards celebrate the outstanding resilience that our small businesses show time and time again across the County. These micro-enterprises are the backbone of our local economy in Tipperary. Alan you carry proudly the blue and gold colours and we send you best wishes from the county.”

Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, added: “The National Enterprise Awards provides a valuable opportunity to recognise the innovation, determination and commitment of our micro-enterprises across the county. We are delighted to have Alan Andrews representing us at this year’s final. My very best wishes to Alan and his team.”

Mary Ryan, Senior Enterprise Development Officer at the Local Enterprise Office Tipperary, commented; “It has been a challenging year for small businesses so this is a chance to highlight positive stories and businesses who have excelled in the face of unprecedented challenges. These businesses have been through a rigorous process of judging, auditing every aspect of their business and this in itself can be a huge benefit to them as they plan for the future. Whether they win or not these finalists are well positioned to follow in the footsteps of the great companies that have gone before them such as Pestle & Mortar, Simtech Aviation and Terra NutriTech and as a network, the Local Enterprise Offices look forward to continuing to support them to help them grow.”

The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, LEOs are an essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow.