New jobs at Birdhill's adult-only coffee roastery and coffee bar

Ten new jobs are to be created in Birdhill as adult-only café The Old Barracks embarks on an ambitious expansion programme.

The coffee roastery and coffee bar, which opened last summer, is taking advantage of a growing trend in Ireland's coffee market and hoping to bring a substantial economic boost to the small village of Birdhill.

New research has revealed that the Irish coffee market is forecast to grow by 7% over the next five years. Moreover, research has shown a third of Irish consumers purchase coffee out of home at least once a day, which is up almost 10% year on year.

The Old Barracks has plans to create 10 jobs and add €2 million to the local economy over the next 3 years. They have been hand-roasting coffee onsite since January 2018 and opened their sophisticated and quirky coffee bar earlier this year.

The creator, Alan Andrews, is confident and excited about growing his business nationally and internationally, and sees real growth in wholesale supply of fully-traceable, high-quality coffee beans.

He says: “The goal is to have at least 50 wholesale customers outside of Ireland by 2025, all serviced from our base here in Birdhill, at the centre of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, just minutes off the M7 motorway. The infrastructure is in place and we are ready to scale.”

Drawing inspiration from the unique character of their 300-year old building, Alan and his team aspires to serve more than just coffee. Since its inception, the coffee bar has been designed to nourish the curiosity of coffee lovers with their varied selection of top quality single origin coffees on the bar, live coffee-roasting, and a knowledgeable and enthusiastic team.

Alan is determined to create something different for his customers.  Establishing a new business in a growing coffee market, Alan realises that innovation and customer experience is key. He says: “We are creating a destination for the coffee curious, with up to 10 coffees on offer at the bar and showcasing Europe’s first trendy Modbar coffee machine technology.

“We have removed all the physical barriers between the barista and customer in a way to encourage questions and conversation.” Alan adds: “Our team are more than happy to engage with anyone who wants to learn more about coffee and the roasting process,” he added.

Birdhill is quickly earning a reputation as an innovative and proactive village. In addition to being Tidy Town winners 2017, and being home to the new coffee roastery and coffee bar, the village recently announced that they are Ireland’s first autism-friendly village.

The Old Barracks is located next door to Matt the Thresher's in Birdhill village, just 2.5km from exit 27 on the M7, open seven days a week, from 10am to 5pm. Offering live artisan coffee-roasting, specialty coffee and teas, and a selection of cakes, exclusive retail space, free wifi, private parking, stripped back interiors and events that will foster the laid-back and fun vibe of the new business.

The noise of children has been filtered out of this coffee bar, the owners responding to research indicating that as many as 74% of people who enjoy coffee would make use of an adults-only café. Alan says: “People are just enjoying the space and enjoying their coffee in peace, without distraction from their kids – or other people’s kids. We’re really happy with the response.”

Follow The Old Barracks on Instagram @oldbarrackscoffeeroasters for more information and updates.