Brewing up a success story
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE increasing number of coffee vans around the county have been an unexpected success story amidst the pandemic – which forced many businesses to rethink their business models.
O’Brien Event Catering, a family-run business that previously ran a successful and well-known ice cream van business in Firhouse, turned their attention to event catering in recent years, providing coffee units, ice cream vans and food units at numerous events, including festivals.
Yvonne with Beau getting a coffee after enjoying a walk
After numerous festivals were cancelled in the wake of the pandemic, businessman Thomas O’Brien decided to focus on developing mobile coffee trailers, under the name Caffé Duomo.
They opened their Caffé Duomo coffee van at the Speaker Conolly in Firhouse last November, and it has been doing a roaring trade since day one.
“I didn’t expect it to take off like it did,” Thomas told The Echo.
“But we know a lot of people in the area, because we’re from Firhouse, and we use local staff.
Georgina serving Jimmy with a coffee at St Jude’s GAA Club
“We have a lot of regulars. When me and my dad open it up at 7.30 every morning, we can guarantee that it’ll be the same five people waiting there.”
There are now six Caffé Duomo vans being run by O’Brien Event Catering, including one at Killakee House in Rathfarnham.
“I’m really, really happy with how it’s gone,” Thomas added. “I was in a very bad place when everything went haywire last March, but this has saved me.”
Caffé Duomo at the Speaker Conolly is open from 7.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, and from 8.30am to 5pm on Sundays. Caffé Duomo at Killakee House is open from 10am to 4.30pm every weekend. For further information, follow @caffeduomo.ie on Instagram.
Over at St Jude’s GAA Club in Templeogue, Bren McManamon is already seeing success with the Deja Brew coffee van he opened three weeks ago.
While perhaps best known for being part of the Dublin GAA team that won the O’Byrne Cup in 2008, Bren has also worked in the food industry for over 14 years – so having a coffee van at the club he plays for was a perfect combination of his passions.
“I wanted to set up a coffee van six months ago, but then I got sidetracked,” Bren told The Echo.
“Then when the second lockdown came about, I put the wheels in motion.
“I bought a container down in Wicklow, I got fabricated steel put on it, painted the inside, put in a new floor, and then my partner’s father, who is an electrician, wired it.”
Bren works full-time in another role, and keeps the coffee van going as a part-time concern and has hired two baristas who man it on a day-to-day basis.
“We’ve only been open for about a month, but it’s been going really well,” Bren told The Echo.
“I never thought it would be as busy as it’s been. I think it’s down to a few things, like members of St Jude’s getting back together, people meeting up in the car park, having a coffee and going for a stroll.
“At the end of the day, I know it’s only a little coffee dock, but it gives people something to do.”
Deja Brew is open from 9am to 4pm every weekday, and from 9am to 5pm at the weekend. For more information, follow @deja_brewdublin on Instagram
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