Our Story

When we started roasting in May 2018 we set out to be something different. We wanted to bring coffees of an unrivaled standard to Ireland but to do this using a business model that was different to any other. Although profit is important for every business it is not the main driver of ours. Our model of “conscious capitalism” means we give back. 1% of all our coffee sales go to Women’s Aid, 1% to projects at coffee origins and a further 1% is shared among our staff. We don’t engage in CSR programs that are simply window dressing. When you buy our coffee you are making a difference. You can read, watch or listen about some of the things we’ve done below.

Una Mullaly of The Irish Times asked Gary to join her on The United Ireland podcast to talk about how you can run a coffee company ethically. This interview gives insight into how and why Imbibe is run the way it is.

ASOPEP Planadas, Colombia
We buy a lot of coffee from this organic co-op. In late 2018 we were made aware of infrastructure difficulties the farmers were experiencing so agreed to fund a footbridge to enable children to get to school. They had previously been crossing a river using tree trunks. We have now funded a second footbridge. Coffee from this co-op forms part of Kaleidoscope and is also where we source our single origin El Puente from along with several other competition winning lots.

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Lonya Grande, Peru
This is another organic co-op we have bought from since we started and again a coffee that forms part of Kaleidoscope, Lonya Grande is based in the Amazonas region of Peru. It is made up of 101 female members and is part of The Cafe Femenino Foundation which promotes gender equality in coffee producing countries. We have funded a wet mill here which should help improve coffee quality and so enable members to charge more for their produce. This is where our single origin Cafe Femenino coffee comes from.

Our Coffee Offering
When we began we very much wanted to bring coffees of a world’s best standard to our roastery and it’s an area where we feel we’ve succeeded. We were the first roastery to bring the world’s most exclusive and sought after varietal, Panama Gesha to Ireland, which was produced by our friend Pedro Moss of La Huella. We’ve also brought in rare and exotic varieties like Wush Wush from Colombia and in 2020 roasted coffee from world record holders for coffee price, Ninety Plus Estates of Panama.

Our Staff
The most important element of any business is its staff. Without them there wouldn’t be a business. We’ve been fortunate to hand pick everyone who works at Imbibe. They are all exceptionally good at what they do and so we feel they should be paid accordingly. In addition to earning well above industry rates of pay they also share in 1% of our sales as a bonus. Our part time workers earn in excess of the living wage.

Women’s Aid
With so many organisations in Ireland doing wonderful work it was difficult to choose who we should support directly but we’re very proud we chose Women’s Aid. They receive 1% of every coffee sale we make and have done so since the day we opened the roastery.

Coffee for the Frontline
We’re based in Dublin 8 and St. James’s is our local hospital within a short walk of the roastery. A number of staff at James’s have supported us since we began through buying our coffee. When Covid hit we decided to donate coffee to them on a weekly basis. It was a very small way to say thank you for all they do and we’ve done it every week since. In 2022 we added Crumlin Children’s Hospital to our weekly drop and now in 2023 we’ve also added The Coombe. This year we will donate three quarters of a tonne in total between the three.

St. Patricks Athletic
We were unaware of our local football club’s “Saints In The Community” program so when we were given the chance to help in a small way we created “The Richmond Roast” which we donated to them. It is our hope that in the near future we’ll get to do this on a more regular basis

Zero Waste
The vast majority of our wholesale customers make use of our zero waste “coffee in cans”. It’s a circular thing. We deliver 5 kilo cans to customers, collect the old ones, bring them back to the roastery to be cleaned and then they go out again. Over 90% of our wholesale deliveries are done this way.

As participants in the WCR Checkoff Program, we at Imbibe are proud that a portion of every green coffee purchase we make goes towards supporting advanced science for the future of coffee.

Our Story

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