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Author: watermark
Green Ocean featuring on RTE’s Ear to the Ground
We are thrilled to be featured on RTE’s Ear to the Ground, produced by Indiepics on Thursday 23 January. We had been plotting and scheming with the Ear to the Ground producer, Paula Williams, over the previous 18 months trying to get all the moving parts lined up. We had a couple of false starts along the way with bad weather, high water temperature to name but a few, but we got there eventually. Paula is a whirlwind of energy, enthusiasm with a real inspirational ‘make it happen’ attitude. A joy to work with!
We filmed the piece in 4 locations (our garage at home, Dun Laoghaire Marina, Fenit Pier, Co Kerry and Howth Yacht Club). Early one October morning we assembled in Tralee Bay Oyster Co-op alongside the Ear to the Ground presenter, Ella McSweeney, the manager of the Co-Op, Denis O’Shea, Paula and the Ear to the Ground production team, Marguerite and myself. We were there to explain why we were in Tralee, what biosecurity involved and what we hope to achieve with the Green Ocean project. After much oyster scrubbing, 3 days of depuration in artificial sea water tanks to further clean the oysters on the inside, we brought the oysters to Howth Yacht Club where we were helped by Aideen, Kevin of Howth Yacht Club and their team of members to deploy the oysters in their new Dublin homes.
While being involved in the production was a lot of fun, the value of being featured is significant. The objective of the story is to demonstrate to the viewer that climate action is possible by ordinary people coming together with an idea and driving that idea to a conclusion. To many people, the ocean is a bit on an enigma, its blue, its cold, fish come from it, but that its. I hope that our opportunity to tell the Green Ocean story will inform the viewer on how important our coastal seas are in counteracting climate change while also improving marine biodiversity and the health and livelihoods for communities living around the coast. But the main message is…our oysters are Climate Heroes!
I am really confident that our project will bring about our desire to see the native Irish oyster re-established in more Irish coastal waters, but what really gives great satisfaction is knowing that our story will inspire others, both young and old to see the ocean differently and perhaps start a project of their own!
Thank you Paula, Daisy, Ella, Denis, Alan, Nessa, Grace, Aideen, Paola, Kevin, Paal, Michael, Neil and of course, Marguerite for scrubbing those oysters and putting up with it all!
David
Announcing the Green Ocean Foundation: A New Wave of Sustainability by Watermark Coffee
At Watermark Coffee, we believe that every great cup of coffee carries the potential to spark change. Beyond crafting the perfect roast, our mission has always been to leave a positive mark on our planet and in our communities. Today, we are proud to announce the launch of a transformative initiative that takes this vision to new heights: the Green Ocean Foundation.
Introducing the Green Ocean Foundation
The Green Ocean Foundation CLG is a newly incorporated ‘not for profit’ community based organisation that will manage and deliver marine environmental projects with local impact in Ireland. Its a bold step in addressing climate challenges through actionable, community-driven solutions. Building on Watermark Coffee’s sustainability legacy, this dedicated platform is designed to expand our efforts and protect the marine environment while inspiring individuals, businesses, and organisations to join forces for a better future.
The Foundation is founded on two core objectives:
- Restoring Marine Biodiversity: Utilising nature-based solutions to rebuild ecosystems, improve water quality, and sequester carbon.
- Raising Ocean Awareness: Educating and engaging communities to emphasise the ocean’s critical role in combating climate change through involvement in impactful initiatives.
Why “Green Ocean”?
The name “Green Ocean” reflects the interconnectedness of life, climate, and ecosystems. Recognising that meaningful climate action demands a collective effort far greater than what we can achieve alone, the Green Ocean Foundation aims to become a scalable platform for broader impact. It will serve as a hub for businesses, schools, and community groups to contribute to sustainable projects while amplifying their reach and effect.
This is more than an initiative; it’s a call to action for collaboration that turns individual contributions into waves of change.
What the Green Ocean Foundation Will Do
The Green Ocean Foundation will focus on four key areas to drive real and measurable change:
- Climate Action Projects
Our projects are designed to revitalise marine ecosystems through innovative, nature-based solutions. By focusing on rebuilding lost biodiversity, enhancing water quality, and increasing carbon capture, we aim to create thriving, resilient marine environments.
These initiatives are thoughtfully managed and delivered along Ireland’s coastline, ensuring a profound local impact while contributing to a significant global environmental dividend. Through these efforts, we strive to not only protect but also restore the vital ecosystems that underpin life on Earth.
- Education and Awareness
Creating lasting change begins with understanding. Through talks in schools, hands-on workshops, and participation in public events, the Foundation will equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools to become champions of sustainability.
- Community Collaboration
Collaboration is at the heart of our mission. The Foundation will work closely with local councils, businesses, and community organisations to co-design projects that bring tangible benefits to both people and the planet.
- Transparency and Impact Reporting
To ensure trust and accountability, all Foundation initiatives will be measured and publicly reported. This transparency will allow stakeholders to see the direct impact of their contributions and motivate ongoing participation.
How You Can Get Involved
The Green Ocean Foundation is a collective effort, and we invite everyone to play a part in shaping a sustainable future:
- Businesses: Partner with us on innovative projects that align with your values.
- Schools: Host an educational talk or involve students in our hands-on initiatives.
- Individuals: Volunteer your time at community events or support climate action campaigns.
- Organisations: Collaborate with us to create custom programmes addressing specific environmental challenges.
Together, we can transform small actions into big changes.
The Future Starts Now
The launch of the Green Ocean Foundation is more than a milestone—it’s the beginning of a movement. By coming together, we can create a future where sustainability is a shared responsibility and where every action contributes to protecting our planet for generations to come.
For more information on the Green Ocean Foundation and how you can get involved, visit GreenOceanFoundation.ie
Let’s make a difference!
Watermark Coffee’s Journey to B Corp Certification: A Commitment to Purpose Beyond Profit
At Watermark Coffee, we are thrilled to announce that we have become B Corp certified! This milestone represents not only an acknowledgement of our values but also a significant step forward in our ongoing journey to make a positive impact on the environment, our community, and our industry. As a family-run, boutique Irish coffee company with over 25 years of dedication to sustainability, fairness, and exceptional coffee, earning this certification reflects our commitment to purpose beyond profit.
What is B Corp Certification?
For those new to the concept, B Corp Certification is awarded by the non-profit B Lab to companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B Corps are recognised globally for their commitment to using business as a force for good, balancing profit with purpose to deliver long-term benefits for society, the environment, and their stakeholders. This certification requires a rigorous assessment across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
Our certification journey pushed us to scrutinise and improve our practices, ensuring we meet B Lab’s high standards in all areas of our business. We’re incredibly proud to now join a global community of over 4,000 businesses that share a similar mission to prioritise purpose and impact.
Why B Corp Certification Matters to Us
From the beginning, Watermark Coffee has operated with a strong sense of responsibility towards sustainability and social impact. This certification formalises our commitment to these values, holding us accountable and inspiring us to continuously improve. For us, it’s not just about the coffee – it’s about how we can contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world.
Our dedication to environmental responsibility includes a range of high-impact projects funded through our coffee sales, each of which drives meaningful change. These projects range from community-led climate initiatives to educational outreach, helping to foster awareness and action across Ireland. Our Woodland Coffee and Green Ocean Coffee brands exemplify our belief in collaboration to expand our impact and support projects that benefit both people and the planet.
How Our Certification Impacts Our Clients and Community
Becoming a B Corp strengthens our commitment to delivering value and impact for our clients and community. As a B2B company serving corporate and hospitality clients across Ireland, our clients can be assured that their choice to work with us supports a business that upholds high ethical and sustainable standards while contributing to high-impact environmental projects here in Ireland. For our community, this certification reaffirms our dedication to our local environmental projects in Limerick, Dublin, and Mayo.
We’ve always believed in taking an active role in our community, offering educational programmes and participating in community-led environmental actions. B Corp Certification only intensifies our dedication to these initiatives and our drive to create a more inclusive and environmentally sustainable future.
What’s Next for Watermark Coffee as a B Corp?
With our B Corp Certification, Watermark Coffee is more energised than ever to amplify our impact. As we expand our Green Ocean and Woodland Projects each year, we’re committed to increasing our transparent, positive climate actions that create tangible local environmental impacts. Moving forward, a primary focus for Watermark Coffee will be to enhance our efforts in nature-positive business practices—aligning our growth with the principles of environmental regeneration and biodiversity protection.
Our journey to reduce our carbon footprint by lowering emissions is ongoing. While we’ve already achieved a significant 55% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions over the past six years, we remain committed to further reductions, recognising that every step counts in building a more sustainable future. This focus is essential to our long-term environmental goals and aligns with our dedication to responsible business practices under our B Corp values.
Becoming a certified B Corp is more than a milestone; it is a pledge to continuously improve—for our clients, our community, and the planet. At Watermark Coffee, we are excited about this new chapter as a B Corp and look forward to deepening our role in purpose-driven business for years to come.
Our Green Ocean & Woodland Coffee Updates
We’re excited to share some fantastic updates about our Green Ocean and Woodland Coffees!
Green Ocean Coffee
In June 2024, our restoration activities continued in Clew Bay, Co. Mayo with the restoration of an additional 13 hectares of seabed (equivalent to 24 football pitches!) Working with our partners, Clew Bay Oyster Co-op, we spread 24 tonnes of scallop and oyster shell mix (cultch) over a 13 hectare area in the same vicinity where we started restoration in 2022. This area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) at the foot of Croagh Patrick in an area of breath-taking beauty. The updated map below highlights the difference between the area restored in 2022 and the newly restored area in 2024.Additionally, our Green Ocean Carrickwee & Kish blends have each earned a star at the Great Taste Awards 2024! We’re thrilled at Watermark to see our Green Ocean Coffee recognised for these exceptional blends. Great Taste, the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, put our coffee to the test with over 500 expert judges. This achievement reflects our team’s dedication to maintaining the highest quality and taste standards for our coffee.
Woodland Coffee
Our Director, David Lawlor, and Business Development Manager, Siobhan Murtagh, made a quick visit to our Woodland Coffee woodland while on route to meet some customers in June. We’re delighted to share the updates they brought back from the woodland, which is in full bloom at the moment!The alder trees have once again surprised us with their growth, reaching almost 18ft and higher. They are starting to make the young woodland look like much more than just a field. Our conifer trees are also thriving, nestled among grass teeming with biodiversity. Bees, various insects, wildflowers, and other wildlife can also be seen flourishing this summer, making our woodland a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem.
Direct From Farm Update A few weeks ago, we received a happy update from Charles, one of our coffee farmers in Kenya.
Thanks to direct trade, Charles has been able to educate his children—two of whom are now in university, while another has been trained as a roaster and is working in Kenya’s coffee industry. Stories like Charles’s affirm our mission: investing in people, fostering sustainability, and ensuring that every cup of coffee you enjoy makes a positive impact.
It’s amazing to see how the work of our Woodland and Green Ocean Coffee is making a positive difference right here in Ireland and abroad. Thank you to our customers who keep supporting sustainability, biodiversity, and positive change!
The Journey Behind Our Coffees
Since our involvement in the coffee business in Ireland since the mid 2000’s coffee consumption has been steadily rising along with the number of outlets selling coffee. The variety of coffee styles is very apparent now too. No longer is coffee just good or bad; it’s an opinions business, where different origins and roasting techniques give huge variation to the flavour.
Coffee in the global village
Soaring global coffee consumption is good news for the economies of the countries reliant on the trade, also known as origins. In a growing market where there is huge demand for new flavours. Coffee origins are key to flavour profiles and have become distinct in their own right, similar to that of wine producing regions. This has allowed many smaller producers, like Charles Mutwiri, who produces the single origin beans for our Green Ocean Dorinish coffee, gain an international foothold enabling them to sell direct to businesses like ourselves. Selling directly allows producers to bypass the commodification of their harvest in the futures markets and coffee bean dealers of the stock exchange. We have labelled this process ‘Direct from Farm’. There is a clear line from the farm to the cup which improves transparency and providence as well as giving farmers like Charles Mutwiri visibility on future orders which is key for him in making investment decisions. Our focus with ‘Direct from Farm’ is to support developing communities by proving opportunity for them to grow and prosper.
What is coffee?
A coffee bean comes from inside a coffee cherry, which grow on coffee trees from a region of the world known as the coffee belt (between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn). We use Arabica coffee beans in all of our Woodland Coffee and Green Ocean Coffee brands. Arabica coffee beans originate from Ethiopia and accounts for over 60% of the world’s coffee. Usually grown at higher altitudes and in mountainous areas under a variety of different conditions like shade / partial sunlight etc which impact the flavour of the coffee. Much like wine, coffee flavours reflect their ‘terroir’ of climate, soil type and geomorphology.
What makes some coffee stand out?
Once the coffee cherries are harvested (when they turn bright red) they are dried and graded. As you would expect, grading is critical to the blending and roasting process and is carried out with reference to the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) rules. Once a coffee achieves a grade of 80 or above, it is categorised as speciality grade arabica. Both Green Ocean and Woodland Coffee are all specialty grade, and this has been a key reason why we won 3 out of the 6 prizes in the two coffee categories at last year’s Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards.
Woodland and Green Ocean Coffee
Each of the coffees in the Woodland and Green Ocean ranges offers difference, the flavours are contemporary, balanced and nuanced. Roasted in Ireland, all of our coffees proudly carry the ‘Guaranteed Irish’ logo and both Woodland and Green Ocean fund real environmental projects here in Ireland which deliver long term measurable benefits in terms of carbon sequestration and biodiversity improvement on land and in our coastal seas.
If you fancy finding out a bit more about our award-winning coffee that makes the world we live in a better place, then please get in touch!
More about Woodland Coffee here
More about Green Ocean Coffee here
Green Ocean Coffee – Become a volunteer
We are overwhelmed by the response that our Green Ocean Coffee projects are getting both from the media and the community. Philip Bromwell from RTE news, produced a really evocative piece on our project to re-introduce the native Irish oysters back into Dublin Bay; Philip captured the sentiment and intention of the project well. Have a look at the short video below.
Would you like to find out more or would like to get more involved? If so, we are running volunteer sessions (usually on a Friday afternoon at about 2:30 once a month). These sessions are being run with the Marine Ecology group which is part of the School of Biology & Environmental Science in UCD. Under the supervision of a Master’s student, we will be gathering data to evaluate the impact of the project and determining the health of the oysters. This involves measuring and weighing the oysters and inspecting them for overall health. We will also be examining the gardens to see if they have recruited any other marine ‘hitch hikers’ that like the company of our oysters. Before we return the gardens to the water, we will wipe any silt / bio film off the baskets to enable sea water to flow freely through the baskets. There will be no heavy lifting required and you will hopefully gain an appreciation of the potential that this project has in rebuilding nature and combating the negative impact of climate change.
To find out a bit more, please check out www.greenoceancoffee.ie or drop us a line on info@greenoceancoffee.ie
Green Ocean Coffee reintroduces Oysters into Dublin Bay
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our latest Green Ocean environmental project to re-introduce native European Flat oysters back into Dublin Bay after an absence of almost 200 years.
The objective of this project is to establish an oyster brood stock so that the stock of oysters will naturally expand and regenerate forming reefs in the environs of Dublin Bay. Oysters are a keystone species in terms of promoting habitat biodiversity and stabilising the sea floor to allow sea grass and other sea weeds to propagate. This in turn provides an excellent environment for fish and other marine life to spawn and seek shelter.
Ultimately this project is about using oysters as a nature based climate solution to deliver the following benefits :
- Oyster reefs protect the coast line against storm surge
- Increasing atmospheric carbon sequestration as seagrass and oysters are significant carbon sinks. Seagrass absorbs carbon 35 times faster than an equivalent area of rain forest.
- An oyster filters 190 litres of water a day of algae and nutrients which improves water quality allowing sun light to penetrate the sea floor.
- Oyster reefs are ideal nursery grounds for fish and other marine life which is essential in enhancing biodiversity through habitat restoration.
Working alongside UCD marine science department we sourced just under 600 mature oysters from Tralee for deployment in ‘Oyster Garden’ baskets in Malahide, Poolbeg and Dun Laoghaire Marinas. The oyster gardens are suspended from the marina pontoon walk ways which are an ideal location to maximise their spawning potential. A female oyster releases up to 1.5m eggs into the water every July / August. The fertilised eggs called ‘spat’ attach themselves to any hard surface (including other oysters) and reach maturity in 3 years and the reproduction process commences.
Over the coming years we hope to expand this project with more oyster gardens and more locations to improve the project’s efficacy.
As part of the funding solution for this project, we have launched a new Green Ocean Coffee blend called Kish, named after the iconic lighthouse that guards Dublin Bay to the east. Kish is a blend of speciality grade arabica coffee beans from Columbia and Brazil roasted to a medium / light profile. It is beautiful coffee that is idea for any café or office that wants premium quality with transparent sustainability credentials but remains competitively priced.
Getting to this stage of the project has only been possible with the support of many organisations including Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Dun Laoghaire Marina, Malahide Marina, Poolbeg Marina, The Marine Institute, The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council and the EPA. We are so appreciate of all the encouragement and facilitation we have received and this ambitious project would not have been possible without this.
If you would like to find out more about Green Ocean Coffee and our other project in Clew Bay then please visit the Green Ocean Coffee website on https://greenoceancoffee.ie/
So if you would like to get involved, then the easiest way is to choose Green Ocean Coffee but if you would like to get more involved then you can sponsor an oyster garden or volunteer to look after some oysters. One of the really great aspects of this project is its accessibility for anybody to get involved and find out more. Follow us on our social media platforms on Tik Tok and Instagram to see what’s currently happening.
The Mason’s Apron Bakery and Cafe celebrate 20 years in Business
The café industry isn’t typically known for longevity of tenure but Patricia England of ‘The Mason’s Apron Bakery and Café’ in Virginia, Co Cavan is celebrating 20 years in business this month. I caught up with Patricia and asked her to share some of her experiences from her 20 years.
Can you give a brief description of your business?
“The business opens at 8:30 each day serving breakfast, lunch and an important ‘to go’ option of coffee and baked goods. We also supply a number of other businesses locally with our breads and bakery products including Richard Corrigan’s Park Hotel here in Virginia. When we open, it’s ‘all go’ with a steady flow of people in and out. “
Operating for 20 years since 2003 is a very significant amount of time for a café, what do you think were your key milestones?
“Starting a café business is a lot of work and for the first 2 years it felt like I didn’t know if I was coming or going. Looking back now I really didn’t know what I was letting myself in for! I had great support from family and friends and after the 2 year mark I felt I had a good handle on what the business was about and how it worked for me.”
“At 10 years, the business was really settling down; I had a solid team that knew their jobs and I could rely on them to do their jobs well. I was also getting great support from the immediate community of Virginia and this really helped. We also had some lucky breaks; Ryan Tubridy hosted his radio show with Nevin Maquire at the café, these visits always help to lift the profile of the business and give a bit of excitement and buzz around the place.”If you were to think of one ‘game changer’ moment, what would it be and why?
“Coffee has always been an important part of our business, but I suppose the real game changing moment happened when we realised that coffee was becoming something much more; coffee was forming a part of the social fabric of the community; facilitating interaction and providing a meeting place. We invested in our coffee equipment, we moved to Woodland Coffee, and we extended our outdoor seating area. This was critical as our outdoor seating area gives great publicity, allows us to serve more tables but most importantly, it allows for a different atmosphere for dining and casual exchanges between our guests. It also allowed us to tap into the valuable ‘dog friendly’ customer too.”
How do you keep yourself motivated?
“Without question the number one motivator is working with a great team of people, some of our team has been with me since I first opened. Working with great people makes it all the easier to enjoy being busy. I also love chatting with my customers and being a part of the community. Keeping up with trends and investigating new products is also something I really enjoy.”
If you were advising someone starting out, what piece of advice would you give?
“You need to know how to do everything in your business, be that making cakes, knowing what great coffee should taste like, payroll, cashflow forecasting, the works!
You also need to be well funded; it takes time for the business to generate enough cash for it to sustain itself meeting the obligations of tax, staff and creditors. Make sure you understand how much money you need and how much you have during those first few years.Get a good child minder, at the beginning of my adventure I did not have any children but within 8 years I had 3 so family support and a good child minder is essential.
Be prepared to work hard, it’s a tough business but look for team members that want to grow with you and stay.
Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, I’ve got a lot of good advice from people over the years and I’m still grateful for it.”
We wish Patricia and her team the very best for the years ahead and congratulations on reaching a very significant 20 year birthday!
Best wishes
David and The Watermark TeamGold, Silver and Bronze wins in this year’s Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards.
Watermark Coffee win a Gold, Silver and Bronze place in this year’s Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards.
Blas na hEireann is often described as the Oscars for the Irish Food Industry and included over 3000 submissions from a wide range of artisanal and specialist food producers.
Of the two categories for coffee (multi-origin and single origin categories), our Green Ocean Carrickwee won the Gold with a 1st place win for the multi origin coffee. The Green Ocean Dorinish, which is a single origin from the Mutwiri coffee plantation in Kenya, won the silver medal with a second place win, and our Woodland Tibradden, which is also a single origin from Kenya came in with a 3rd place win.
Speaking about the result, David Lawlor of Watermark Coffee said “We are really delighted that these wonderful coffees have performed so well. In a very competitive market, with a lot of contenders in the competition, winning 3 out of 6 possible coffee awards is a fantastic result.”
The Green Ocean Carrickwee blend is a medium roast of speciality grade arabica beans sourced from Central America, Brazil and Kenya. We designed this coffee recipe to reflect the increasing sophistication of Irish consumers but also to ensure it has maximum appeal. It is not a huge surprise that it received the coveted first place win.
The Dorinish single origin from the coffee estate of Charles Mutwiri is a medium light roast but the earthiness of the Kenyan coffee gives more body with a nuanced sophisticated citrus and herbal flavour.
The Woodland Tibradden single origin coffee from Mt Kenya is roasted to medium light. This speciality grade coffee has been a huge success since it was launched in 2022.
Producing fantastic coffee with a meaningful environmental purpose is the essence of what Green Ocean Coffee and Woodland Coffee stand for.
If you would like to find out more about these excellent coffees, or to arrange a coffee tasting for your business or office, then please let us know by calling 01 4666 000or dropping us an email on info@watermark.ie
The new La Brillante from Gaggia Milano
Watermark Coffee are please to announce the inclusion of the La Brillante bean to cup coffee machine from Gaggia Milano into our range of high performance automatic coffee machines. La Brillante is ideal for office and hospitality businesses that need superior quality coffee made consistently without fuss.
Gaggia Milano have created a ‘statement’ machine, with a contemporary and minimalist look and feel that makes La Brillante stand out from the competition, both reaching out to new customers and impressing existing ones.
This machine in particular makes a positive, long-lasting impression on customers by adding value to the experience, thanks to its design, its user-friendly touchscreen interface; flexible drink customisation and energy saving mode.
The La Brillante is self cleaning with fully automated cleaning cycles that makes day to day maintenance of this coffee machine simple and straightforward. There is no requirement for machine parts to be disassembled for cleaning.
The user interface is an LED touch screen that allows the drink selection to be customised to include any combination of coffee and hot chocolate drinks but also allows for the user to make a stronger Americano or a more foamy cappuccino.
Ideal for locations that need to make up to 100 coffees per day, the La Brillante is sure to please. Watermark Coffee offer a range of leasing and rental options for the La Brillante from €150 plus vat per month.
All considered, the La Brillante is an outstanding coffee machine in terms of quality and value for money. if you would like to find out more or would like to arrange a demonstration, please drop us a line at info@watermark.ie or call us on 014666304
