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Author: watermark
Woodland Coffee Plantation Update
Patricija, Sean and I recently visited our Woodland Coffee plantation located between the villages of Oola and Pallasgreen in Co. Limerick. A glorious day with sunshine allowed for a great perspective on what is happening with the trees.
The site is a 30 acre mixed woodland plantation of deciduous and conifer trees. The native Irish Alder is the tree that has grown the most since the site was planted with 27,000 trees in November 2021; these have doubled in size. We have been fortunate to have had a mild spring in 2022 and 2023 as frost in late spring can cause significant dieback to new growth and often kills the young trees.
There are a number of water courses that traverse the land, and these are starting to rewild with lots of wildlife (an abundance of frog spawn!) and ground nesting birds shrieking overhead as we got closer to their nests.
The Woodland Coffee project was prefunded in the sense that we purchased the land and committed to planting the trees before a single cup of Woodland Coffee was made.
The Woodland Coffee project has been so satisfying as before we got involved, these 30 acres were sitting idle with occasional grazing being organised by a local farmer. Now we have a Woodland plantation that is sequestering carbon and creating a habitat for a host of wildlife.
The real heroes of this project are our customers who are as enthusiastic about Woodland Coffee and its ethos as we are, for this we are very grateful and thank you.
If you would like to find out more about the Woodland Coffee project, please see www.woodlandcoffee.ie or drop up a line.
All the best!
David
Introducing the Gaggia La Dea 1 group coffee machine
New from Gaggia Milano is the La Dea 1 group traditional barista coffee machine. This is a smart looking coffee machine aimed at premium locations that want to make their coffee a star of the show. La Dea, meaning ‘Star’; combines tradition, innovation with a refined retro style. Ideal for locations such as concept stores, cocktail bars, offices and small restaurants and if you’re lucky enough, your house!
The functionality of Gaggia La Dea includes a 1.5-liter boiler, a 120-cc heat exchanger and a 2 litre internal water tank. These ensure lots of steam capacity as well as boiling water for Americano and tea.
Other features include a touch screen colour LCD display that allows the machine parameters to be displayed and adjusted. These include setting and checking the boiler performance as well as timing the length of coffee extraction. Another convenient feature of La Dea is a programmable on / off switch. No more waiting for coffee in the morning!
Design and functionality are the two cornerstones of La Dea. This is revealed both in the meticulous and uncompromising choice of its materials – mainly stainless steel – and in its avant-garde technological solutions, which guarantee the optimum performance of La Dea and the unrivalled quality of the coffee it produces.
Aficionados will recognise the subtle nuances that are reminiscent of Gaggia’s iconic 1950’s models, such as the old fashioned knobs that activate the steam wand and the hot water spout; the stainless-steel group head and a classic manual levetta for measuring the espresso pour. Elegant, robust and functional, La Dea impresses at first sight.
The insiders view
So that’s the sales pitch. I have used the La Dea every morning for the past 6 weeks to make my cup of joe (Americano made from Green Ocean Dorinish single origin for me) and….. I like the machine. The coffee is brewed softly, no burning or over extraction which to me is the most important thing. The shot timer is dead handy and the digital reading of the boiler is also very useful to know when the machine is ready. There is also ample power from the steam wand for silky latte art milk and the commercial boiler system allow simultaneous steaming and espresso brewing. The group head is positioned a little low down so if you want to use a mug you’ll need to brew into shot glasses or a normal coffee cup.
If you’re into coffee or just want a mega stylish piece of kitchen furniture, it is definitely worth a closer look.
Find out more about the Gaggia La Dea at our showroom in Citywest, Dublin or call us on 01 4666304
Launching Green Ocean Coffee
At Watermark, we are committed to running our business in a way that minimises our environmental impact. This is an unrelenting process that requires a lot of thought and vigilance but we’re up for the challenge!! As a person who has always been deeply interested in the natural world, I feel that our business has an opportunity to do more than just minimise our environmental impact in a way that is meaningful, transparent, and measurable.
From Woodland Coffee (and 27,000 trees later)
Buoyed on by the success and response to our Woodland Coffee initiative, launched in 2020, I felt that I wanted to do a project that involves my love of coffee and the sea. After 3 years, which involved a lot of research, planning, scrapping plans, starting over, more research, negotiating, refinement of ideas, the output of this process is a new coffee brand called Green Ocean Coffee.
Making Green Ocean Coffee a reality!
While getting to this stage has not been straightforward; the idea behind Green Ocean Coffee is simple; for each bag of Green Ocean Coffee purchased, 1 square metre of seabed will be restored to promote the development of oyster and sea grass reefs in Clew Bay Co Mayo, Ireland. We have partnered with Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op to restore 180 hectares of ancient fishing grounds in Clew Bay which are now closed to fishing and are designated as special areas of conservation (SAC). The restoration involves creating a habitat that allows for oysters, and in turn seagrass to re-establish. This habitat is wonderful for expanding biodiversity as oyster reefs and seagrass beds provide excellent nursery grounds for juvenile fish and marine invertebrates. Below is a video introduction on Green Ocean Coffee. There is a lot more information on the website www.greenoceancoffee.ie (Click here to link)
The Coffee itself
We have selected a different style of coffee for our Green Ocean blends favouring more medium and lighter roasts that are a combination of single origin and multi farm blends. The coffee is sourced directly from the coffee farmer, and we have chosen these based on quality but also for the progressive production and sustainability values that the farmers represent. I invite you to read about these farmers like Charles Mutwiri in Kenya who is a changemaker in terms of developing a profitable business that provide opportunities for his community while also championing female participation in the coffee industry.
Apart from amazing coffee, this is a truly wonderful project on so many levels. The oceans play such an important role in regulating the earth’s temperature and in absorbing atmospheric carbon. Sea grass and shellfish play a pivotal role in sequestering carbon at a speed which is unrivalled by the rainforest or anywhere else in the natural world. A healthy coastal habitat is critical in decarbonising food production and provides a focal point for tourism that benefits everyone.
We have had tremendous help from our friends in Ocean Divers, namely Monica Schaefer, Willie Siddel and Brian Murphy, Geoff Robinson in Bord Iascaigh Mhara and of course Alex Blackwell and Michael Mulloy of Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op. Their enthusiasm and knowledge have helped make Green Ocean Coffee a reality.
Green Ocean Coffee is a positive environmental action initiative aimed at ‘changemaker’ businesses that want amazing speciality grade coffee but also want to make a meaningful and measurable difference. If you think Green Ocean Coffee would suit you and your office or cafe, then we would love to hear from you so we can arrange a coffee tasting and you can find out more about us and Green Ocean Coffee. If you just want a bag to try at home then click here for the shop. I really hope that you can get behind this super project and be apart of this exciting journey.
David Lawlor, CEO
Like to get involved? This is why you should!
Introducing the Saeco Magic Bean to Cup Coffee Machine
We are thrilled to add the Saeco Magic to our range of automatic bean to cup machines. The Saeco Magic illustrates how advanced small tabletop coffee machines have become with perfect espresso and silky milk foam, the Saeco Magic delivers over and above expectations.
The highlights of this machine for me are:
- The coffee quality is superb, the espresso has a rich golden colour and the milk is texturised to a beautiful microfoam consistency, this is helped along by a larger the average brewing chamber of 15g. Americano is made properly using hot water and espresso which gives the americano a lighter vibrant flavour.
- Automated cleaning cycles that are easy to follow and require minimal involvement from the user. The menu has options to carry out a full clean or just a rinse setting which is really handy.
- The touch screen makes using the machine easy to navigate and customisable.
- The Magic is really versatile; its small and compact so it will fit ideally in any office canteen. It has a water reservoir and a wastewater holder so there is no need for a freshwater mains connection or a waste pipe.
- It has an A enegy rating with energy saving mode.
There is a very nice video (which is perhaps a bit long) that gives insight into the look, style and features of this wonderful little machine.
The machine is available to purchase from as little as €60 plus vat per month. If you would like to find out more, please let us know by calling us on 01 4666304 or dropping us a line on info@watermark.ie
Christmas Opening Hours & Delivery Cut-Offs
The festive season is fast approaching, and we would like to make you aware of delivery cut-offs and our Christmas opening hours.
The last date for placing orders for delivery before Christmas is Monday 19th December 2022. Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate your requirements during this very busy period, orders placed after this date run the risk of being delivered later in the month.
Please note while orders will be dispatched on the above dates, next working day delivery is not guaranteed during the festive period.The office will be returning to normal hours from Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
Please note our breakdown and emergency helpline, 01 4666304, is fully operational throughout the entire Christmas period. Should you need assistance simply call 01 4666304 and select option 1 and wait momentarily and you will be transferred to an engineer.
We wish you a successful trading period in the run up to Christmas and if you have any questions or queries, please feel free to get in touch.
Kind Regards
The Watermark Team
How we reduced our electricity usage by over 50%
With 47% of Ireland’s electricity generation in October 2022 coming from wind generation (as reported by the Irish Times) it does seem as if we’re getting somewhere in moving away from our reliance on fossil fuels. This is truly fantastic news and hopefully we can improve on this in the months and years ahead.
At Watermark we believe that individual action is also essential in playing our part in tackling climate change and we are ardent advocates that every action makes a difference, no matter how small.
We installed solar panels on our warehouse roof in July 2021, the motivation for making this investment at the time was not to lower our reported carbon footprint, as we were already using green electricity from Airtricity. Nor was it financial, as the payback at the time was 8 years. The motivating rationale was to do with the sustainable concept of ‘additionality’. By installing solar panels, we are reducing our reliance on the national electricity grid allowing this green electricity to be used elsewhere in the economy reducing the requirement for fossil fuel to power electricity generation.
On our most recent Airtricity bill, we have reduced the electricity we used from the grid by 50.3% over the 6 months from April to October 2022 when compared to April to October 2021. This gives us great satisfaction. While this single reduction is insignificant in the overall scheme of COP and the Paris Agreement, imagine if most businesses in Ireland were able to achieve a similar reduction? It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination!
The Cost of Coffee
Those involved in the coffee trade over the past 2 years and have seen gyrations to the coffee price that were previously inconceivable. The worldwide supply of coffee has reduced due to damage from late frosts in Brazil in May 2020 combined with the covid difficulties in productivity and shipping. Brazil who are the world’s largest coffee producer, at 2.4m tonnes, has more impact on coffee price and supply that any other producer.
The net effect of this is a reduction in available supply of coffee for export and accordingly a steady and continuous rise in green bean coffee prices. In July 2019 the traded price for arabica green beans was USD$2.99 per kg, this had increased to USD$5.84 by February 2022. For those of us in the coffee importing countries, this is a significant price increase which makes us look at our own businesses and decide what we need to do to stay competitive while offering our customers an attractive proposition.
But before we blame climate change and covid for our woes, it’s worth looking at this from the coffee producing nations’ perspective. Up until 2019, there was an oversupply of green bean coffee (primarily from Brazil). As a result, the price of coffee was steadily falling; in economic terms, coffee is considered to have ‘inelastic demand’ (as the price of green bean coffee drops this does not lead to similar increases in demand) but the price is hugely influenced by the amount of supply. The reasons for the steady price decrease occurred due to the rapid rise in production capacity (in Brazil), slower growth in coffee consumption (most people don’t drink more coffee because it’s cheaper), excess power by the major coffee roasters and a depreciation of the Brazilian Real against the US Dollar.
The net effect of this was calamitous for smaller producing countries (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Honduras, Columbia etc) who are almost always in the developing world and are hugely dependent on exporting green bean coffee to fund the basic running of their countries. For the farmers themselves, this resulted in communities adopting ‘coping strategies’ that include reducing the maintenance on coffee plants, reduced expenditure on health, education and so on. The governments of coffee producing countries did try and club together to set up minimum price per kg but these have largely been unsuccessful due to the temptation to break ranks.
So in May 2020, the Brazilian coffee crop has a fright, the challenge of Covid put pressure on previously efficient supply channels and the western coffee drinking world had to stop and rethink their strategy. Smaller coffee producing counties come back into focus as the prices look reasonable. At Watermark we are no different, we launched our Tibradden single origin blend from Kenya at the beginning of the year and the coffee has been a great addition to our Woodland Coffee range.
Who knows what will happen over the next few years but what has happened recently to the price of coffee probably reflects an inherent fairness. The price increases seen of recent times merely reflects a more equitable situation whereby growers are getting a better deal.
Getting your coffee just right
Whether you are a home coffee enthusiast or operate in a busy café, ensuring you get the best from your coffee and coffee equipment demands vigilance.
In no particular order; the top tips to help you get the most of your coffee and your espresso machine are:
1 Make sure your machine is clean, serviced and working correctly
Backflushing the shower disk and group head is essential to ensure that the espresso flavours are vibrant and are not tainted with stale coffee oils which can give a smokey after taste to the coffee. Use espresso machine detergent tablets or powder and follow the instructions in terms of the correct dose for each group. Overdosing detergent powder can cause the brew valve to block, so be careful.
Adhere to the recommended service interval, this will both save money in terms of catching things like water filters that require changing. It is also a chance to recalibrate the machine settings if they require adjustment and replace wear and tear parts which are vital to ensure the coffee machine is operating correctly.
2 Calibrate your grinder to ensure you get perfect coffee flavour extraction
Espresso that is brewed too fast or too slow ruins the flavour extraction. The grinder is key to regulating the flow and making sure that this is running perfectly is essential in delivering quality coffee. We have several ‘How To’ videos that demonstrate how to adjust the grinders we use. Click here to see the range of videos
3 Buy good quality coffee
Matching your coffee choice with your budget is essential; try and pick coffee that is either 100% Arabica or close to it. Not all coffee is created equally and there are still some terrible coffee beans for sale in the market. All the Watermark coffee bean blends that we sell are high grade speciality espresso Arabica.
4 Keep an eye on your measurements
Making sure that each of your coffee drinks have a balanced flavour is key here. Once you are happy that you have achieved this balance for the cup size, record and compare regularly:
- the amount of coffee being dosed from the grinder,
- the amount of water is being extracted through the espresso shot
5 Keep your beans fresh and free from oxidisatio
For the most part, coffee beans are now packed with nitrogen infusion which dramatically helps in eliminating oxidisation when the coffee beans are sealed in their bag. The real harm from oxidisation occurs when the bags are open, and the beans are sitting in the bean hopper for longer than they should. Ideally try and keep the amount of beans exposed to the air as low as possible, storing the remaining beans in an airtight container. Using a ‘grind on demand’ grinder really helps with preventing oxidisation with ground coffee.
6 Avoid overheating your milk when making cappuccino, latte and flat white
This can be a tricky one to gauge as some people like their latte made with very hot milk. In Italy, cappuccino / latte is served at about 62/63 degrees centigrade which would be largely unacceptable to most people here. I like my flat white made to about 66 to 67 degrees as it allows the coffee and milk flavours to complement each other. Avoid going over 72 degrees as the milk starts to burn at this temperature and the steamed milk loses its consistency and flavour. I usually recommend operators to gauge the temperature with their hand placed (outside) on the side of the jug as it’s being steamed and turn the wand off when it’s hot. If you’re unsure of when this is, then a milk thermometer can be useful.
7 Keep an eye on your water quality
I had a customer in Northern Scotland who used to claim that his water was the magic ingredient; his coffee did taste wonderful! As you would expect, water quality plays a large role in coffee flavour. While it can be difficult to change your mains water supply, you can invest in water filtration to ensure you are getting the best from it.
For our commercial customers I recommend that those making coffee for customers have a coffee every day from their machine and really concentrate on how it tastes. This daily routine helps identify anything that might need adjustment or attention. If you would like to find out more, please drop us a line at info@watermark.ie
All the best
David
Moving to Solar Power Generation
Last July we installed solar panels on the roof of our office and warehouse in Citywest. With only 8 months of data so far (and most of this during the Autumn and Winter) we have generated almost 11 megawatts of electricity to power our operations. This equates to almost 5 tonnes of CO2 being avoided if we were using electricity from the grid and represents over 50% of our electricity needs for the period. We expect this to increase further as the Summer time approaches.
This is a small amount of C02 prevention in the global scheme of things but it’s a significant one for the individual or a small business like ours. We are very happy with it and pleased to have made the investment necessary.
We are continually looking at ways to make our business operations less damaging to our environment. Our Woodland Coffee initiative gives our customers the opportunity to make small decisions that have a real and lasting impact on climate change, would you like to make a difference with us?
#onesmallchange #woodlandcoffee
Increasing footfall in a coffee business
With more and more new cafes opening, the challenge for a lot of cafes is how to hold on to and attract customers in the door. While there is no single panacea; it’s an accumulation of doing a lot right that keeps people coming back and talking about your coffee business. When all is said and done, the personal recommendation is key whether by word of mouth or on-line in getting customers coming through the door. While this is not a definitive list of suggestions, hopefully it might get you thinking about some of the solutions that might work for your situation.
Quality is key
Having amazing coffee and coffee equipment will unfortunately not guarantee amazing coffee. Coffee grinder calibration, coffee machine cleaning and barista skill all play a pivotal role and these need to be monitored closely. The best way I find is to taste the coffee every day to check that it is tasting the way I need it to. I find that that this requires a little more that taking a coffee ‘on the run’ but more a ‘sit down’ and concentrate on what flavours are coming through.
Try and personalise your business.
Your business is very likely very personal to you as mine is to me. Given the volume of customers that come through your door every day, It can be difficult to give all your customers a personalised experience that feels genuine but if you can start with one customer at a time, it builds up fast. Rather than talking at your customers, try and get them to talk to you. Sometimes this is as simple as asking them – ‘How are you?’ Whatever approach you think works for you, give it a go and see the reaction!
Be easily found
Claim your business on Google, Yelp and Trip Advisor. Listing your coffee shop’s ‘Business Profile’ correctly in Google is a great way to ensure people searching for a café or restaurant p in your area can quickly find out all they want to know, via Google Search or Google Maps. Claiming your business is free. Make sure that you complete every section of your profile, including opening hours, your address, phone number and a link to your website if you have one.
Asking for feedback and reviews
Increasing the number of reviews on google, trip advisor and yelp is a really great way of increasing your relevance on Google. Getting people to leave a review can be difficult as people are busy. Just remember most people want to say something positive. Try and respond to all reviews even the ones you’re not happy with.
Have something interesting to engage your customers with.
Over the past year, many of our Woodland Coffee customers have been telling their customers how many trees have been planted and the expected CO2 that is expected to be sequestered from the coffee sales at their café. Usually this is as simple as putting it on a chalk board. This is a really great way of getting a message across that is specific to the café and their customers.
If you would like to find out more about Woodland Coffee or how we can help, please drop us email oninfo@watermark.ieor call us on 01 4666304.
