Focus Friday – James Coffey and Bean Delivered

By Melanie May

Talk about nominative determinism! James Coffey is the founder of Bean Delivered, a coffee subscription service that delivers the best in Irish roasted coffee to your door.

We sat down with James to find out more about his bean business and to chat all things coffee.

Who is behind Bean Delivered?

Bean Delivered is run by myself, James Coffey. You could say Coffey by name, coffee by nature!

Ha! I’m sure you get that a lot.

So, tell us a bit about what Bean Delivered is and does?

Bean Delivered is the Irish roasted coffee monthly subscription service. We work solely with Irish coffee roasters all over the country to deliver the best in Irish roasted coffee to our customers every month. Whether that coffee comes from Dublin or Dingle, Sligo or Celbridge, we send it from the roaster straight to your door.

It’s a simple idea with a simple goal. Get people to drink better coffee.

What made you decide to set up Bean Delivered. What was the inspiration?

Bean Delivered came from me and a friend at work always buying and trying different coffees from different roasters. A couple of times we forgot to do this and looked for an Irish company who could supply us, which there wasn’t. We figured that other people must be the same as us, wanting to try different coffees all the time, and the idea for Bean Delivered was born.

How do you choose your roasters?

By trying loads of coffee! Every couple of weeks I’ll order coffee from a few different roasters to try myself at home or with some friends. Then I’ll reach out to the roaster, arrange a visit for a chat and take it from there.

And how is it all going for you so far?

It’s going good. Christmas was great for Bean Delivered. Our coffee subscriptions and gift boxes sold really well. Probably because a gift of 6 months of coffee for €100 is a great deal!

Month to month we have a good number of subscribers and it grows steadily month-on-month, which is great.

That’s what we like to hear!

So, tell us, what makes Bean Delivered unique and stand out?

The Irishness of it. Bean Delivered is as much about promoting the roaster and their coffee as it is about delivering it each month. Every month we try to visit the roaster, shoot an interview and have a chat about coffee. Nobody else is doing this or showcasing the amazing work Irish roasters are doing. And it really is amazing.

You can read more about the Irish coffee roasters on the Bean Delivered blog.

Tell us about the favourite part of what you do and why?

I have three favourite parts.

One is when we visit the roaster and just sit around talking about coffee for hours. It’s a great industry to be in and all the roasters are so accommodating and really sound!

Second is when all our customers get their coffee and tell us what they think of it. The variance in people’s taste is incredible.

And third is all the great coffee I get to taste.

That must be a great buzz. Ha!

What do you think of Irish coffee culture and how is it different from other places you have visited?

I think the coffee culture in Ireland has changed a lot over recent years and people are more conscious about what they are drinking. Local, independent coffee shops are doing well despite the grip the big chains have on the industry and prime locations. There’s still a big education piece needed around coffee though, I think. A good cup of coffee is easy to make at home and if you are spending €3 a cup in Starbucks or Insomnia every day you’re doing your pocket no favours. A bag of coffee via Bean Delivered will cost you €20 a month and should get you at least 15 cups, that’s just over €1.30 a cup. Fifteen cups in a chain will cost you about €45. And it doesn’t take long to brew up a coffee at home either.

I’m buying, what is your coffee of choice?

I’m an espresso fan. Generally, I’ll have one in the morning before I leave the house and another in the office.

Describe your most favourite or memorable coffee experience?

My favourite coffee experience was in Colombia when we visited a coffee farm and got to see how the process works and drank some of the coffee they produced there with the farmer.

What tips would you give to someone who wants to start up their own coffee business in Ireland?

Do your research and know your market. Reading Colin Harmon’s (3fe) “What I know about running coffee shops” is a good place to start.