Imbibe Coffee Roasters

30/04/2026

Tomorrow marks 8 years since we started as a coffee roaster. As a business we now commit to giving 4% of all of our revenue (not just profits) every year. This is split by giving up 3% to good causes and sharing an additional 1% with staff on top of salary and bonuses. This has equated to over 30% of our profits in each of the last 3 years,

This commitment began in 2108. In that year we gave up 1% of all our revenue to .aid and as we grew, the percentage we gave also grew. It’s our model. The more we earn, the more we give. It’s both viable and sustainable.

Some years back we decided we’d increase the 1% we give to Women’s Aid all year round to 10% of all website sales on Bank holiday weekends. This means we end up going a little over 1% with them which resulted in us donating over €20,000 last year. We hope to do at least the same this year.

I think we’re all very aware of the issues surrounding late stage capitalism. It’s coming into more focus now with rapid AI advances, as large corporations fire the workers who helped them succeed in the pursuit of ever increasing profit. We wish to be the opposite of this. We’re proof it doesn’t have to be this way.

We stopped taking on wholesale almost 2 years ago. We’re a small business trying our best to focus on quality. We’d love your help in spreading word of our business model. You can do that not by buying our coffee but by telling your friends how we’re run. My hope is that even a small element of how we’re run will be copied by a large business and the only way to do that is by increasing awareness.

If you’ve gotten this far then thank you for reading and Happy Birthday to us!

29/04/2026

27/04/2026

A long overdue post about our newest staff member, Ian .

He’s been with us just over 6 months now and has slotted in seamlessly. I’d imagine it can feel slightly awkward joining any new team, particularly ours when we’ve all been here so long. Paul and Aidan are here since we started roasting. Monika joined not long after and Conall has also racked up quite a few years too. It’s a tribute to Ian how easily he’s fitted in.

He’s a person who is really easy to get along with. He’s easy going, sharp as a tack and didn’t really need any training. He had so much prior experience in coffee that he knew exactly what to do from day one. He also brought a skillset we didn’t have in terms of IT knowledge. He’s taken complete control of our website and now also manages our Instagram account - we’re sorry about that one Ian...

We’ll be 8 years as a coffee roaster this coming Friday and the only person to leave Imbibe emigrated so I’d formally like to welcome Ian to the Hotel California. He’s not allowed leave... except for holidays.

Oh and and almost Happy Birthday to us!

10/02/2026

Last year we increased the 3.5% of all revenue we give up to 4%. Part of this was done by way of 4 x €2,500 “local grants”. These grants went to events and organisations in the community we wanted to support.

This year, we’re giving the grants to the same people but increasing the value to €4000. The first of these has gone to the Solas Project in Dublin 8 who do amazing work with underprivileged kids. I’m not sure some of us realise how difficult life can be for others and Solas do amazing work. Please check out all they do at www.solasproject.com and here

In addition to the above this year we’ll continue to give:

1% of all our revenue to .aid
1% to a bridge building program
1% to our staff on top of salary and bonus
Over half a tonne of coffee between 3 local hospitals

This isn’t charity but a business model. I hope it’s transparent and holds us to account. I’m not sure if there’s a better way to do it but we’re trying to put our money where our mouth is and we’d love to see a large business copy us.

02/01/2026

At the beginning of 2025 we decided to try to push the 3.5% of all revenue we gave up the previous year to 4%. We’re delighted to say we’ve achieved this with a little bit to spare.

This isn’t charity but a business model. I hope it’s transparent and holds us to account. I’m not sure if there’s a better way to do it but we’re trying to put our money where our mouth is.

So many words associated with trying to do the right things have lost all meaning. “CSR”, “sustainability” etc have been co-opted by large scale corporations whose marketing departments make intangible promises that are difficult to track. We wish to be the opposite of this.

Below is a breakdown of how our model worked in 2025.

€20,281 was given to .aid

€18,000 went to a bridge building program at a co-op we buy from in Colombia

€19,304 went to local and additional origin projects

€18,000 went to a 5 person staff bonus pool on top of standard salary/bonuses

60 x 250 gram bags of coffee donated weekly between three local hospitals

My hope for 2026 is that people make more conscious purchasing decisions. As consumers, it’s the greatest power we have and the only way to hold big business to account.

We’d very much like to thank you all for your continued support and wish you all a brilliant 2026!

Imbibe Coffee Roasters

07/12/2025

We’ve a favour to ask that will cost you absolutely nothing but will perhaps bring you some joy!

Many of us enjoy TV, film, music, literature, the theatre but in a busy world, you’ve perhaps found yourself wasting a couple of hours on a Netflix show that turns out to be a bit rubbish. A good filter for these things is a useful tool.

A few weeks ago we announced our sponsorship of the . It’s a culture show hosted by arts journalists and (Aoife Barry). Aoife and Lauren both have amazing cv’s which stretch across TV, radio and print. The guys put a lot of work into this podcast but we as listeners get to hear it for free. It’s how much of the world works these days and it’s not something we often consider. Podcasts rely on subscribers/listeners and if they attract enough of these they can then seek sponsorships and advertisers. That’s the only avenue to getting an actual income for all the hard work.

This is a show I had on my podcast rotation even before I met Aoife and Lauren to discuss sponsorship. It’s a genuinely good listen. Last Monday’s episode delved into Pluribus (the best show on TV right now), Comedian Joanne McNally, Dublin Gothic at The Abbey and a whole pile of other stuff including some really good guest interviews.

It’d be really great if you can do me, the guys and yourselves a favour. You might follow the guys here and add the show to your pod rotation. It’s miserable outside today so perhaps do yourself a kindness, make a coffee and listen to last week’s episode. It’s a good one and gives a flavour of what the show is all about. You’ll be supporting two of the nicest freelance journalists in Ireland.

04/12/2025

In 2024 in addition to the 3% of all revenue we give up as part of our business model we decided to add 4 x €2,500 grants to local projects doing great things.

This year, we’ll push what we give up to 4% of all revenue.

Local projects we’ve given to have included among others, the and a weightlifting competition in aid of Barretstown.

Another one of these grants went to and for very good reason. We are increasingly living in a time of disinformation with many getting their news from social media. I’m sure we’ve all had people tell us things that we immediately know to be untrue that they’ve read on platforms such as “X”. There are some truly insane takes out there at present that people are taking at face value. It’s not good.

The guys at Dublin Inquirer provide the complete opposite to this in that they actually report unvarnished facts. They are a local, community newspaper, based in the Liberties, that scouts out and reports articles across the city that you can’t read anywhere else. They cover things that affect our lives every day: housing, transport, community safety, the environment, and more. They’re journalist-owned and journalist-run, and take more of a public-service approach than a profit-driven one.

We fully support all of this and it would be great if you could too. You can find all of their news at www.dublininquirer.com and it’d be really helpful if you could subscribe. Please, if you can, try to support good local things that help communities. It’s important.

04/12/2025

In 2024 in addition to the 3% of all revenue we give up as part of our business model we decided to add 4 x €2,500 grants to local projects doing great things.

This year, we’ll push what we give up to 4% of all revenue.

Local projects we’ve given to have included among others, the and a weightlifting competition in aid of Barretstown.

Another one of these grants went to and for very good reason. We are increasingly living in a time of disinformation with many getting their news from social media. I’m sure we’ve all had people tell us things that we immediately know to be untrue that they’ve read on platforms such as “X”. There are some truly insane takes out there at present that people are taking at face value. It’s not good.

The guys at Dublin Inquirer provide the complete opposite to this in that they actually report unvarnished facts. They are a local, community newspaper, based in the Liberties, that scouts out and reports articles across the city that you can’t read anywhere else. They cover things that affect our lives every day: housing, transport, community safety, the environment, and more. They’re journalist-owned and journalist-run, and take more of a public-service approach than a profit-driven one.

We fully support all of this and it would be great if you could too. You can find all of their news at www.dublininquirer.com and it’d be really helpful if you could subscribe.

26/11/2025

It’s our 6th year posting this message. This year, like all others since we started selling coffee on our site, we won’t be engaging in Black Friday. Instead we’ll be increasing the usual 1% of all income we donate to .aid to 10% over this weekend.

Black Friday started out as a day, became a weekend and is now very much marketed as a week. It’s not much different from Amazon Prime Day which also became a week and is also a money grab by big business.

No shade on anyone who gets involved in this. There can be a lot of pressure to do so. As a small business, we just can’t compete with large brands. We don’t want to. Small businesses bring something unique to communities that larger ones seldom do. Many are closing and the last thing they need is to face pressure to slash prices when the deck is already stacked against them.

This weekend, instead of buying something you probably don’t need at a discount that’s probably made up, try to buy something from a small independent. You’ll be helping. Jeff Bezos doesn’t need your money.

In 2025 we:

Gave 1% of ALL our revenue to .aid

Gave 1% of ALL we earn to build a bridge building program at

Gave 1% of all we earn to staff on top of salary and bonus.

Gave 4 x €2500 grants to local projects.

Paid part timers above the living wage.

Your support helps us do these things and we’d like to thank you.

Imbibe Coffee Roasters

23/11/2025

I was out of work 17 years ago. I watched a documentary one evening about coffee farmers and trade unions in Ethiopia and decided I’d start a coffee business. It was just me and a van. It was a genuine struggle for a very long time.

Fast forward quite a few years and it’s genuinely lovely to see us listed by as one of 50 great Irish brands.

We’ll always be a small independent business. It’s nice to be recognised for the quality of coffee we put out but also for our attempts to run the business in an authentic and transparent way.

Genuine thanks to anyone who buys from us and to those who tell others about our business model. Word of mouth has helped us so much. We really do appreciate it.

Never underestimate timing, luck and persistence.

Imbibe Coffee Roasters