Insomnia Coffee Company
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| Industry | Coffee Company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 (Ireland) |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Key people | Bobby Kerr (Chairman), Harry O Kelly (CEO) |
| Owner | Insomnia Ltd |
| Website |
www |
Insomnia Coffee Company is an Irish independent coffee chain.[1] The headquarters are based in Dublin. It was founded in 1997 by coffee entrepreneur Bobby Kerr. The first store location opened in a Galway bookstore. The company has over 100 stores and over 180 self-service units in operation around Ireland and have recently expanded to the UK market.
Insomnia stores serve both hot and cold drinks, fairtrade premium coffee, gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups, snacks, cakes and pastries. They also run seasonal campaigns throughout the year which introduces new products such as their red velvet hot chocolate at Christmas or the pumpkin spice latte during Autumn.
History
Insomnia grew from a single location in a Galway bookstore 1997 to an estate of 100 coffee shops[2] across high street and through partnerships with Spar and Eurospar in addition to other Irish Retailers such as Eason, Fresh, Meadows & Byrne, An Post, and most recently Heatons and Compass Catering. In addition the company has more than 180 self-service units in operation, both in Ireland and the UK. In 2003 the company merged with the gourmet sandwich company, Bendini & Shaw, to complement its beverages with food. In 2005 the Insomnia acquired the Perk cafes. The company is owned equally by chairman Bobby Kerr, CEO Harry O’Kelly, and John Clohisey.
In April 2012, the Insomnia High street franchise was launched and the process of recruiting new franchise owners began with a target of opening 15 franchise stores in 5 years. The first franchise store was opened in 2013, with additional franchise stores already in the pipeline. Currently the company is consolidating its position in Ireland while looking for further opportunities at home and abroad.
2015 saw the announcement of a new partnership with international retailer Debenhams, where Insomnia plans to open in a number of Debenhams outlets across the UK and Ireland. The first of these launched at Debenhams in the Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Cork. The Cork store was followed promptly by the first UK outlet opening in Rugby and the second UK outlet opening in Bradford in November.
Insomnia has also confirmed a partnership with Primark, an Irish-based retail business. In 2015, three Insomnia concession stores have been rolled out at Penneys in Waterford, Swords and Athlone.
Partnerships
Insomnia have partnered with a number of Irish Retailers, including Eason, Fresh, Meadows & Byrne, An Post, Heaton’s, Compass Catering and most recently in 2015 Londis, Primark and Debenhams. They also have partnerships with SPAR and EUROSPAR.
Expansion
2015 saw the expansion of Insomnia to the United Kingdom with three stores opening in Rugby, Bradford and Market Harborough.
Restaurants
Menu
The menu includes gourmet sandwiches; sandwich wedges, rolls, paninis, foccacias, flatbreads, thins, toasties, wraps and ciabattas. It also sells salads and soups. The soups are made from all natural ingredients and are made daily for the stores. Most of the soups are gluten free too.
The menu also comprises of a bakery and cakes range which include items such as scones, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, pastries, breads, flapjacks, cookies, brownies and bagels.
Products and Suppliers
Insomnia is 100% Irish owned and its strategy is to source their produce locally where possible, to support Irish firms and suppliers and to encourage growth in the domestic economy. The company launched a two month campaign in 2012 to encourage INSOMNIAs to "think Irish, buy Irish".
Their suppliers include Solaris tea, Broderick's Bars, Keogh's Crisps, Sweet Things, Lumley's Bakery, Soul Food and Flahavans.
Coffee Production
Insomnia Coffee has their own unique blend which is specially roasted for them weekly. The shorter the time between roasting and serving, the fresher, smoother and fuller flavoured the taste
Organisation and Operations
Staff
Insomnia baristas go through three levels of training. There is 50 hours of barista training behind every cup of coffee that is served. 87% of managers have started out their careers as a team member, as well as some progressing to head office.
Loyalty Scheme
Insomnia Coffee has its own loyalty scheme, called Insomnia Treats. Using a loyalty card, key fob or a mobile app, members can collect "beans" which allows them to get every 10th hot beverage for free, a Birthday treat as well as exclusive Insomnia Treats offers. For every euro spent, customers earn two beans - therefore points are gained at every purchase made by Insomnia customers. Points are added whenever a purchase is made, and the card, key fob or app is presented and swiped or scanned.
Fairtrade
Insomnia launched their 100% fairtrade coffee and tea in 2006. They sell over 18 million Fairtrade cups of coffee. With the steady and fair business generated by Insomnia, farmers and workers, from who they source their products from, are enabled to improve their working and living conditions. Moreover, Fairtrade encourages environmental protection.
Insomnia coffee is a balanced blend sourced from Colombia, Sumatra, Peru and Tanzania. Each time a customer purchases a coffee they are helping to make poverty history for many people in these countries. Fairtrade certification means that co-operatives get a fair price for their beans, thus allowing them to invest in better salaries, equipment and social projects.
Since 2009, during the Fairtrade Fortnight Isnomnia donate a percentage from each hot beverage sold to two nominated Insomnia Projects at the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union in Ethopia (OCFCU), and to Hekima Girls School in Bukoba, Tanzania.
The Insomnia fairtrade coffee is specially roasted weekly.
Sustainability and Environmental Policies
Keep Cup
Insomnia's takeaway KeepCup reduces landfill by saving all the disposable paper cups. Reduce and reuse is the motto of the KeepCup: by bringing your KeepCup into Insomnia for your favourite coffee, you contribute to their efforts in saving takeaway cups. To encourage and reward customers for using a keepcup, Insomnia rewards them with 5 extra beans to their Insomnia Treats account every they bring it in store.
Coffee Recycling
After Insomnia has brewed coffee, they recycle the used ground for environmental purposes. Customers have the option to take away free bags of the used coffee grounds. Using coffee grounds on plants and gardens is sustainable and beneficial. There are three ways to use coffee grounds on plants: for composting, as fertilizer and to control pests. Another great benefit is that the grounds are not added into landfill. So Insomnia achieve two benefits with one single action: helping customers nurture their soil and protecting the environment also.
See also
References
- ↑ "The best coffee gets a good roasting every week". Independent.ie. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Paul, Mark (21 March 2013). "Meet the mentor: Bobby Kerr of Insomnia Coffee Company". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
Further reading
- O'Connell, Hugh (10 May 2015). "Insomnia to open 15 new franchises and create 100 new jobs". Business ETC. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- Tuesday (18 January 2011). "Coffee shop displays calorie content of hot drinks and snacks in trial". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
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