I had the pleasure of chatting with Kiz (right), the Aussie behind the aptly named Thru The Green Coffee Co. in Windy Arbour and honestly one of the tastiest coffees in Dublin.
What is the story behind TTG and how did you become involved?
I had originally seen the idea of a drive thru coffee shop in Australia and thought it was great! It played on my mind for a long time and always thought of it as something that would work here. Jonathan (my partner in business and life) and I, travelled to Colombia and Panama back in 2013 taking the opportunity to visit the Fincas (coffee farms), chat to the farmers and get to know more about their story, the process and steps our coffee goes through whilst on the crop to cup journey. It’s a pretty amazing process.
A few years of hard work and preparation we were back in Dublin, putting our own spin on drive thru coffee and TTG was created. And we couldn’t be happier! We have great customers, amazing suppliers and have met so many people along the way that are hugely creative, clever and couldn’t be more thankful to those who were happy to help us turn our vision into a reality.
Why did you start the coffee shop?
I wanted to chance to create my own culture, a way of life for our customers and staff alike.
Being from Sydney, what brought you to Dublin?
I moved here originally on a work transfer (management consulting firm). After the year I truly loved Dublin and the Irish way of life. Sydney no longer offered the same sparkle as it did before. I missed the ‘chats’, the importance of people having time for each other, and the ease and quality of life here. So I quit my job and moved back to be a part of TTG.
Why a shipping container?
I love how practical the container is, eco friendly and adheres to our green/eco values.
Plus, it’s so pretty!!
When I first laid eyes on this container it was love at first site. Maybe a little expensive for our budget, but it was perfect.
What would your average day look like now?
An average day starts at 6am, up and ready to turn the coffee machine on at 6.30am. We open the doors at 7am and often have people waiting on the dot, so snoozing the alarm is no longer an option.
Our hustle and bustle is mostly finished by 11.30 when its either a ‘shop day’ or an ‘admin day’. A shop day means a day serving up delicious coffees until 4pm (cleaning and closed by 4.30), whereas an admin day changes each day. It might be working on our social media/online strategy, doing the bookwork, orders, writing a bio for the UCD Innovation workshops, chatting with our team to wrack their brains on what new products or suggestions they have or even heading to a Garden Centre for some new plants to go on our green wall.
What part of the job do you enjoy the most?
The ‘chats’, we know the majority of our customers personally and many of them will hang around and chat to us as we work away preparing coffees. For me this is why I wanted to create a business and I am so happy it’s come into fruition. We all need strong communities. We have an amazing team, we are super lucky they are all bright and happy people, whom are lovely to work alongside.
What part of the job do you loath the most?
The bookkeeping. I love seeing the data, but Xero accounting software and I aren’t friends.
What would be your perfect food day in Dublin?
Brunch at Bibi’s, Portobello.
Coffee at Thru the Green.
Dinner at Forest Avenue.
Being a food app I’ve gotta ask… do you ever get takeaways?
Of course! Friday night after a long week, to chill at home with a takeaway and glass of wine there is often nothing better. Little Jerusalem was the last one. Gotta love their Hummus.
What advice would you give yourself before setting up the business?
Take time to smell the roses, you are better at your job when chilled and relaxed. And, don’t forget to celebrate the small wins. It’s easy to fall into the trap of continually striving for more and not appreciating how far you have come from Day 1.
Do you have plans to expand to another location?
Hopefully, we also don’t want to rush anything.
What’s next for you?
I’m actually off to Australia for a wedding in December, so our next big thing is for me to step away and let our fab team run the show for December.
I think this will be a bigger challenge for me rather than them, as it’s always tough to let go. Looking toward 2016, we hope to set up a TTG2.
Where can we find you online?
Our website is www.thruthegreencoffeeco.com or we are active on social media through Facebook or Twitter
Thanks Kiz and best of luck with TTG!
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