JAVA REPUBLIC, The Roastery,
510 Mitchelstown Road, Northwest
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15.
Tel: 01 8809300. www.javarepublic.com
Atoastto
the roast
Havingrecentlymovedtoalarger
premises,JavaRepublicaspires
tosetworldstandardsincarbon-
neutralroastingandisstrongly
focusedontheecoagenda
‘Our new roastery will
drive growth through the
complete brand experience
of our hand-roasting process
and manufacturing’
David McKernan
EARLY ten years since it was originally Thenewpremiseshasresultedinanincreaseincapac- most economical and technologically advanced means to
N
founded, Java Republic Roasting Company ityby250pc.“Thishascreatedachallengeforusintheman- produceelectricitythatis100pcgreenanddoesnotimpact
has settled into a new 26,000 sq foot plant ufacturingsideofourbusinesswithregardtoefficiencyand negatively on the environment,” notes McKernan.
in Ballycoolin in Dublin, with the aim of good practice. All practical measures have been taken in “We also actively sought through the design of the
being the world’s first carbon-neutral coffee roaster, installationofthenewequipmenttoensuremaximumeffi- building to maximise the passive solar gains through
according to its CEO, David McKernan. ciency in terms of our carbon footprint,” McKernan says. insulation,attemptingtomakeitasairtightaspossibleby
With about 1,200 accounts in Ireland and the UK, Java “Itwouldbefairtosayit’seasierandmorecosteffective using ventilation correctly, thus avoiding heat loss.
Republicusesdistributorstoserverestaurants,cafes,hos- inanewbuildingfromthepointofviewofsite-basedcar- “Inaddition,wehaveagoodsitepositionintermsofgeo-
pitalsanduniversitieswithfreshcoffee,teas,chocolate,bis- bon-neutral options. It’s always more straightforward graphicplacementtotakeadvantageofdaylight.Wehave
cuits, sugar and coffee equipment. when starting from scratch, especially in terms of min- a huge expanse of glass and we concentrated on the lay-
In 2007, the company raised ¤1m through a Business imising energy consumption and carbon emissions.” outtomaximisethepassivesolargains.Throughthis,we
Expansion Scheme and was backed with ¤6m from Bank But, what does this actually mean in practical terms? have reduced our heating costs.”
of Ireland to build its new premises in Ballycoolin. The Firstly, as part of Java Republic’s energy programme, the Apart from ethical business practices and energy man-
building is essentially a coffee-shop-come production new roastery provides space heating and hot water using agement,JavaRepublicisproactiveintheareaofrecycling.
plant, where people can drink Java’s beverages while awoodpelletsystemwithagas-firedboilerasapeak-load, It has a 70kg capacity compactor that palletises all card-
watching the roasting process through a glass wall and backup system. boardwaste,andavailsofpaper,plastic,cardboardandfood
learning about its ethical approach to business. “The energy contains a 100kW boiler, complete with a biowaste services from Greenstar.
“Weinvestagreatdealoftimeandmoneyinhandroast- pelletstore,forover13tonnesofpellets.Thewasteashfrom Inotherinitiatives,JavaRepublicisgoingaspaperlessas
ingsomeoftheworld’sfinestcoffeevarietals.Ournewroast- this facility [potash] will be used in the Java Republic possibleandpurchasingclosertohometoensureareduced
ery will drive growth through the complete brand grounds for the flowers and shrubbery,” says McKernan. carbon footprint on its products.
experienceofourhand-roastingprocessandmanufacturing Thecoffeeroastersarepoweredbygas,whichisnotcar- “Weareimplementingourpaperlesssystemintermsof
which is both unique and educational,” says McKernan. bonneutral,butrepresentsafossilfuelwithoneofthelow- sendingoutallinformationviaelectronicmeansandplan
Nearly 25pc of Java Republic sales of coffee, tea, hot est rates of carbon emissions on a like-for-like basis with tocompletethisinMarch2009.Allpackagingproductswill
chocolate and sugar were Fairtrade in 2008. It sources its otherssuchasoil.Withno alternativeto usinggasforthe be sourced from suppliers that use recyclable materials.
grade 1 Arabica beans under ‘Coffee with a Conscience’, coffeeroasters,theemissionswillbeoffsetbypurchasing “Weplantochangeallourcoffeepackagingmaterialswith
whichformspartofthecompany’scorporatesocialrespon- good-quality carbon credits. aviewtoreplacingthiswithrecyclabletinswecancollectand
sibility programme. In addition, Java Republic gives 11pc AirtricityisJavaRepublic’selectricityprovider.“Thisis reuse. This policy is ongoing and we plan to be completely
of its net profits back to coffee-growing communities. electrical energy provided via wind farms, which are the recyclable and reusable by 2011,” says McKernan.
WWW.SFA.IE/AWARDS
SFA NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS 37
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