The Esquires chain of coffee shops will invest €1.5m to open six outlets in Dublin this year, creating more than 70 jobs. The first of these opened on O’Connell Street in March, beside the Savoy Cinema, at a cost of €200,000.

The company was founded in Vancouver in 1993, and is now owned by Cooks Global Food Group, based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Ireland MD Tony McVerry (pictured) said five more Dublin openings will follow in 2016, including a second on O’Connell Street. In 2015 the group opened three outlets in Galway, Mullingar and Navan.

The chain plans to provide takeaway food as part of its offer to busy customers. McVerry said: “We think there’s a gap in the Dublin market for high-quality take-out food. There is a number of coffee bars and sandwich chains offering this service, but what has been successful for us over the years has been our commitment to offering our customers good healthy, hearty food. It’s made fresh on the day and that’s the big attraction.

Ethically Sourced

In Association with

“At Esquires we serve only 100% organic Fairtrade coffee, ethically sourced, which is at the heart of our values and something our customers very much identify with.”

The brand claims to be very different from corporate coffee chains. “We believe that the brand has succeeded here due to Esquires’ emphasis on community-based coffee stores, owned by local operators — it’s what distinguishes our stores from corporate chains,” said McVerry. As a result, he believes that independent coffee shop operators may wish to join up with Esquires and convert their outlet to the brand.

There are nine Esquires cafes in Ireland, in Dublin, Galway, Mullingar, Longford, Navan, Drogheda, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Shannon and in Airside Retail Park, Swords. Esquires plans to expand to 15 or 17 outlets in 2016 and 25 by the end of 2017.

Coffee consumption is soaring in Ireland and the cafe market is now valued at just under €112m annually. This year’s World Barista Championships will take place in Dublin next June, with over 1,000 competitors and visitors from more than a hundred countries due to attend.