Blakes Always Organic
Based in The Food Hub, Blakes Always Organic produces Organic Kefir and Whole-bean Artisan Organic coffees. Since 2012 the businesses product range has expanded to include the “Culture”, “Purely Arabica” and “Organic Peru Decaf” coffee blends along with the forementioned Organic Kefir. The first coffee blend launched by Blakes won the Bord Bia Organic award for the Best Prepared Product category and from there, the company has gone from strength to strength. “We import our coffee beans from Columbia, Peru and Indonesia and then they are roasted with the Carrick on Shannon - based company, Art of Coffee” explained John Brennan. After the coffee is roasted, Blakes does all the packaging and marketing from its Drumshanbo base.
Its other staple product is Organic Kefir, a probiotic health drink for gut revitalisation made with whole organic milk. Already its sales nationwide have been very encouraging, and John Brennan says the exposure of being part of the Grow with Aldi campaign has provided a great boost at a time when many employers have had to reduce their workforce. “Something like this is very important when you are trying to grow a small business,” said Mr Brennan. He said the opportunity was as a direct result of the LEO ensuring that it and other Leitrim companies were in a position to show Aldi that it was capable of producing a top-quality product which would appeal to the most discerning customers.
Still growing, Blakes Always Organic is now providing employment for six people in the community and hopes to expand its workforce. Recently they launched a third organic coffee, a Peruvian Arabica, which is decaffeinated. John recognises LEO Leitrim help with its expansions and says officials at the Local Enterprise Office understand their vision and appreciate the high standards they strive for.
One practical aid offered by LEO was a Trading Online Voucher which helped develop the company website to grow its online sales, which was critical at a time when a lot of potential clients had to shut their doors during the pandemic. “We sell a lot of products online now, for example we can offer one kilo bags of coffee to our food service clients,” explained John Brennan. They have also received a lot of online orders from domestic customers, many of whom were unable to get out and about easily during the lockdowns of the last year. “We realised that a lot of people wouldn’t go out during lockdown so appreciated the opportunity to buy online so the support we got from LEO with our website was invaluable,” said John Brennan. He also acknowledged the ongoing support from LEO as it provides expert advice as well as practical and financial supports, no matter what the challenge. “When you get new orders, you obviously increase production and then you have to look at efficiency and always there is advice and practical help available from LEO.”
For more information on Blakes Always Organic or to view their ever-expanding range of products, visit https://blakesalwaysorganic.ie/
