We are really delighted to announce our new coffee concept, Green Ocean Coffee. Like Woodland Coffee, it’s dual objective is to deliver sustainably sourced superior quality coffee while funding action to tackle climate change.
Green Ocean coffee funds the restoration of the ocean seabed around the coast of Ireland from the sales of coffee. We have partnered with Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op and have started the first phase of restoration between the islands of Dorinish, Inisheeny and Inishgowla in Clew Bay, Co Mayo. Each bag of coffee sold funds the restoration of 1 square metre of oyster and seagrass bed in Clew Bay.
Why Green Ocean Coffee?
As a scuba diver and a sailor, I have witnessed the effect of human interference and climate change on our ocean in a most dramatic fashion over the past 20 years. Green Ocean Coffee has come about from the idea that when groups of individuals and companies come together, we can achieve substantial meaningful change that directly affects our environment here in Ireland and those most impacted by it.
Clew Bay
Clew Bay has been a thriving marine habitat for centuries as it is dominated by sheltered shallow waters making it an ideal environment for oysters and seagrass to flourish. This habitat is a perfect nursery ground for juvenile fish which promotes and enhances biodiversity. We (Watermark) partnered with Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op to start the journey in restoring these ancient fishing grounds of Clew Bay. These areas are now designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and closed off to fishing. The total area for restoration extends to 180 hectares so we have plenty of work to be getting on with over the next few years. The following video gives some insight into the restoration work and what’s involved.
The Coffee itself
Both Green Ocean Coffee and Woodland Coffee are both rated by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) as being of speciality grade (Q Grader score of over 80). We also wanted to ensure that these coffees are sustainably sourced and so we have worked closely with our farmers bringing these coffees in directly.
But we also wanted to bring some variation to our range of coffees (despite retiring a few blends, we now have 12 separate blends in our range, yikes!). So Green Ocean Coffee is roasted to medium and light roast profiles and are a mix of single origin (Dorinish) and multi farm (Inisheeny and Inishgowla). The net effect is that these coffees are beautifully balanced and nuanced with flavour like citrus, clementine, tomato, herbal and of course chocolate! The blends are available in 1 kg bags of whole bean and 500g bags of whole bean and ground coffee (for French Press, Filter, AeroPress etc)
Why are we doing this..
At Watermark, we are committed to running our business in a way that minimises our environmental impact, but as a person who has always been deeply interested in the natural world, I feel that our business has an opportunity to do more than just minimise our environmental impact in a way that is meaningful, transparent, and measurable. Our Woodland Coffee initiative has been a huge success and the response and encouragement from our customers has given me great confidence to take on and tackle a much more complicated and difficult initiative that is Green Ocean Coffee. Green Ocean Coffee is a powerful initiative because beautiful coffee funds action today that has immediate tangible environmental benefits in sequestering carbon and enhancing biodiversity here in Ireland. Green Ocean Coffee is not a promise or aspiration for the future it is action now and one that everybody can participate in by buying this wonderful coffee.
If you would like to find out more, there is a lot more information on www.greenoceancoffee.ie or by clicking here and please follow us on social media.
David Lawlor, CEO
