Due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19 SCA Ireland has decided to postpone the Irish Brewers Cup competition. A new date will be announced following guidance from the HSE. We apologise for this inconvenience.

Without our fantastic sponsors, we would never be able to run such successful events and competitions. 

Cloud Picker Coffee Roastery

Cloud Picker was established in 2013 by Frank Kavanagh & Peter Sztal. Having worked in graphic design and corporate banking respectively, they decided to take the leap and open up their own coffee roastery. The name Cloud Picker came from a trip to Northern Thailand where they visited a coffee farm in the Doi Chang area on the Thai / Burma border and went up through the clouds to see the coffee pickers!

Cloud Picker is Dublin City’s first micro coffee roastery, located on Sheriff Street. Here they hand roast their coffee to order on the esteemed Giesen roaster. Borne from passion, curiosity and the quest to create a unique coffee product for the Irish market. Their café is in Science Gallery on Pearse Street and also wholesale to cafés and restaurants around the city and nationwide. Cloud Picker are uber excited to be opening the door of their first high street cafe on Pearse before Easter and hope you’ll all come visit!
For Cloud Picker, it’s very important for them to know where their coffee is grown, the conditions of the farms and how the coffee pickers are treated. To do this, they travelled to origin and in 2013 went to Brazil and met with Felipe & Marcos Croce of FAF Coffees and in 2014 we went to El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Here they met with farmers such as Emilio Lopez of Cuatro M cafés. Since this, they have been importing from their farms. It is through this work that Cloud Picker aim for build longterm relationships while also further ensuring they receive top quality green coffee.

This is the second National competition that we’ve worked with Cloud Picker on, and many of you will remember what a great weekend was had there at the 2016 Irish Brewers Cup Championship. For the Irish Cup Tasters 2019, Cloud Picker have opened the doors of their roastery and provided us with their beautiful space, their resources, enthusiasm and energy to host the competition. They have also sourced and roasted all of the competition coffee our competitors will be slurping on Saturday.  We are so thrilled to partner with them in this years competition.
Visit Cloud Picker’s Website
Visit Cloud Picker’s Instagram
Visit Cloud Picker’s Facebook
Visit Cloud Picker’s Twitter

Marco Beverage Systems

Marco Beverage Systems Ltd are one of the leading hot water delivery companies in the world. This Irish company specialises in providing hot water systems, coffee brewers and tea brewers for savvy brew enthusiasts around the globe and theres no doubt you will have seen them in use in many of your favourite cafes throughout Ireland, because of their consistency and reliability when working in a busy environment.

We are delighted to have Marco as one of the sponsors of  the Irish Cup Tasters 2019. Marco provide all of the brewing equipment and hot water systems for the competition each year, and on the day will be behind the scenes, brewing up all of the competition coffee.
Visit Marco’s Website
Visit Marco’s Instagram
Visit Marco’s Facebook
Visit Marco’s Twitter

Brita

In the ’60s, Heinz Hankammer founded the company BRITA, inspired by his daughter’s name. The idea behind it: to optimise tap water and in 1970, Brita launched the first water filter jug. As any good barista will know that the secret to a great coffee is using great water, with the standard cup of cup is made up of between 90 – 98 percent water, making it the most important ingredient in brewing. Elements in water can influence your coffee’s taste, consistency and appearance. Brita now produce an entire range of filters, specifically for use in coffee shops and for brewing coffee.The result: water that tastes cleaner and fresher and aids in the brewing process.

We are delighted to have Brita as one of our sponsors for the Irish Cup Tasters 2019.
Visit Britas Website
Visit Britas Instagram
Visit Britas Facebook
Visit Britas Twitter

Urnex

Urnex Brands, LLC, originally the Royal Urn Bag Company, was founded in 1936 to help the roasters and brewers in Manhattan deliver delicious coffee to demanding customers.

Urnex has come a long way since then, but their products have always represented the highest standards of quality, consistency, and effectiveness. Urnex pride themselves on their long history as a manufacturing organisation and the close relationships of trust and communication they have built with their customers around the world. Creating products based on proprietary formulas developed through an intimate understanding of coffee equipment allows Urnex to offer a solution for every brewing need.

We are delighted to have Urnex as one of our sponsors for the Irish Cup Tasters 2019.
Visit Urnex’s Website
Visit Urnex’s Instagram
Visit Urnex’s Facebook
Visit Urnex’s Twitter

Join us for a day packed full of amazing competitors, each of whom will be battling it out with the hopes of being crowned the winner of the 2019 Irish Cup Tasters Champion! The winner of the competition will go on to represent Ireland in the 2019 World Cup Tasters Championship.

Registration for this competition is now closed. 

Attendance tickets are free of charge, but pre-booking is essential, so click here to register your place and come along to cheer on your favourite competitor!

We are also on the look out for a few volunteers to assist with the running of the competition on the day. If you are interested in volunteering, please register here and we will be in contact shortly.

With thanks to our amazing sponsors, Cloud Picker Coffee Roasters, Marco Beverage Systems, Brita and Urnex.

CATEX 2019  is just one week away! Apart from all of the Barista and Latte Art Championship fun, this year we have decided to introduce a new Members Brew Bar. The stand will run every day from 10:00am until 5:00pm beside the competition stage.

Here, you will be able to chat to three different Irish SCA Members each day, who will be brewing up their coffee and giving out samples for you to taste while you cheer on your favourite competitors!

Tuesday 26th February

Silverskin Coffee Roasters – Dublin (10:00am – 12:00pm)

Cloud Picker Coffee Roasters – Dublin (15:00pm – 17:00pm)

Established in 2013 by Frank Kavanagh & Peter Sztal. Cloud Picker is Dublin City’s first micro coffee roastery, located on Sherrif Street, where they hand roast to order on the esteemed Giesen roaster.

Cloud Picker also have their own café in the Science Gallery, which is located on Pearse Street,  as well as wholesaling to cafés and restaurants around the city and nationwide.

Wednesday 27th February

Urbanity – Dublin (10:00am – 12:00pm)

Located just off Dublin’s largest public square, Urbanity is a small-batch roaster, speciality café, and all-day dining venue. They opened our doors in February 2016 and roast all of their single origin green coffee in store, which they use for their own cafe, as well as for wholesale.

Urbanity’s focus is the use of great quality, locally sourced ingredients to create wholesome, interesting, and delicious dishes.

Three Fools Coffee – Cork  (12:30pm – 2:30pm)

Three Fools Coffee is a specialty cafe that opened its doors to the public in late November 2015. Their cafe is located within a glass pod on The Grand Parade.

They also source and roast coffee from around the world, as well as offering a wholesale coffee service to a vast array of businesses including cafés, restaurants and offices, as well as barista and brew bar training and equipment.

Creed Coffee Roasters – Kildare (15:00pm – 17:00pm)

Creed Coffee Roasters and a speciality coffee roaster and cafe based in Celbridge, Kildare. They first opened their doors in 2016.

Apart from running their cafe, they also offer a wholesale coffee service, as well as running Barista Training.

Thursday 28th February

Ponaire Coffee – Tipperary (10:00am – 12:00pm)

Ponaire (Irish for Bean) was established in 2006 by Tommy and Jennifer Ryan. Their roastery is located in Newport, Co. Tipperary customers can be served delicious coffees, as well as purchase a wide selection of coffees that they roast themselves onsite.

Ponaire  roast and package in our custom designed premises, as well as supply coffee to specialty food shops, cafes, hotels, restaurants and many other establishments that serve good quality coffee.

Coffee Culture – Dublin (12:30pm – 14:30pm)

Coffee Culture, opened by Alan Andrews, are a company that source premium, speciality coffees from around the world, as well as offering a wide range of barista training and cafe consultancy.

Coffee Culture opened their second location last year, The Old Barracks in Co. Tipperary, from where they roast their coffee, as well as offer wholesale services throughout Ireland.

Badger & Dodo – Cork (15:00pm – 17:00pm)

Badger & Dodo is a Cork based roastery, owned by Brock Lewin. From here they source and roast an array of single origin, estate, micro lot and also world exclusive coffees, as well as wholesaling their coffee throughout Ireland.

In October 2014 they opened their first Coffee House in Galway, and can also be seen in their coffee carts at markets throughout Cork.

Well, it’s that time of year again – CATEX, Ireland’s largest foodservice trade event, is upon us and we are very excited! CATEX allows Ireland’s biggest players and membership organisations in foodservice and hospitality to come under one roof for three days from 26th – 28th February 2019 at the RDS, Simmonscourt.

CATEX will be returning to the RDS, Dublin in just two weeks, providing thousands of visitors with products, services and solutions that meet today’s demands for operators in the foodservice and hospitality sectors. Taking place every two years, the 2019 event has everything from Artisan Food Producers​, to Coffee suppliers and everything in between, providing visitors with a vast programme that identifies key trends that will drive the future of the industry.

Apart from the Irish Barista Championship and Latte Art Championships, the 2019 Irish Cocktail Championship will also be taking place, where Ireland’s leading mixologists will put their skills to the test in this intensive cocktail challenge. as well as The Chef Network Hub, which brings together chefs from all sectors and stages of their careers, to communicate, collaborate, share and innovate, The Chef Ireland Culinary Championships 2019, an innovative challenging Cold Salon and Live Hot Theatre competition program for senior and junior chefs, culinary art students and apprentices from all aspects of the Irish hospitality industry, there will be a Panel of Chefs of Ireland presenting culinary demonstrations and the Chef Network will be running Chef Network Masterclasses throughout the exhibition.

Entry is free, but all guests need to register for their free tickets here.

See you there!

This year at Catex 2019 we will be hosting the Irish Barista Championships and the Irish Latte Art Championships over the course of the three days. We will also have a new Members Brew Bar stand running everyday over the course of the event, each day you can sample three different Irish roasters brewing up their coffee. Make sure you click the image below to register for a FREE ticket to Catex!

Tuesday the 26th we will have the Irish Barista Championship semifinals where we have 10 competitors trying to claim a place in the finals. You’ll be able to try Silverskin Coffee, The Art of Coffee and Cloud Picker on our Members Brew Bar.

On Wednesday the 27th we have the Irish Latte Art Championship which sees 12 more competitors trying to win a spot in the finals. We also will have an SCA Ireland Sponsor panel during the intermission of the competition, 12:15 to 13:30. Come to hear the thoughts on sponsorship, industry insights and what future innovations they see for the coffee industry.
You’ll be able to catch Urbanity Coffee, Three Fools Coffee and Creed Coffee Roasters on our Members Brew Bar.

On Thursday from 12:30 to 13:30 we have the Irish Brewers Cup champion, Stephen Houston from Bailies Coffee Roasters taking the stage and demonstrating his competition brewing techniques and how to brew coffee like a professional. We will have the finals of both the Irish Barista and Latte Art Championships with winners for both announced at 4pm.
You’ll be able to find Ponaire, Coffee Culture and Badger & Dodo on our Members Brew Bar.

Are you interested in becoming a SCA Ireland Sponsor.

We are currently looking for people to work with as an official SCA Ireland sponsor for the following competitions:

Cup Tasters competition 2019

Cup Tasters competition 2020

Brewers Cup competition 2020

Alternatively we are looking for Silver and Bronze program sponsors for all competitions. Each program offers a different sponsorship offering. For further information please email nc@scae.ie

Love coffee? Love people? Love events? If so We need You!!

We are looking for ambassadors throughout the country to help grow the coffee community, helping us bring people together over coffee with regular events.

If this is something you would like to help with or have any ideas you would like to share please get in touch membership@scae.ie

Find our current list of Ambassadors here!