In this podcast episode, Paddy interviews Barney McElroy, co-founder of the Red Door Cafe, celebrating its four-year anniversary. Barney shares his journey from accounting student to cafe owner, tracing his love for coffee back to quality espressos enjoyed with his family. He advocates for approachable specialty coffee, avoiding the “snobbery” often found in the industry, instead focusing on the pleasures of freshness and carefully sourced beans from Cloud Picker Coffee Roasters.

Red Door Cafe’s community-focused atmosphere is central to its charm. Barney reflects on meaningful customer interactions, like learning sign language from a regular deaf customer, that deepen connections and enrich the café experience. For Barney, cafes serve as sanctuaries where people share rare quality time. He takes pride in creating this welcoming environment, which he describes as a social hub filled with memorable moments—including a humorous near-miss with a hanging ivy basket.

Discussing the “secret society” of coffee enthusiasts, Barney shares how two-cup drinkers symbolize dedication to the coffee ritual. His ideal coffee experience considers every element, from the quality of the drink to the friendliness of the staff, the ambiance, and the company of the customers.

Music is key to the Red Door atmosphere. Barney highlights songs like “Marinade” by Dope Lemon for calm moments and “Tell It to My Heart” for high-energy rushes. This curated playlist helps shape the cafe’s dynamic vibe, uplifting both staff and patrons.

Barney also addresses the often-overlooked skills in the hospitality industry, particularly in Ireland, where barista work is sometimes undervalued. He admires his team’s dedication to building a warm, vibrant culture at Red Door and extends this appreciation to the broader community of hospitality workers.

In closing, Paddy and Barney emphasize the role of skilled, passionate baristas in creating cultural hubs. This episode invites listeners to appreciate the artistry of coffee and the community-building role of cafes, and it highlights the dedication of the baristas who make this experience possible.

In episode 15 of the beansandmore.coffee podcast, Paddy dives into the vibrant world of coffee with baristas Charlie and Jessica at Ben and Lily’s Coffee Shop in Clogherhead, County Louth.

The conversation centres around their passion for coffee, the sense of community it fosters, and the stories shared with customers. Both reveal how their love for coffee evolved, with Charlie describing it as his “lifeblood” and Jessica confessing to skipping classes to spend time in coffee shops during school.

They discuss the importance of personality and banter in the role of a barista, as well as their initiation ritual idea: distinguishing between a big corporate coffee brand and a small independent coffee shop. A heartwarming theme throughout is the community spirit cultivated in their shop, where locals interact and form new connections over coffee.

The episode also touches on the impact of a good barista’s energy, their favorite brews, and funny mishaps behind the counter, including Charlie’s recurring battle with a shelf that led to the use of blu-tack to avoid head bumps! The baristas emphasize the care that goes into making each cup, with a focus on quality and personal interaction rather than just “bing, bang, bong.”

For a bit of fun, they reveal that their shop’s unofficial theme song is Rich Girl by Hall & Oates, which seems to mysteriously play several times a day despite their best efforts to change the playlist.

In summary, this episode reflects the essence of coffee culture, from the people behind the counter to the bonds formed across it. It highlights the joy, humor, and warmth that coffee shops bring to communities.

In this special bonus edition of the beansandmore.coffee podcast, host Paddy welcomes listeners into the vibrant world of coffee culture. The podcast is a celebration of coffee’s impact on our lives, not just as a drink but as a connector of people and communities. Paddy emphasizes how baristas, the unsung heroes of local coffee shops, bring art and craftsmanship to every cup, making each visit a special experience. The podcast aims to capture this magic, sharing stories from coffee professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Paddy reflects on the podcast’s growth since its launch on Leap Day, with 13 episodes, visits to 10 coffee shops, and a growing community of 52 Spotify subscribers and 255 Instagram followers. He shares the excitement of celebrating International Podcast Day, noting how podcasts have become a powerful medium for connection and expression, reshaping the media landscape by offering diverse voices a platform.

The week’s other major event was International Coffee Day, supported by the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Founded in 1963, the ICO plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges in the coffee sector, from sustainable farming to international trade. Paddy highlights the ICO’s current five-year plan, which focuses on improving the global coffee industry through data, dialogue, and public-private partnerships. This year’s theme, “Coffee: your daily ritual, our shared journey,” resonates with the mission of the podcast: to celebrate the people behind each cup of coffee, from farmers to baristas.

Throughout the episode, Paddy revisits highlights from previous podcasts, including Episode 2, “Coffee is a Journey,” which set the tone for the series, and Episode 3, a vox pop episode where listeners shared what makes their local coffee shops special. He invites new listeners to catch up on these episodes via Spotify or Apple Podcasts, emphasizing the sense of community the podcast fosters among coffee lovers.

A fun feature of the podcast is its coffee shop theme tune question, where Paddy asks guests to suggest a song for their coffee shop playlist. This has grown into a shared playlist on Spotify, which listeners can access through links on the podcast’s social media.

Paddy encourages listeners to leave reviews and engage with the show by nominating their favorite coffee shops and baristas. He also teases exciting new developments on the horizon for beansandmore.coffee. The podcast’s rebranding marks the beginning of a broader venture into coffee culture, with plans for new products, experiences, and stories in 2025. Listeners can follow the journey on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, or visit the website at www.beansandmore.coffee for more content and updates.

As Paddy signs off, he reminds listeners that the podcast is just the beginning of something bigger—a shared celebration of coffee and the community it creates. Exciting things are brewing, and there’s much more to come!