To start your coffee brand in Ireland, lock down compliance, supply, and unit economics before you roast the first batch. Register your food business with the HSE at least 28 days pre-trading, implement HACCP aligned to FSAI guidance, and pick a premises with proper ventilation and, if urban, an afterburner to control emissions. Decide: private-label via an Irish roaster for speed-to-market, or invest in a 1–5 kg drum roaster, green-bean storage, and fire-safety. If importing, get an EORI, use EU importers in Rotterdam/Hamburg, and classify coffee under CN 0901; mind post-Brexit routing. Join Repak for packaging EPR, and register with the CRO and Revenue (ROS) for VAT once approaching the €40,000/€80,000 thresholds (services/goods). Label per EU 1169/2011: product name (roasted coffee), net weight, best-before, batch/lot, business name and Irish address, storage, origin or roast date if you claim it; declare allergens for flavored SKUs. Shelf-life: valve bags, nitrogen flush, 180–365 days; expect 12–18% roast loss; packaging costs €0.40–€0.80 per 250 g; wholesale margin 30–50%; D2C price €12–€16/250 g. Go-to-market: Shopify + .ie domain (IEDR), Stripe, An Post/DPD, subscription bundles, and wholesale to cafés/off-licences via sale-or-return where necessary. Leverage LEO grants (Feasibility/Trading Online Voucher) and Bord Bia mentoring; insure product/public liability.
