LOCKDOWN SUCCESS – How did these NI businesses start up and thrive during a pandemic?
Cocktails, coffees, watercolours and bakes
Last updated 30th Mar 2021
March 2020 ...
Life as we knew it grinded to a halt.
Many businesses were unable to operate, with intense restrictions placed on travel, hospitality, leisure and more.
But this week, Downtown Radio & Cool FM has been catching up with some businesses that managed to grasp opportunities during a very testing time for the economy.
Here we share their stories, top tips for overcoming adversity in business, and plans for the future.
The Cocktail Keg Company
The Cocktail Keg Company provides freshly made batch cocktails to bars, so that they can have the multi-ingredient drinks on tap.
One year ago, they had to gear towards consumers at home at the drop of a hat, by getting into off licences instead.
Their products are now on the shelves in over 100 off-sales, and the figure is growing.
Co-owner Bursny, as he is known, said last February, he turned up to work knowing selling some product was the only way to feed his family.
“Came in, sold three bottles, went and made food for the babies. Sold seven bottles the following week, bought electric, more food, nappies.
“The third week, we sold maybe 100 bottles, so I phoned my business partner. I said to him, I see a bit of an angle here for maybe pivoting and focusing on the off-trade.
“The following week, I think we sold just over 1,500 bottles.”
Consumers' joy
Brand rep Seamus Of Birt says it’s been a pleasure providing a service, and some respite, to a society under a tough lockdown.
“There’ve been times when I’ve delivered cocktails myself to people’s doors, obviously fully masked, gloved up, everything sanitised,” he began.
“There were some days you knew somebody was really sticking by the rules and wasn’t leaving the house, that was the highlight of their week getting that cocktail dropped round.
“So you always take a minute to step back, and explain to them how to enjoy it best, and that little bit of interaction might have been the only time they’d really seen anyone in the flesh that week.
“It sort of helps with the mental health, having something to look forward to at the end of the week – I know it sound silly saying that about a cocktail but it is what you make of it,” he said.
Post-lockdown plans?
Asked if this rapid adaption and subsequent business success might drop off when lockdown ends, the team at the Cocktail Keg company do not believe that will be the case.
Health restrictions mean some venues will opt not to offer cocktails at all if they have to make them from scratch, but the drafts could allow that offering to continue safely.
Seamus Og said: “We want to do our bit to help bars manage restrictions as best they can, without having to drop off their offering because of the time consumption for the staff.
“The on and off-trade go hand in hand for us as well. If somebody goes to a really reputable bar and they’re serving our stuff, in turn they’re more likely to go into their local independent off licence and buy if off the shelf because they recognise the brand.”
OZ STANDARD COFFEE
“Fancy a coffee and a walk?”
How many times have you heard that one in the last 12 months?
Caffeine and fresh air have become a release, hobby, outlet and highlight of the day for many people, and Simon Byrne’s new business in County Antrim has helped keep walkers fed and watered whilst hitting their daily step goals.
The Australian inspired coffee hut, situated on the Drones Road near Armoy, opened in July 2020.
Simon said he was not afraid of the risk involved in starting up in the covid era, because he could just revert to his old day-job if all else failed.
"You sort of have to try it to know," he said.
"I had done a barista course, I always had a passion for coffee - knew what was good coffee and what wasn't.
"If worst came to worse, you'd just have to get a normal job again."
Simon has not had to get a so-called "normal job" again though, as his Oz Standard coffee has gone down a treat with local customers.
A FACE TO TALK TO
The civil engineer trained as a barista and says he has spent the summer having chats with people who feel trapped at home.
“It’s a great feeling to know that people are coming out, that you’ve added something, you’re getting stories from people of all ages.
"It’s nearly a release for people, they’ll come down and chat about something… their walk yesterday, what they’re doing at home… It’s giving people a face to chat to."
A FUTURE ON THE ROAD?
Simon was asked how he thinks his business will cope when more activities are available for the public to partake in as lockdown eases.
He said: “It’s great the support we have locally, but I do think once everything opens up, even myself included, you’ll want to go and sit down in another restaurant, wee café, support other businesses nearby whenever you’re allowed to travel a bit further.
“But I think in that regard, if I can keep my name out there and the good comments keep coming, you’ll maybe get people wanting to come from elsewhere who haven’t had a chance!
“If we can get a couple of weeks, two, three weeks, take a coffee van around Ireland, I get to do my travel, and maybe go somewhere in Sligo, somewhere in Cork, fund your trip around and maybe get some publicity from it too.”
BERTIE'S HOME BAKERY
Bertie’s Bakery in Magherafelt is blowing out the candles on its first birthday cake.
The craft bakery’s launch coincided with lockdown in March 2020.
12 months on, Bertie’s in Magherafelt supplies 104 stores, has won award for wheaten bread, has 26 employees, six vans, and hopes to have even more on the road soon.
Owner Brian McErlain said: “In March last year, we took a giant leap of faith by entering an already crowded bakery market during an uncertain and unsettling time for business.
“It has been a remarkable first year and we are delighted that despite the pandemic, we forged ahead and launched the company,” said Brian, adding that for anyone thinking of plunging into the business world, the best time is now.
“There will never be a perfect time,” he said.
“It’s about adapting to whatever the circumstances are and just getting on with it. Things are very variable, sometimes in business things change as often as the weather, and you just have to adapt to that.”
POST FEED FEED-BACK (no bun intended)
Brian said there is one group of people without whom success would not have been possible, and it is easier than ever to communicate with this group.
“With social media being such a big part of society now, we get instant feedback from our customers and consumers telling us how wonderful they think the products are.”
But they do still get some old-school comments too.
Brian said he was overjoyed to receive a handwritten letter recently from a woman who wanted to say that getting a treat from Bertie’s is her daily highlight.
OLIVIA’S OASIS ART
Analyst Olivia McIntyre from North Down has managed to turn her hobby into a successful side-hustle in 2020.
She utilised the free time that being on furlough provided to monetise her watercolour paintings.
STARTING UP
After starting off painting commissions for friends and family and posting photos on Instagram, Olivia is now using online art-selling platform Etsy as a marketplace.
In her own words, the prints are “landscapes and botanicals with a distorted and dreamlike twist.”
Asked what advice she would give to others who would like to turn their passions into pounds, Olivia said picking products you believe in is key.
“Like a lot of artists, I’ve kind of dabbled in everything – textiles, ceramics, fine art, knitting, crochet – my struggle was just picking that one product. But once you have that product that you know people like, and you know you can do well, that’ll enable you to set up a business”.
Another difficulty in getting started, Olivia said, is pricing work appropriately.
“It’s something I’ve struggled with, I kind of unofficially sold my artwork before to cafes, acquaintances, doing wedding signage and different thing, and I would always kind of undersell myself because I never knew what to be charging.
“But basically, just calculating the amount of time that you’ve spend doing something, then the materials and the postage and all the different things that work into it,” she said.
THE FUTURE?
Will she still find the time for this bit-on-the-side when normality kicks in again and more time is allocated to social events, commuting and more?
Olivia says yes, she’ll make sure that’s the case.
“I’ve already got a couple of markets lined up for whenever he lockdown period ends, so that should be really cool!
“I’ll definitely make the time for it as well, even if I do have plans during the week or at the weekends, I’ll just need to schedule in an hour or two!”