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

A bug hotel is a wildlife refuge for insects, solitary or lone bees and wasps to lay eggs, hibernate and hide from other predators.  Ultimately the purpose of this is to increase pollination by providing additional habitat for pollinators.   Our pollinators have had a tough time in recent years with the destruction of hedgerows, intensification of agriculture and urban sprawl to name but a few of the challenges.

According to Biodiversity Ireland (https://biodiversityireland.ie)

• There are 20,000 recorded bee species in the world. 5% of these are honey bees and 95% are solitary bees like the Ashy mining bee or hairy footed flower bee.
• In Ireland we have 97 species of bee and 76 of these are solitary bees.
• Of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world’s food supply, 71 are pollinated by bees.
• In Europe, 84% of the 264 crop species are animal pollinated and 4,000 vegetable varieties exist thanks to pollination by bees (UNEP, 2010).

Looking to build your own ‘Bug Hotel’?  There are lots of good websites that will give plenty of ideas and direction,  such as the RSPB Wildlife website (https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/build-a-bug-hotel/)

Have fun!

After 3 years of planning, our first Woodland Coffee plantation was planted out in November, with between 26,000 to 27,000 trees of birch, alder, spruce, oak and beech planted.  To each of our Woodland Coffee customers, I would like to say a big thank you.  Your choice in Woodland Coffee has made this initiative become a reality that will deliver carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement over the next 40 years.  One small change today with a lasting legacy.  Many thanks and best wishes, David

#sustainability #biodiversity #watermarkcoffee

Our speciality Woodland coffee is made from 100% Arabica coffee beans that are Rainforest Alliance Certified.  Arabica coffee plants are self-pollinating and don’t need any direct assistance from bees to pollinate but the presence of healthy bee populations leads to higher coffee yields. Bees and other insects interact with the ecosystem that helps control pests and disease that otherwise curtail the healthy growing cycle of the coffee plant.  Coffee grown under shade (the forest canopy) allows for greater protection from weather events like frost but also provides shelter for a myriad of flower and fauna that allow for a thriving balanced ecosystem.

Growing coffee in harmony with the Rainforest will not stop severe frost events but it will go some way in mitigating the damage caused by these events thereby protecting the communities that depend on the coffee crop for their livelihoods.

So what can we do to help the situation?  Sourcing coffee that is Rain Forest Alliance (RFA) certified is a great step.  Rainforest Alliance is an worldwide organisation that promotes sustainable agricultural practices to protect the social, economic and environmental coffee growing communities across the coffee belt.  Woodland Coffee is roasted using only RFA coffee beans and we believe that this is one of the reasons why the coffee tastes so good. Please drop us a line, if you’d like to find out more!

At this time of the year, I like to try and get things going in the garden and also start something new. My green project this Spring is to start composting all organic waste from our household in a new thermal composter, it will require a little bit of adjustment to how we do things but the benefits are immense.

One of my past Spring projects that I think has yielded the most amount of satisfaction and joy year after year was sowing a wild flower garden 6 years along a very ‘challenged’ section of our garden that is very dry due to the overhang of trees sucking up moisture and creating lots of shade.

The benefits of wildflowers are well understood in encouraging insects to feed, shelter and pollinate.  Apart from doing our bit to improve our garden biodiversity, the wild flower garden is incredibly pretty in summer which different varieties of flower coming into bloom throughout late Spring and Summer, it’s incredibly easy to maintain, just cut it down to about 10cm in late September and remove the cut clippings to the compost.

There are lots of indigenous seed varieties available to buy and you can select a variety based on whether your aspect is sunny, shady, dry, damp etc.  The key components in establishing the garden are:

• Match the seed choice with your site, sunny / shady etc
• Clear the area of any existing weeds by digging them out (along with the roots if you can)
• After about 2 weeks remove any weeds that might have escaped your first attempt.
• Calculate how much seed you will need based on your area – allow about 3g per square meter
• Rake the area removing stones and breaking down larger lumps of soil into to a fine consistency.
• Try and pick a day for sowing where the soil is damp or when light rain is expected.
• Disperse the seeds by hand and gently walk on the area after planting to press the seeds into the ground

In the first season, you will get an immediate result (most likely poppies and daisies) but some varieties take a season or two to get going so there is a lot more to look forward to.  Even if you have a small area of your garden where a wildflower garden is possible, give it a go and you’ll see a noticeable increase in bees and butterflies.

Woodland Coffee is a part of rain forest alliance which means that our coffee is grown and harvested in a manner that protects the rainforest by engaging in management practices that allow both coffee and rainforest to thrive in sympathy with each other.  Coffee beans start life off as a white flower which need lots of pollinators, it’s no different in Ireland.

The holly tree makes a great choice for most gardens, they grow slowly so they are very easy to maintain. They shed very little leaf litter, so less to clean up. They attract birds, particularly the thrush, who really like ripe holly berries.  They grow in shaded areas or under other larger trees which provides additional cover for birds and mammals like the hedgehog.

If you are thinking of planting a holly tree, try and get a female one, which will produce berries, and a male one which is needed to pollinate, they typically should be spaced within 20 meters of each other to allow for efficient pollination.

The holly is a versatile tree that I think punches way above its weight in terms of decoration, maintenance and biodiversity and what’s more, it’s a native Irish tree, extra sustainability kudos!!  We hope that you and yours have a very happy Christmas and we hope that you will join us for a coffee in 2021.

#biodiversity #sustainability #Christmasholly

l agree that we need plenty of native woodland; these are beautiful still places, full of history, great for adventure and biodiversity.  But the sustainability story of woodlands and forestry is much more complex than this.  Commercial woodland plantations are critical in ensuring that there is a supply of timber locally produced for use in home building, forestry provides jobs to the local economy but also in practical ways like combating flooding.  But like all things, we need a balance with land use; a balance between food production, raw material production and recreational use.  Timber plays an important role in substituting away from using more carbon intensive products; imagine if pallets were made from plastic rather than wood; Halloween bonfires would be a lot more explosive!

Our Woodland Coffee plantation is a mixed plantation of broadleaf and confers trees with lots of hedgerow and open spaces for wild flower.  We welcome the holly, the birth, the beech, the spruce and the oak.  All are welcome.  More trees please!

#sustainability #biodiversity #woodlandcoffee #forestry

A lot of nature documentary TV programmes identify the frightening loss of biodiversity from habitat destruction; be it from rain forest fires in Brazil or melting ice caps in the Artic. As someone who is keenly interested in the natural world, I find this constant, but necessary, message evokes a feeling of helplessness and distress. However we can’t lose sight of the fact that there is lots of small things that we can do right here at home in our gardens or when we’re out and about.  This idea is the inspiration behind our Woodland Coffee as we believe that every tree planted can make a positive difference in terms of carbon sequestration and enhancing biodiversity.

Now that we’re into October, bareroot tree planting will be getting underway for many from November to March.  Bareroot trees are small trees (30 – 60cm) that are sold without plant pots and can be planted directly into the soil when they are dormant during the winter months.  They are inexpensive (as lows as €1) and are easy to grow and for many varieties like hazel, hawthorn, holly and oak they can be easily cut back or coppiced.  What is really great about this type of planting is that they can suit a small space, most can compete in shade and they provide lots of food for birds and wildlife.

Like our Woodland Coffee, planting a bareroot tree is a small choice today that delivers a lasting legacy for generations to come! Would you like to make a difference?

#sustainability #biodiversity #woodlandcoffee #bareroottrees