Bear Market Coffee

What Bear Market Coffee does

Bear Market Coffee (legally Bear Market Coffee Roastery, also trading as Bear MRKT) is a Dublin-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator founded in 2013 by former architects Stephen and Ruth. The company operates nine physical cafés across distinct Dublin micro-markets — Stillorgan, Blackrock, George's Street, Westland Row, Pembroke Street, two IFSC locations, Sandyford Business Park, and an in-Decathlon Ballymun store — with the Stillorgan site functioning as the public-facing roastery HQ. Roasting is performed in-house using a Loring Falcon 15 eco-friendly machine, which the company reports consumes roughly 80% less energy and emits 80% less emissions than comparable standard roasters.

The product portfolio spans core roasted coffee (Espresso, Filter, and Nespresso-compatible 100% compostable pods using Terrablend bioplastic), plus adjacent categories including Matcha, brewing Equipment (with Sage appliance support), and Gifting bundles. Distribution runs through three channels: physical café retail, a Shopify-powered DTC e-commerce site (shop.bearmarket.ie) shipping nationwide via DPD couriers, and a wholesale B2B program supplying specialty beans, training, equipment advice, and white-label solutions to other cafés, restaurants, retailers, and corporate offices.

The revenue model combines one-time e-commerce and in-café sales with a recurring Coffee Club monthly subscription offering 10% discounts, free delivery, and member perks. Pricing is positioned at the premium specialty tier (example unit price €4.50) with a €6.50 flat domestic shipping fee. The company is founder-owned and privately held with no institutional funding identified; it is one of the earliest Irish coffee operators to adopt 100% compostable packaging (2014) and has pledged carbon-neutral status from green bean to cup by 2025.

Name

Bear Market Coffee

Legal name

Bear Market Coffee Roastery

Website

https://www.bearmarket.ie/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bear Market Coffee is a Dublin-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator serving individual consumers and B2B wholesale accounts through nine city cafés, a DTC subscription e-commerce site, and a B2B supply program, with in-house roasting at a Stillorgan roastery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roaster
• Coffee subscription service
• Specialty coffee wholesale
• Coffee equipment retail
• Cafe coffee service

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackrock

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Coffee Club Subscription: Monthly subscription service offering 10% discount on all orders, free delivery, and free membership perks (beanie, mug, tote bag). Customers select coffee type, preparation method, and size (500g or 1kg). Renews monthly with ability to pause, cancel, or skip.
2. Direct Retail - Online Shop: Direct e-commerce sales of whole bean coffee, ground coffee, pods, matcha, and equipment through their Shopify-powered online store. Orders dispatched within 1-2 business days via DPD.
3. Wholesale B2B: Supply of specialty grade beans to other cafés, restaurants, retailers, and corporate offices. Includes training, equipment advice, ongoing support, and white-label branding options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bear Market Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster and café operator that roasts its own beans in a Stillorgan church-converted roastery and sells them through nine Dublin cafés, a Shopify online shop, a monthly Coffee Club subscription, and a wholesale B2B program. The retail line covers espresso beans, filter beans, and 100% compostable Nespresso-compatible pods, complemented by matcha, coffee equipment, and gift bundles.

Product overview

Bear Market Coffee operates a specialty coffee business centered on roasting and delivering fresh coffee beans, with nine Dublin café locations and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce subscription service. The core product portfolio consists of whole bean and ground coffees organized into three main retail categories: Espresso (for espresso machines and Sage appliances), Filter (for V60, Chemex, and manual brewers), and Pods (Nespresso-compatible compostable pods). The offering is extended through Matcha beverages, coffee equipment accessories with Sage support, and gift bundles. The company operates a monthly Coffee Club subscription that delivers freshly roasted beans in various formats and grind types. A wholesale program serves B2B customers including cafés, restaurants, and offices with training and equipment support. Educational brew guides complement the product range.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coffee Club Subscription Monthly subscription delivering freshly roasted coffee to subscribers' doors, with options for espresso, filter, and pod formats across house blends, single origins, and decaf, in 500g or 1kg sizes and various grind types. Members receive 10% off all orders, free delivery, and welcome perks (beanie, mug, tote bag), with the ability to pause, skip, or cancel.
• Espresso Coffee Beans Single-origin and blended coffee beans roasted in-house at the Stillorgan roastery, optimized for espresso brewing methods including espresso machines, Sage appliances, and Moka pots, sold directly to consumers via the online shop.
• Filter Coffee Beans Specialty-grade coffee beans roasted in-house and suited for filter brewing methods including V60, Chemex, Aeropress, and French Press, sold via the online shop.
• Coffee Pods 100% compostable Terrablend bioplastic coffee pods compatible with Nespresso systems, available in 10, 40, and 100 count packs through the online shop; certified as CO2/climate neutral by Climate Partner.
• Matcha Products Matcha tea products offered as an extension to the core coffee lineup, sold via the online shop.
• Coffee Equipment Brewing equipment and accessories including Sage appliances, with associated support and parts replacement services, sold via the online shop.
• Gifting Products Coffee gift sets and gifting bundles available for one-off purchase through the Bear Market online shop.
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B specialty coffee supply program for cafés, restaurants, retailers, and corporate offices, offering flexible ordering, barista training, equipment advice, ongoing support, and bespoke white-label brand solutions.
• Café Locations (9 Dublin Stores) Nine physical café locations across Dublin serving in-store specialty coffee made from in-house roasted beans, including the Stillorgan showcase roastery HQ and eight neighbourhood sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% customer keep-cup adoption rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• B-Corp Certified SuppliersminorOthersBear Market Coffee works with B-Corp certified suppliers in their supply chain to ensure sustainability and ethical business practices. The company emphasizes partnerships with suppliers committed to environmental and economic sustainability.
• sd worxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnterprise HR software company using Bear Market Coffee for corporate office coffee supply. Greg and team provided machine calibration, setup, and ongoing support with regular check-ins. sd worx testimonial confirms positive experience with customized coffee offering for staff.
• DPD CourierscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner handling all online orders within Ireland. Provides 1-2 business day delivery service for customer orders.
• Shopify Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider hosting Bear Market Coffee's online store (shop.bearmarket.ie), enabling product sales, subscriptions, and customer account management.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 3fe Coffee: Dublin-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator with multiple locations, roastery, and wholesale. Closest direct competitor to Bear Market Coffee in the Irish third-wave coffee space, with comparable roastery-plus-café model and subscription/training offerings.
• Kaph Coffee: Dublin-based specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator with own roastery and B2B supply. Directly comparable on geography, product (specialty roasted coffee), and channel mix (cafés + wholesale).
• Roasted Brown: Irish specialty coffee roaster with subscription and wholesale, including compostable pods. Highly comparable product mix (beans, pods, subscription, wholesale) and similar sustainability positioning to Bear Market.
• Square One Coffee Roasters: Dublin-based specialty coffee roaster operating roastery cafés and serving wholesale accounts. Directly comparable roastery-café-plus-wholesale model in the same city.
• Clement & Pekoe: Dublin specialty coffee and tea retailer and roaster with café operations. Comparable on in-house roasting, café retail, and curated specialty beverage positioning.
• Insomnia Coffee: Ireland's largest indigenous coffee chain with broad café footprint and own roasting. Competes with Bear Market for café customers and wholesale accounts across Ireland, though at a larger scale.
• Workshop Coffee: UK-based specialty coffee roaster with cafés, wholesale, and subscription, focused on third-wave specialty. Comparable operating model (roastery + cafés + wholesale + subscription) and serves as a reference point for what UK expansion of a Bear Market-style model could look like.

Broad incumbents

• Bewley's: Historic Irish coffee and tea brand with cafés, wholesale, and grocery distribution. Operates broadly in the same Irish coffee market but with a much wider product portfolio and national footprint.

Regional players

• Coffee Angel: Northern Ireland–based specialty coffee roaster with cafés and wholesale. Operates in adjacent Irish geography (NI) with similar roasting-café-wholesale model, addressing the same Northern Ireland delivery corridor Bear Market serves.

Emerging players

• Scoffy's Coffee: Specialty coffee subscription and DTC brand with compostable pods, comparable to Bear Market's Coffee Club and pod product, though operating at smaller scale and without café footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bearmarketco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bear Market Coffee