Wrights of Howth is an iconic Irish Brand, who has been in business for over a century. Today Wrights of Howth is operating in fishing, smoke salmon production, restaurants, entertainment, and hospitality sectors. Wright’s has been operating in the Dublin Airport since 1992, now they have Wright’s of Howth shop at T1 departure, Wright’s Food Court at T2 Arrival, and newly renovated Wright’s Food Fayre at T2 Carpark ground floor. They are ideally located in T1 and T2 to serve coffee to domestic and international passengers.
Coffee sales had slowed dramatically across all three sites and with the arrival of a branded coffee shop opening directly opposite one of the sites, Wrights of Howth wanted to:
On top of being Ireland’s biggest Airport, with 32.9 million passengers passed through the airport in 2019. There is also 18,000 Dublin Airport Staff working in there. So, the quality and consistency of the coffee offering are really important, to secure the repeat purchase. And also given in two sites, there are both self-service and barista coffee offering, so we have decided to take the DUAL APPROACH, offering different blends of coffee for different serving solutions.
In both T1 Food Fayre and T2 Wrights Food Court, we have used Alteco Organic Bean as part of their Barista Coffee Offering, as we felt that Alteco’s sustainability appeal to many of Dublin Airport’s customers and international passengers, this 100% organic coffee from the finest Arabica and Robusta to meet changing consumer needs, offers a competitive edge for Wright’s, it has played a key part in attracting new customers, as well as building customer loyalty.
For the self-service machines, we have chosen Gran Espresso, we felt this classic Lavazza blend works really well with bean to cup machines, and it is a blend with consistent crema, and the intense taste note form the perfect base for any milk-based drinks.
We have worked very closely with Wrights’ and the Fitout company on creating a bespoke premium coffee experience for the customers.
For Dublin Airport T2 Food Court, we have designed and installed the illuminated Lavazza Signs in the centre of Wright’s Food Court above the newly renovated espresso bar. The signs are powered by Solar Panel, providing carbon-neutral energy, it is now the focal point of T2 departure.
A bespoke coffee menu and window contra vision are also provided for the T2 espresso bar.
The Self Service Area at T2 Food Court also received a new facelift, with the entire area vinyl wrapped with iconic Lavazza Blue theme and new signages were created to highlight the premium coffee offering.
For the newly renovated T1 Food Fayre, we have designed a bespoke barista bar menu with magnetic pricing strips, providing the flexibility for the store to change the menu prices in the future. As well as overhanging Alteco Banner and display. We have also involved in the designing process of its new self-service stations, to ensure the most efficient service flow during rush hour.
Our Lavazza Trained Barista Trainer Ian Kelly and Andrew Dunne have been providing on-site training for the staff in all sites.
Training includes Traditional Coffee Machine Barista Training on how to get the perfect extraction from Lavazza Alteco, how to froth the milk, to get the perfect texture for various coffee drinks. What are the correct ratios. How to best present the coffee to customers.
Premium storytelling of the Organic Alteco beans, including information such as organic sourcing / sustainability / environment reservation and roasting technique.
Coffee machine general cleaning and maintenance training was also provided, to ensure the optimum coffee quality.
In the first 6 weeks trading in Terminal 1 coffee sales have increased 25% year on year and similar growth achieved in T2. Increased customer loyalty, particularly liked by the Airport Staff, and it has encouraged repeat purchasing and very positive word of mouth.
The bespoken branding is now the landmark in Dublin T2 Arrival, and it is the meeting point for customers and visitors.
“The best business we’ve done in a long time. Our coffee sales are now back in positive growth and we have seen a marked increase in food sales. We have since started using Lavazza in our other external restaurants. ”
Robert Rooney
Operations Manager | Wrights of Howth, Dublin Airport