Dark Horse

Stephen Deasy and his wife Ruth, both architecture graduates, founded Bear Market Coffee in Dublin after the global financial crisis, choosing to build a business at home rather than emigrate as many of their peers did. What began with a first location in Blackrock has grown to nine coffee shops across Dublin, each lovingly designed with hand built furniture, burnt timber tables, warming copper accents, and original artwork that reflect the founders' architectural training. The flagship roastery occupies a stunning 150 year old former church in Stillorgan, where the team roasts specialty grade beans from around the world in small hand crafted batches. Bear Market also made history as the operator of Ireland's first cashless coffee shop at their George's Street location, and their pivot to online sales and micro roasting during the pandemic proved prescient, having already been planned as an investment before COVID arrived. The marriage of architectural design sensibility and serious coffee craft gives Bear Market a distinctive identity in Dublin's competitive specialty scene.