A Co Tyrone GAA star has combined his love of chemistry and coffee with a new business venture in Omagh.
Alchemist in Campsie opened up its doors earlier this year under the stewardship of All-Ireland winner Tiernan McCann and his pharmacist colleague Gary Mallon.
Both Tiernan and Gary are both still working pharmacists, and the Killyclogher native says they wanted to combine both of their passions with the new venture.
“Gary and I would travel a fair distance to sample different types of coffee, and it was always a desire for us to open our own shop,” Tiernan said.
“We spent time researching beans, the art and process of coffee making before finally taking the leap to open our own special place.
“As we are both still working pharmacists, we wanted our space to almost resemble a lab which is why the shop has a clinical aesthetic.
“We always loved the idea that through a mystical formula, you can create something special and its why we chose the name Alchemist – coffee is a kind of formula and most definitely, special.”
Alchemist has only been open three months but has already got off to a flying start, they have employed six local staff and are enjoying the journey of a new business.
“For the future, we just want to continue to grow the business,” said Tiernan.
“Creating Alchemist and seeing the locals take to our coffee so well has been extremely exciting and rewarding.
“We’ve had customers from all over the world come in and taste our coffee. Australians have told us that it reminds them of cafés at home, which is a huge compliment given their prestigious coffee culture. People think it brings a city feel to the rural town.”
Tiernan, who has retired from the inter-county GAA scene but still plays with local club Killyclogher, thanked the British Business Bank who have supported the venture.
He added: “The bank supported us with the funding we needed to get our business off the ground and running. We also received fantastic guidance from our Start Up Loans advisor and he took us through the do’s and don’ts of a start-up.”
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