The Beautiful Cup

Colin Harmon used to tell his friends that he planned to build a career in coffee: they’d laugh, as Irish coffee culture didn’t exist yet. Now that his coffee company 3fe roasts two tons of beans a year and has helped create a nation of coffee lovers, his next move is into casual dining, namely at Gertrude in Pearse Street, writes Gillian Nelis

Colin Harmon of 3fe coffee inside his new coffee shop and restaurant Gertrude on Pearse Street in Dublin Pic: Marc O’Sullivan

It’s a windy morning in Dublin, and at a table outside 3fe, I’m discussing the curious – to us, at least – dating habits of Ireland’s young people with the café’s owner, Colin Harmon.

“Young people go on dates now. Isn’t that gas? I’m 36 and I’ve never been on a date in my life,” says Harmon, who is married with three small children. “When I was a kid, dating was something Americans ...