A while back, I read an article in which a smoothie vendor in Dublin complained that business was rather seasonal. Given that Irish summers are short to non-existent, smoothie bars apparently struggle for trade for most of the year (hence the extortionate prices). The interviewee couldn’t think of much in the way of alternatives; coffee would be competing with existing cafés, and isn’t quite the same market, since it’s perceived as not particularly healthy.
What does a cold, wet city-centre Dublin commuter want in the wintertime? Something healthy but also with a feelgood factor?
Well herbal teas strike me as the obvious answer. Not the watery camomile stuff, more like ginger or cinnamon-based stuff, hearty pick-me-ups. But I can think of something even more welcome. Lemsip. Can you think of anything more desirable when you’ve got yet another cold, you’ve missed your bus, and you really don’t want an alcoholic drink to further weaken your system? Open a Lemsip café - with paracetamol-free alternatives (lemon and honey, lemon and cloves) in case you feel like staying for a second drink; and the smoothie trade will be a summer sideline.
