How a specialty coffee drive-through is challenging Costa

From a shipping container on Forthill Street, the Irvinestown woman runs Fort Coffee, an independent drive-through business built around specialty coffee, homemade food and a quick service for commuters.

Asked for her own order, Hall does not hesitate.

“I drink a black americano.”

The answer tells a lot about Fort’s business ethos, where simplicity is at the core.

Her background stretches beyond hospitality. Hall studied geology in Aberdeen before moving to Australia, where she worked in construction and engineering.

“I chose the degree for career prospects more than anything. I did like geography but I didn’t expect there to be many jobs in it, whereas with geology, and in Australia, there were opportunities in things like mining and engineering.”

It was during her time in Australia that she was able to save the money that would eventually fund Fort Coffee.

After returning home, she began working in her aunt’s coffee shop in Irvinestown, where she developed the skills and confidence to start her own business.

“She has all the kitchen facilities where I can prepare Fort’s food. I mainly do breakfasts to-go – overnight oats, bowls, granola and bakes.

“Everything is homemade.”

For Hall, the business was not about creating another traditional café. The drive-through model was always the plan.

“I want to be drive-through. It’s convenience, quick. I don’t want a bricks-and-mortar coffee shop.”

That decision also shaped the search for a premises. She said it took time to find a site that would work.

“I had looked at other sites but they just weren’t suitable or there were too many issues with planning.”

The Forthill Street location, she felt, offered access to commuters travelling between Irvinestown and Enniskillen.

The business has found a particularly strong morning trade, with parents and teachers among her regular customers during the school drop-off rush.

Despite the presence of Costa and McDonald’s nearby, Hall said she believed there was a gap in the local market for a specialist coffee offering.

“I personally don’t like Costa or McDonald’s coffee and I just thought a speciality, good-quality coffee with the drive-through element was missing.”

The Colombian beans used by Fort Coffee are roasted in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, allowing Hall to source from a roaster in the north west.

When it comes to the product itself, she is unapologetically selective.

“I only have one syrup in here. I like to concentrate on the drink itself.

“I don’t do matcha and my personal go-to is a black americano.”

The day-to-day operation is straightforward, if demanding. Hall runs the business largely on her own, opening at 8am and closing at 3pm before preparing food for the following days.

“I wake up at half six, make sure I have everything ready and then sell coffee all day.

“Then I bake every other day.”

Owning a business was never part of her original plan.

“I’d gone to university, got a degree and never really thought about setting one up. Things change.”

She has found the experience rewarding despite the responsibility that comes with running the business alone.

“The commitment. This is mine. I’m doing it. There’s no one else to answer to. It’s all on you.”

Business has steadily increased since opening, with customer numbers growing month by month through the summer.

“May, June and July have all just really steadily increased,” she said.

Hall said she is still learning the seasonal patterns of the trade, having not yet completed a full year in business.

She does not see Costa and McDonald’s as direct competitors.

“I see them as separate, to be honest. I wouldn’t even consider McDonald’s as a competitor – it’s a fast food chain. Costa, maybe, but I’m not a fan of their standard of coffee.”

For now, the focus is on building Fort Coffee’s reputation, but Hall is already thinking beyond a single site.

“Ideally more locations, or another location, and staff. That’s the long term plan”

With one hatch facing north, Hall is asked what she would have done differently if she was opening for the first time today.

“Get another window.”