A brother and sister who set up a mobile coffee trailer in a field on the Rosslare Road during Covid have realised their dream of opening a bricks and mortar cafe in Wexford town.
onor Bates and his sister Lesley Coleman opened The Trough Cafe in Crescent Quay on Thursday, with Lesley, who is due to give birth to her second baby on Sunday, describing the experience as “terrifying but exciting”.
The new cafe will open seven days a week, offering a menu of speciality coffees, baked goods from The Trough’s own bakery called Fodder in Piercestown and an all-day brunch menu.
Establishing a coffee shop was the original ambition of the siblings who resorted to Plan B when the pandemic struck and decided to open in a customised Ifor Williams trailer on the Rosslare Road in August 2020, never expecting that it would prove so successful.
They were forced to move from that first location due to Council concerns about traffic on the Rosslare Road – the coffee trailer now located in Kerlogue Business Park is not closing and will continue to operate a takeaway service.
The Wexford business now employs over 25 people between the trailer, bakery and cafe, with about 10 extra staff taken on for the new restaurant venture, making The Trough one of Wexford’s Covid success stories.
Opening in the former Waffel Haus in Crescent Quay is the culmination of a lengthy search by the owners for the right Wexford town premises after they experienced planning disappointments at a number of other locations.
“We got the keys three weeks ago and have been working on getting the place ready ever since. We’ve gone for a minimalist Scandi vibe with the decor”, said Lesley.
“It’s a great location with gorgeous views over the quay front and outdoor seating. The feedback from customers has been brilliant so far. Everyone is just really excited to get in and see what it’s like. Let’s hope they keep coming back.”
Lesley, a secondary school teacher is married to John Coleman. The couple have a two-year old son Archie and are looking forward to the imminent birth of their second child.
Younger brother Conor is a business graduate from Carlow IT who quit his job to open The Trough two and a half years ago. The enterprising pair are are natives of Kilmore Quay.
