Coffee Docks
for the Irish coffee & food trailer trade.
Coffee docks for sale in Ireland — small kiosks and cabin units for static coffee operations at car parks, office plazas, retail estates, and community sites.
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Browse all listings →Coffee Docks — what to source for the Irish trade
Coffee docks are static or semi-static coffee kiosks — small cabin units placed at car parks, office plazas, retail estates, hospital grounds, university campuses, and community sites. Unlike towable coffee trailers, coffee docks sit on a fixed pitch for the long term (months to years) and trade through a serving hatch rather than a window or counter. Ireland has an active second-hand coffee-dock market with 30-50 live units typically available at any time across DoneDeal, Adverts.ie and private trade sales.
What counts as a coffee dock in Ireland
The defining features are: (1) static or semi-static placement (no road wheels typically; some units sit on a single-axle base for rare relocation), (2) serving hatch rather than a customer-facing counter, (3) external power + water connections rather than self-contained tanks + genset, (4) typical footprint 8-16 m² with a small interior workspace for one or two baristas. Coffee docks are usually built from converted shipping containers, custom-built timber-frame cabins, or refurbished portacabins.
Where coffee docks trade — pitch types
Office plazas (IFSC, Sandyford, Citywest, Cherrywood, EastPoint) — typically 6-12 month rolling agreements with the building owner or facilities manager. Hospital + university grounds — longer 2-5 year lease agreements with the institution's catering services. Retail estate exteriors (Liffey Valley, Blanchardstown, Mahon Point) — through the centre's commercial leasing team. Public transport plazas (DART stations, bus interchanges) — Irish Rail / Bus Éireann concession programmes. Community sites (sports grounds, parish car parks) — direct agreement with the trustee body.
Equipment + fit-out for a coffee dock
Most Irish coffee docks run 2-group commercial espresso machines (Nuova Simonelli Appia Life, La Marzocco Linea Classic, Victoria Arduino Eagle One) — higher volume justifies the bigger machine. Grinders pair: one for espresso, one for decaf, sometimes a third for filter. Refrigeration is typically an under-counter undermounted unit + a small upright glass-door display for milk + ready-to-grab pastries. Water: connected to mains via a Brita / BWT filter cartridge rather than a tank. Power: 13A or 16A external feed from the host site rather than a generator.
Buying or building a coffee dock in Ireland
Used coffee docks sell at €4,000-€18,000 depending on age, condition, equipment fit-out, and whether the sale includes the pitch agreement. New custom builds via Irish container-conversion specialists or carpentry workshops: €18,000-€55,000+. Building cost is dominated by the unit shell, electrical + plumbing fit-out, the espresso machine + grinders, and the branding wrap. Most new Irish coffee docks are sold turnkey by a builder who also helps the operator find + negotiate a pitch.
Compliance + licensing for coffee docks
Coffee docks register with FSAI as food premises the same as any coffee trailer (FSP01 to the Local Authority's Environmental Health Office, 28 days before opening). Casual trading licence may or may not be required depending on whether the pitch is on public or private land — most office plazas + hospital pitches are private and don't need a council licence. RGI gas cert if using LPG (rare in docks — most run electric espresso + electric kettle). Public liability insurance €6.5M+ for static commercial premises is standard.
Counties served
Coffee dock suppliers, builders and second-hand sellers on Food Trailers Marketplace serve all 32 counties. Builders concentrate in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Wexford; second-hand units turn over regularly via Adverts.ie and trade resales. Most Irish coffee docks are placed in the Dublin / Cork / Galway / Limerick / Belfast metropolitan areas where corporate plaza + hospital + university campus pitches are concentrated.
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