The pair, who set up the Californian street food-inspired brand four months before Covid-19 hit, have signed distribution deals to have the Cali Cali Superbar sold in Circle K, Applegreen, Spar, Londis, Centra, SuperValu and Tesco stores.

Pairing with agri-food giant Glanbia, the founders have been working on the taste of its vegan protein ingredient.

“There are lots of great products out there but one of the things we have noticed is that they have a really bad aftertaste,” McGrath said.

They have been perfecting the recipe for three years and after a trial run, they have two flavours to begin with: a chocolate, coconut and goji berry bar and a salted caramel bar.

With ambitions this year to sell 1.5 million of the vegan and gluten-free bars, which are high in vitamins D, C, B6 and B12, the co-founders see the bars sitting somewhere between a chocolate bar and a high-protein bar. McGrath and Gannon exited Fulfil in 2018.

“We are not going after protein bars — only 14 per cent of protein bars are bought because they have high protein in them,” McGrath said.

The brand has also worked with Kerry Foods to create low-calorie crisps that launched last year.

Cali Cali originally started by introducing four sauces to shop shelves and has continued to grow. A partnership with Boyne Valley will help ramp up production, with Mr Gannon saying there are seven people currently employed by Cali Cali but Boyne Valley will provide access to a manufacturing base of 200.

They say the deal with Boyne Valley is indispensable and has helped them to gain access to Australia, Benelux, the UAE and the UK. Most recently they have signed a deal with Waitrose in Dubai, which will see a rollout on March 2.

“We believe Dubai will be a real proof-of-concept market for us. We have had orders coming through from Saudi Arabia, right through to Kuwait — they seem to be just picking up on the brand,” Gannon said.

This year they plan to open a deli-style counter at the Junction 14 service station near Naas, Co Kildare, to show that their ingredients can also be used in food service. They’re also partnering with salad chain Chopped to supply ingredients for a healthy burrito bowl.

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As manager Gavin Moran tells IF&CR, the total transformation of the service station was designed in response to customer research and insight into what people really want.

“We listened carefully and responded to what our customers were telling us. We created a bright new sitting area – although we haven’t been able to make the most of that yet due to Covid,” Gavin says.

“We created better toilets – we know that toilet facilities are extremely important to people, plus baby changing facilities and disabled access.

“We always had a good outside seating area but thanks to Covid, that has really come into its own.

“The newly restyled outside seating area is more like a full and spacious plaza seating up to one hundred people. We’ve landscaped it and added in an outdoor garden and due to Covid, people have been making the most of that.”

Work on the new-style Junction 14 started in May 2019 and was due to be completed in April 2020 but because of Covid, it wasn’t finished until July.

“As the father of three young children, I know how important good facilities are. People wanted a family friendly environment with supportive staff, clean toilets, baby changing facilities, good foods, disabled access and a place to relax,” Gavin says.

“At Junction 14 we’ve created something to be very proud of. We call the area inside ‘Main Street’ with all the food brands on either side – it has the spaciousness and vibe of an airport lounge, yet we are constantly striving to be better.

“Each department or concession has its own management team, supervisors and staff teams. We have management meetings every week for each department and they are always bringing new ideas to the table.

“When we had the official reopening in June, we were able to have a bouncy castle and a bit of a celebration – albeit socially distanced.

“There was a great atmosphere, lots of families and people just really enjoying themselves – a real sense that we are getting back to how things were before the pandemic hit.

“We’ve made something very special – a place where everyone involved can feel very proud.”

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And according to manager Gavin Moran, the whole process of transformation was embarked upon with a focus on changing consumer demands, trends and behaviours.

In an in-depth interview appearing in the newest issue of IFCR, he reveals how Junction 14 has evolved from its original incarnation as a forecourt to a food court with a fuel offering – thanks to in-depth market research.

“We simply asked the customers – what do you want?” Mr Moran says.

“We also asked customers – when you think of Junction 14 what comes to mind? The overwhelming response was coffee. The market research proved that we needed a better coffee offering – so along with the coffee dock, we now have an enhanced new Insomnia barista counter, and coffee available from some of our other concessions.

“Pizza was another big response – hence Papa John’s was added.

“People also said they wanted Mexican, so Zambrero was added to the new brand suite. People said they wanted treats – so that led to Gino’s Gelato, and of course, the deli had always been popular.

“We rebranded it to Mayfield Fare. Of course we still have the full carvery offering, made from our own kitchens.”

The site now includes a new upmarket SPAR with a bright new sitting area, improved toilet facilities, a newly restyled outdoor seating area and garden which is more of a full and spacious plaza.

The children’s play area has been extended and improved and a new instore off licence is in the works.

And yet the fuel offering is still key and innovation top of the agenda, with a new EV charging area alongside the Texaco forecourt.

Junction 14 is the first E-car charging site in Ireland with four super-chargers and two slow chargers.

“We’ve made something very special – a place where everyone involved can feel very proud,” Gavin says.

To find out more, read the full profile in the latest issue of IFCR magazine HERE.

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ESB has unveiled its first eight bay, high power electric vehicle charging hub. Located at Junction 14, Mayfield on the M7, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, the high power charging hub is capable of providing 100km of charge in as little as six minutes. The bay will contain three high power chargers (350kW) and one fast charger (50kW) which can charge up to eight Electric Vehicles (EVs) at any one time.

The launch of the high power EV charging hub is part of a €20m investment programme financed by the Government’s Climate Action Fund and ESB, which will see the expansion and enhancement of the public EV charging network. ESB aims to deliver 50 hubs as it continues to invest in the upgrade of its charging infrastructure. Under the Climate Action Fund project, ESB has already installed six high power hubs allowing three EVs to charge at one time, has replaced over 590 charge points and upgraded 31 chargers to faster speeds.

Electrification of transport

Speaking at the launch of the high power hub, Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Customer Solutions at ESB, said: “The electrification of transport is a key component of ESB’s low carbon strategy for a brighter future. Today’s announcement of the first eight vehicle high power EV charging hub is a significant milestone as we work to meet the growing number of EVs on Ireland’s roads. This new 350kW high power charging hub, as part of our overall upgrade works, will significantly reduce charging time for EV users. When you couple this with at-home charging, it really signifies a positive next step for current and future EV drivers in Ireland.”

Key national routes

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, said: “The availability of high-power charging infrastructure on key national routes is critical for EV drivers who need to travel longer distances. Through our Climate Action Fund, we will continue to invest and maintain a world-class national charging network that supports the country’s transition to EVs. This new hub, launched by ESB today, and the others that will follow, will encourage more drivers to go electric, cut their fuel costs and reduce our carbon emissions.”

A first for Junction 14

Liam Fitzpatrick. Director of the Lidon Group who are responsible for managing Mayfield Services said, “We are delighted that Junction 14 Mayfield will be the first ESB service partner in Ireland to have an eight bay high power electric charging hub. Having opened this Motorway Services facility on the M7 10 years ago, we have seen the demand for EV chargers growing steadily throughout that time, and we are very conscious here of the need for more availability, innovation, and better charging speed. Today is a hugely significant day for Junction 14 Mayfield and ESB with such a strong commitment being made to carbon reduction and sustainable travel for the future through this joint venture.”

High power hub

When complete, the high power hub network across the country will cater for significantly large numbers of EVs. There are three tiers of high power charging hubs – tier one allows up to eight EVs to charge at any one time; tier two allows up to four EVs to charge at any one time; and tier three allows up to three EVs to charge at any one time. The high-power charging hubs are dramatically faster than current charging infrastructure and are capable of providing a 100km range to EV drivers in as little as six minutes.

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