Mayo store installs unique make-your-own smoothie venture

A Mayo business has seen a first-of-its-kind introduction in the country for those wishing to fuel up on their travels.

Spar Balllindine is the first store in Ireland to run a self-service smoothie machine. The unique innovation was made by two locals, Jack Kirrane and Cathal Kelly.

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The unique venture, called ‘Smooday,’ has received positive reviews from those passing through on the N17.

From the first time co-creator Jack Kirrane saw the idea online he was hooked.

“I saw it online being done in another country,” Kirrane told The Mayo News. “Then when I was out there on holidays, I had a look at it and thought, ‘I could do this myself.’

“That generated the idea, but it has been a long time in the making.”

When Milltown native Kirrane and his co-founder Cathal Kelly sat down to brainstorm the venture, the complexities started piling up. However, they relished the challenge.

“It's been a year in the pipeline. A lot of thinking goes into these things, between testing machines, testing recipes, logo design,” he said.

“Even down to the fine details of what lids should go on the cup, the sourcing, price, you name it. And that’s a tiny thing. You’ve so much in terms of production, storage, logistics.

“It took a while but we got there and now we’re happy out.”

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According to the 24-year-old, the product has generated plenty of interest and custom for those passing through Ballindine.

“The first thing people notice about it is the display, it looks very appealing. A lot of people don’t know what it is. We’ve been down at the shop gauging the reaction and anyone who’s tried them loves them.

“It’s appealing, even for kids who might think it's cool to be making your own smoothie. There’s a lot of repeat business, with people buying three of four in the one week.”

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Now, with this maiden test serving as a solid case study for future investment, the pair are confident that they can go to other businesses and convince them to get on board.

“This was the acid test with the one in Ballindine,” Jack stated. “We’ve some more machines ready to go, but we wanted to have this one as a show to other shops we’re going into.

“Now, we can say ‘this works, this brings business,’ and we hope we’ll get others interested.”