Grounds For Perfection
Former Westlife bodyguard, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here contestant and Love Island winner Fran Cosgrave, tells Alma Stewart about his change in career and big plans for his newest venture, Concrete Coffee
If Fran’s energy and passion in a conversation is anything to go by, then it’s certain that Concrete Coffee is going places. In fact, the whole operation is literally full of beans.
The Concrete Coffee shop was launched around a year ago as part of YourGym in Lytham. Fran’s journey into the coffee industry has been a whirlwind: “I became teetotal about 13 years ago and developed a real passion for coffee. No matter where I was in the world, the first thing I would do is drop my bags at the hotel and find the nearest coffee shop. But despite sampling hundreds if not thousands of different blends from all over the globe, I could never find the perfect one,” Fran explains. But with a brand-new second shop just opened in Blackpool’s Abingdon Market, that perfect blend has been discovered.
Rewind more than 25 years and Fran, in his native Dublin, starts his career in security: “My dad had done a bit of security work and I found that I had a flair for it and as a fast and solid communicator, I was able to use these skills to diffuse very tense situations.” Fran went on to run the security for several large venues across Ireland and in the late nineties, moved to the UK working at Liverpool’s Cream nightclub alongside one of the UK’s well-known DJs, Paul Oakenfold, and later moving down to London to run security for Paul’s Big B Institute. It was in his security roles that Fran met leading Irish promoter John Reynolds, who worked closely with Louis Walsh, and from this, became a bodyguard for boy band Westlife: “It was an amazing experience,” remembers Fran, “and I did two world tours with them before returning to London to open a new venue.”
Fran went on achieve fame through a number of TV programmes and travelled the world as a DJ and music producer for many years. He came to the Fylde DJing for the Syndicate nightclub in Blackpool. There, he met his partner, Elle, and when she fell pregnant, he gave up commuting between London and Liverpool to settle in Lytham, where Elle grew up: “I was reluctant to move here at first. I had been very used to city living and wasn’t sure about the slower pace of life. But on the second day after moving here, I walked from Fairhaven to the windmill on The Green and realised it was a special place and I fell in love with it.”
As with many things, the global pandemic changed everything. Fran explains: “In 2019 I was travelling all over the world. I had just performed in Mexico City and was booked for a tour of China in January 2020 – then the country shut down. Suddenly we could no longer travel as this went on and on, I faced challenge after challenge, I started brewing coffee at home – I absolutely loved it. The process of mixing different beans and blends was so enjoyable. Eventually when all the restrictions were lifted, I was at Creamfields festival with a friend from Germany who was performing there. He brought me some samples from his own roastery in Mannheim, Germany.
“I tried the samples the next day and was literally blown away – this was the exact taste and experience I was looking for. The very next day I contacted him and said I wanted to bring this coffee to the UK, Ireland and then the world. Over several months of calls, emails and negotiations, I flew to Germany to visit the roastery and we signed our deal, becoming partners.”
Concrete Coffee Roasters was founded in 2018 by Florian Fischer and David Zwilling. César is their chief roaster and coffee is a passion for this native Colombian. He has known the diverse world of coffee since he was 10 years-old learning his expert skills from his father creating full, smooth flavours, no bitter aftertaste and no acid reflux. Fran enjoyed two blends, in particular: The Balanced Blend 50/50 Composition: 50 per cent Arabica / 50 per cent Robusta and the Fuego Composition: 20 per cent Arabica / 80 per cent Robusta.
“I had been using the gym for a long time and was so excited about the coffee that the owners agreed it would be a great idea to extend and include the first UK Concrete Coffee café. Some very cool people have been in touch and offered to promote us, so watch this space.”
Concrete Coffee is open to the general public along with members of the gym and offers a range of delicious treats such as gourmet waffles, cakes, bakes and fresh fruit with hot chocolate. Fran also runs a number of coffee events that include cars and motorbikes.
“I’m really immersed in the business right now. We have plans to expand initially in the North West and hopefully to Dublin. I would also love to get into the wholesale arena. Luckily, opportunities are presenting themselves and I am enjoying building up a real community. The business means I can be at home much more instead of being away all the time, though I’m not sure the family think it’s that great!”
