Brodies1867 was established in 1867 by Mr Brodie, Mr Melrose and Mr Drysdale, three enterprising Scottish tea traders and has been producing the finest teas and coffees for almost 150 years now. They say practise makes perfect and #TeamDunstane took a trip to the factory to find out how this perfection is achieved! To start the tour they were given a brief history of the company, which has an amazing history. For starters, in 1892 Mr Drysdale was credited with being the first UK tea manufacturer to produce a breakfast tea...I know many people who would not be functioning at 100% Monday to Friday if it wasn't for Mr Drysdale's creation! This blend is stocked in all our rooms so make sure you try it when you're here! Their next big achievement was the creation of the most popular Brodie's blend, 'Famous Edinburgh' which hasn't changed from the original (and closely guarded) blend since 1928 when it was created.
Over the years Brodie's have been at the forefront of development, experimentation and fashion in the tea and coffee industry, it's easy to see why. During a tour of the factory by the Managing Director, the team saw something familiar in the employees they met - a strong sense of pride, passion and dedication to the work they were doing, Something that we're also very proud of here at The Dunstane too. The tour of the factory was hugely insightful, explaining the roasting process, getting the team involved in feeling the texture of the beans at each stage and helping them to understand what goes into making that cup of coffee they serve guests every day in Skerries.
A treat was in store for them as not only were they learning about coffee, they also go to taste some of Brodie's incredible whisky chaser chocolates - even if you don't like whisky you need to try these, they are divine! I think you'll agree the team look pretty fetching in their hairnets!But it wasn't all serious, there was a lot of fun to be had too. A coffee making race started between Front of House Manager, Dayne and Food and Beverage Manager, Miguel. The competitive spirit of The Dunstane was out in force and after a hard fought race the winner was....#TeamMiguel! Though I think #TeamDayne will be asking for a rematch in the future, perhaps it'll even become an annual event!! Either way the whole day was well worth it and the team at The Dunstane now have a much better appreciation for the tea and coffee they are serving and its opened up a new topic for guest interaction too.
If you can't wait until your next visit to The Dunstane to try Brodie1867's blends have a look at their mail order catalogue here - http://bit.ly/1OYyRqO. Also we recommend liking their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/brodies1867) as there are often great competitions running! Otherwise we look forward to welcoming you to Skerries or for an overnight stay in one of our gorgeous rooms!
