If you enjoy a caramel latté, look away now. David McKernan - the man who founded Java Republic - believes you're not doing yourself any favours.
If anyone knows their coffee, it's David McKernan.
The Founder of Java Republic, McKernan has been in the coffee world for almost 30 years, having started his career with the famous Bewley's brand, and can't quite grasp the popularity of various sugar-boosted coffee drinks.
Speaking to host Tadhg Enright on The Architects of Business, in partnership with
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™, David explains why he wouldn't allow one of his children to buy a Frappuccino on a recent trip to a Starbucks in California.
"I think it’s junk," he says.
"I mean, the Starbucks Frappuccino – one of my kids ordered it last year and I refused to buy it. We were in California. And it’s either 390 or 500 calories."
He went even further, believing that anyone who buys these drinks on a regular basis are causing grave harm to their health.
“They’re killing themselves. I’m big into selling coffee; coffee is a drug - in one sense it is a drug - you’ve got to be careful how you talk about it, but to put in whipped cream, syrups, anything with sugar in it, you’re just destroying it.
"I am absolutely anti-anything to do with Frappuccinos, or anybody’s drinks that are just loaded with sugar and carbs. To sell those to kids is wrong."
Listen to the full interview here...
In a wide ranging interview, David also describes the dangers of the coffee trade in third world countries, and why the product he sells is so widely consumed and talked about across the world.
https://youtu.be/SxS5J_xF0Pc
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