John Crean is an Irish entrepreneur with a very interesting business aimed at Irish pubs. We had a chat with the man himself to find out more about his bar breathalyser machine…
JOE: Hi John, what made you start up New Age Vending in the first place? Was it something close to your heart, or did you see a gap in the market?
John Crean: I’ve always had a bit of a business head and I have always looked for opportunities in everyday life. I did a bit of travelling a few years ago and while I was in Lithuania I saw a breathalyser machine on the wall of a hotel bar.
A few friends and myself were having a few drinks and we gave it a go for the craic, and then I saw the machines in America too. I thought, why does Ireland, of all places, not have machines like these?
So I got back to Ireland and started researching. Everybody I spoke to loved the idea, so I sourced a supplier with the top technology, the best sensor and, of course, it had to look good. So I purchased my first two machines.
JOE: So when did you start-up officially?
JC: I bought the machines in 2013 and had one trial in The Central Bar in Navan, Meath. The response was huge so I decided to start up New Age Vending officially and give it a go!
I install the breathalysers into the bar for free, and remain the owner of the machine. I then provide full service, calibrations, and coin collections and share a percentage of the profits with the owner.
It’s €2 per use and out pops a disposable straw to blow into the machine, so everyone gets their own fresh straw.
JOE: How many people are behind New Age Vending?
JC: Currently, it’s just myself, but I must give some credit to my wife, who always pushed me to keep trying every time something went wrong.
JOE: How can New Age Vending help both publicans and consumers?
JC: It can help the pub in many ways…
To create an entertainment area and also a great memorable experience in the bar. It can be used to show a drunk and disorderly customer that they’ve had enough.
A publican who thinks that someone is about to drive while under the influence can make the customer use the machine before getting into a car. The income for the machine is shared with the bar owner, in which the owner has no expense, or have to be involved in any part of taking care of the machine.
For the consumer, it can be used both for safety and fun. On the safety side, I would first like to strongly say, that neither I, or the machine supports drunk driving, and this machine is not an excuse for somebody to have a drink, use the machine and drive home.
What I see this machine doing is, for example, a person might go for a pint or two every Friday after work and drive home assuming he is under the limit, and is “fine”. Well, maybe someday there will be a breathalyser in his local and, through curiosity, he might use the machine and see just how far he is over the limit, and then he rings for a taxi home.
That, for us, would be a success.
The same goes for restaurants where people might have a few glasses of wine and drive home because “they had a big dinner”. This is really a machine to change people’s minds about driving home.
Alternatively, somebody who is curious about what one drink can do to their body, they can see what BAC percentage they have per drink. After all, have you ever wondered if you can handle your drink?
Or what does one drink do to a 5ft skinny guy compared to a 6ft big muscle man? This machine can solve these questions. It’s there to educate the public!
JOE: What is your end goal for the company?
JC: My goal is to educate people about what limits they have, how a drink increases BAC and also create awareness about general BAC, as I believe people are drinking blind and getting into a car, confident that they are sober as a judge and under the legal limit.
Hopefully our machine will change this idea. My main goal would be a breathalyser in every bar. Maybe a politician will come along and make it law!
JOE: What obstacles have you had to overcome during the start-up phase?
JC: One of the main obstacles I came across was convincing bar owners to take the machine.
The machine is basically unheard of and may have sounded a bit controversial to them, so no bar owner wanted to be the first to take one in, as they had seen no experience of it. Thankfully, once Michael in the Central saw the potential in it, I knew I could inform bar owners that it had been trialled and has been a success.
One obstacle was that the supplier was so far away in America so, if there were any issues, it was hard to get new parts over because of the cost of shipping and the nature of the product.
JOE: What advice would you have for other Irish start-ups?
JC: Just never give up, problems happen and obstacles happen and you may think that it was a bad idea getting into it, but you know best, and if you thought it was a good idea, then other people will too.
You just need to make them see things from your point of view and things will be a lot smoother. Once you break through that wall, then it all picks up.
JOE: Do you have any regrets?
JC: One regret was not educating myself enough on the basics of running a business, I learned it all as I made mistakes, which maybe is the best way… I’m not sure!
JOE: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us John and the best of luck with the venture.
JC: Thanks JOE.
