Sales up at ice cream maker Murphy's

Revenues jumped at gourmet ice-cream maker and retailer Murphy’s Ice Cream last year by 20% after the business expanded to open a second outlet in Dingle.

Established in 2000, the independent handmade ice-cream maker now operates four outlets, including two in Dingle, one in Killarney, and one on Dublin’s Wicklow Street.

The business had operated a store in Dublin’s Temple Bar but shut it down due to attacks on staff.

Co-founder of the business Kieran Murphy yesterday appeared to rule out the firm making a comeback to Temple Bar.

Asked if the business would reconsider reopening in Temple Bar, Mr Murphy said: “It’s unlikely. Temple Bar is too unpredictable and our staff didn’t feel safe there.”

Mr Murphy was commenting on accounts that showed that combined retained profits for two Murphy’s Ice Cream firms totalled €136,491 in 2014.

The business paid out more than €570,000 in wages in 2014.

Mr Murphy said that the business enjoyed similar profits in 2015 to 2014.

The ice cream business is facing large increases in costs this year with the global price of vanilla soaring.

Mr Murphy said: “Yes — vanilla has more than doubled. It’s quite a hit — we use a small amount in all ice cream flavours and a good bit in a few — but we will swallow it this year.”

Celebrities have been known to enjoy the business’s much sought after ice-cream flavours, but Mr Murphy was remaining tight-lipped about their identities yesterday.

He quipped: “We certainly have a good few, but we don’t scoop and tell.”

The firm employs 24 people, both full-time and part-time roles, all year round.

Mr Murphy said: “We also hire seasonal staff for the summer. In terms of expansion, we’d like to grow, but we have nothing concrete at the moment.”

Mr Murphy said that the firm’s “Dublin shop is the busiest, but it’s also the most expensive to run”.

On the company’s most popular flavours, Mr Murphy said: “Our caramel flavours are always popular. In terms of taste, there are more people on ‘free from’ diets in the last few years.”

On the impact the sun shining has on ice cream sales, Mr Murphy said a sunny month is probably worth around 10% more in sales.