The petrol station and convenience store chain began introducing iced coffee to its self-serve network in September 2023 and has seen sales soar amid near record-high temperatures in Ireland last month
With nearly 250 petrol stations and convenience stores across Ireland, Dublin-based Maxol has the size and structure to sell a lot of coffee – and the recent heatwave has enabled it to do so.
According to CEO Brian Donaldson, Maxol saw iced coffee sales surge 215% year-on-year during the peak of the hot weather at the end of June 2026.
The petrol station forecourt operator, which served more than five million cups of its proprietary Rosa Coffee brand across its estate last year, only introduced iced coffee to its stores in September 2023 as part of a €10m ($10.7m) supply deal with Bewley’s coffee and tea group.
“Iced coffee is a relatively new addition to our stores and the strong demand during the recent warm weather highlights its growing appeal. While iced coffee currently represents a modest proportion of overall coffee sales, the trend suggests changing consumer habits that could extend well beyond the summer months,” Donaldson said.
Maxol and Bewley’s developed the fairtrade Rosa coffee brand together in 2018. As part of the five-year deal signed in 2023, Maxol introduced iced and oatmilk-based coffee ranges across an initial 20 stores, with Iced Oat Latte and Iced Vanilla Mocha its best-selling ranges.
As well as attracting younger customers with iced beverage options, Maxol has also credited the rollout of Oatly Barista Edition as increasing its appeal with sustainability-focused consumers. Although still not available across its whole estate, consumer response to the ongoing oatmilk rollout has been positive – with the non-dairy option now accounting for 10% of total coffee sales across Maxol’s 244 sites.
Alongside its self-serve offer, some Maxol service stations also feature standalone cafés, in partnership with Ground Espresso Bars and Insomnia – Ireland’s largest branded coffee chain.
