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The Urban Co-Op was a dream born from the frustration of living in an unsustainable world.
It grew from nothing but a vision - into a powerful magnet that drew to it a diverse group of believers, whose need for each other was grounded in a deep knowing that something wasn’t right and there must be a better way.
Like any organisation of people, it groaned as it grew, surviving infights and ideological divides as it strived to push past the mind-set limitations of outsiders, unyielding belief systems, misunderstandings, and ignorance.
Mavericks are the first to go through the ditch - and always get a bloody nose!
The early days were marked with the ever-present threat of financial ruin, yet somehow the Co-Op always managed to stay alive. Often the only thing holding up the sky was hope - emanating from the hearts of believers who embraced each other shoulder to shoulder to strengthen the dream.
Having found its feet after years of sweat - the membership grew.
Suppliers would hear about this special place and wonder - could I be part of that? Could it make a difference to my family’s security in this uncertain world? Could people really want what I produce?
And they’d talk - and the membership grew!
And the premises went from primitive to modern as the Co-Op grew roots into the land - and the membership grew.
As astute business management brought the Co-Op to a place where it all but stood on its own feet without the need for philanthropy, breakeven was in sight.
Then Covid steamrolled into town - crushing the life out of businesses, smashing dreams, and stealing away the hope which had just begun to blossom in a country still recovering from the last crash. As hope was replaced by fear, the world held its breath.
But as panic buying broke out in faceless supermarkets, visitors to the Co-Op would find sanctuary in an oasis of calm amidst the chaos of a locked down world.
To its members, The Urban Co-Op was a place you could breathe easy, because you knew it had your back.
If ever there was a test for community resilience - this was it.
Drawn to the oasis by the whispers of a self-evident truth - the membership swelled.
Small farms stayed afloat as suppliers found willing buyers for their craft.
Ordinary people revelled in the security of a local supply chain.
People who cared wanted the quality being offered.
The Urban Co-Op thrived when the darkness suffocated many others.
It thrived despite the fear because it never compromised on its vision of being a hub of resilience in a community over reliant on a faceless global supply chain.
Success against all odds is a powerful story - and as this story grows it gets retold around the world, like seeds blowing from a pod that takes root in random places, the Co-Op is a seed spreader and its ideas become woven into the fabric of life in ways that can’t be measured with numbers.
The cries of a tired mother on the Co-Op floor enter the ears of an eager listener nearby.
The listener whispers it to a teacher who relays it to a retired farmer, who conceives an idea and encourages his son to take a chance to grow a field of ancient wheat, which is bought by a baker and transformed into sourdough, to be sold in the Co-Op, and bought by a grateful mother in search of food she can feed to her sick daughter - without her ending up in hospital with skin flaring so bad she can’t sleep.
The wheat imports lessened - the country grows stronger.
The healthy daughter then volunteers to help out at an animal shelter - because now she has the energy to do it. And the seeds keep spreading.
It takes a community to raise a family, and it takes a Co-Op to glue the community together.
But the story remains unfinished - something is missing - something yearned for by many who don’t yet know it. A kitchen!
Just like the kitchen is the hearth of a warm home where everyone congregates - we too need a kitchen of our own to complete us. A kitchen to gather in, to learn in, to cook in, to teach in, a kitchen to transform fresh unsold produce into nourishment you can feed to your family after a long day’s work.
The Urban Co-Op needs a kitchen!
The Urban Co-Op is the body, and the producers, the farmers, the craftspeople and the staff are the blood that runs through its veins, but You - you are the oxygen that sustains it, so it can sustain you.
The Urban Co-Op needs a beating heart - to pump that oxygen.
The Urban Co-Op needs a Kitchen.
The same vision that carried it from nothing but an idea to a busy hub of hope with thousands of members, continues to peer into the future for ways to make us all even more resilient.
You understand the significance of this because you are its breath.
The Urban Co-Op needs a Kitchen.
Will you help us build it?
It grew from nothing but a vision - into a powerful magnet that drew to it a diverse group of believers, whose need for each other was grounded in a deep knowing that something wasn’t right and there must be a better way.
Like any organisation of people, it groaned as it grew, surviving infights and ideological divides as it strived to push past the mind-set limitations of outsiders, unyielding belief systems, misunderstandings, and ignorance.
Mavericks are the first to go through the ditch - and always get a bloody nose!
The early days were marked with the ever-present threat of financial ruin, yet somehow the Co-Op always managed to stay alive. Often the only thing holding up the sky was hope - emanating from the hearts of believers who embraced each other shoulder to shoulder to strengthen the dream.
Having found its feet after years of sweat - the membership grew.
Suppliers would hear about this special place and wonder - could I be part of that? Could it make a difference to my family’s security in this uncertain world? Could people really want what I produce?
And they’d talk - and the membership grew!
And the premises went from primitive to modern as the Co-Op grew roots into the land - and the membership grew.
As astute business management brought the Co-Op to a place where it all but stood on its own feet without the need for philanthropy, breakeven was in sight.
Then Covid steamrolled into town - crushing the life out of businesses, smashing dreams, and stealing away the hope which had just begun to blossom in a country still recovering from the last crash. As hope was replaced by fear, the world held its breath.
But as panic buying broke out in faceless supermarkets, visitors to the Co-Op would find sanctuary in an oasis of calm amidst the chaos of a locked down world.
To its members, The Urban Co-Op was a place you could breathe easy, because you knew it had your back.
If ever there was a test for community resilience - this was it.
Drawn to the oasis by the whispers of a self-evident truth - the membership swelled.
Small farms stayed afloat as suppliers found willing buyers for their craft.
Ordinary people revelled in the security of a local supply chain.
People who cared wanted the quality being offered.
The Urban Co-Op thrived when the darkness suffocated many others.
It thrived despite the fear because it never compromised on its vision of being a hub of resilience in a community over reliant on a faceless global supply chain.
Success against all odds is a powerful story - and as this story grows it gets retold around the world, like seeds blowing from a pod that takes root in random places, the Co-Op is a seed spreader and its ideas become woven into the fabric of life in ways that can’t be measured with numbers.
The cries of a tired mother on the Co-Op floor enter the ears of an eager listener nearby.
The listener whispers it to a teacher who relays it to a retired farmer, who conceives an idea and encourages his son to take a chance to grow a field of ancient wheat, which is bought by a baker and transformed into sourdough, to be sold in the Co-Op, and bought by a grateful mother in search of food she can feed to her sick daughter - without her ending up in hospital with skin flaring so bad she can’t sleep.
The wheat imports lessened - the country grows stronger.
The healthy daughter then volunteers to help out at an animal shelter - because now she has the energy to do it. And the seeds keep spreading.
It takes a community to raise a family, and it takes a Co-Op to glue the community together.
But the story remains unfinished - something is missing - something yearned for by many who don’t yet know it. A kitchen!
Just like the kitchen is the hearth of a warm home where everyone congregates - we too need a kitchen of our own to complete us. A kitchen to gather in, to learn in, to cook in, to teach in, a kitchen to transform fresh unsold produce into nourishment you can feed to your family after a long day’s work.
The Urban Co-Op needs a kitchen!
The Urban Co-Op is the body, and the producers, the farmers, the craftspeople and the staff are the blood that runs through its veins, but You - you are the oxygen that sustains it, so it can sustain you.
The Urban Co-Op needs a beating heart - to pump that oxygen.
The Urban Co-Op needs a Kitchen.
The same vision that carried it from nothing but an idea to a busy hub of hope with thousands of members, continues to peer into the future for ways to make us all even more resilient.
You understand the significance of this because you are its breath.
The Urban Co-Op needs a Kitchen.
Will you help us build it?
Written 18 October 2020
What if
A conversation I often have with the husband goes like this…
Himself: How do you remember foods you have eaten years ago when I don’t think about food until I have it in front of me?
Me: I wish I had the luxury of being able to do that!
This is the sanitised version of the conversation. It has been more heated than that and when children are involved the responsibility of providing food for them over the years has been left mostly to yours truly. It is a bug bear of mine to improve his appreciation of food. To be fair he has progressed! I left the polytunnel work to him this year and apart from the reality there is little produce to write home about he has learned by doing and is working out ways of improving the soil, watering systems etc. It has helped him to appreciate the lengths I have gone to get good food. Interestingly being surrounded by it at The Urban Co-op I can often go home to an empty fridge – the shoemakers sons etc…
In any case it has got me thinking – how easily we take it all for granted and what if something major happened that we didn’t have the ease of access and abundance that we have become so used to this generation?
2020 continues to be the year that is clearing our vision as we awaken to the reality that all may not be as straightforward as we had hoped! There are many discussions happening about food sovereignty and security. They often seem so far removed from us that we might not have to worry at all about it. Stories of famine, deprivation and hunger are far away in history and geography. Generations of us have never known deprivation and perhaps this is not always a good thing. How easily we fall into complacency when food is apparently abundantly available.
What if something happened to change all this? How easily can the situation change? At the start of lockdown the panic buying strategy was evident. (Granted some folk will have a lifetime supply of toilet paper as a result). It is a wake up call though on the temporary nature of our food supply.
How are they coping in Beirut today? A few weeks ago life was normal. All changed in an unfathomable instant. It was shocking to witness it alongside the inhabitants of the city. How would we cope in a major disaster? After the trauma where do they get food again?
Lockdowns albeit temporary create a shockwave to the food supply lines we are used to. We have been inconvenienced but we have managed. The threat of loss and deprivation instinctively make us hoard. How prepared are we if it all goes pear shaped and food supplies are majorly disrupted? When shelves empty. How long have we got? These are thoughts I often think about.
We still rely on our imports to fill many gaps but do we need to? Can we make conscious changes in our food habits to ensure we eat more locally? Our banana bread fetish could change to an apple pie? It's food for thought!
Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal Vegetable Miracle challenged me to think how this is possible and our own Lisa Fingleton with her Local Food Project has championed the 30 day local food challenge. It's harvest time when food is hopefully in abundance! It all comes back to our farmers and gardeners. They know what to do to cultivate the land to produce our food. They have the wisdom of ages that has been handed down. We need them so badly to keep us fed. No amount of money will pay them for the work they do. We are indebted to them more than we will ever know. The next time you enjoy a locally grown food think about how lucky you are that they are close by and rejoice in the harvest! It will be a while before the husband gets there but hope springs eternal!
A conversation I often have with the husband goes like this…
Himself: How do you remember foods you have eaten years ago when I don’t think about food until I have it in front of me?
Me: I wish I had the luxury of being able to do that!
This is the sanitised version of the conversation. It has been more heated than that and when children are involved the responsibility of providing food for them over the years has been left mostly to yours truly. It is a bug bear of mine to improve his appreciation of food. To be fair he has progressed! I left the polytunnel work to him this year and apart from the reality there is little produce to write home about he has learned by doing and is working out ways of improving the soil, watering systems etc. It has helped him to appreciate the lengths I have gone to get good food. Interestingly being surrounded by it at The Urban Co-op I can often go home to an empty fridge – the shoemakers sons etc…
In any case it has got me thinking – how easily we take it all for granted and what if something major happened that we didn’t have the ease of access and abundance that we have become so used to this generation?
2020 continues to be the year that is clearing our vision as we awaken to the reality that all may not be as straightforward as we had hoped! There are many discussions happening about food sovereignty and security. They often seem so far removed from us that we might not have to worry at all about it. Stories of famine, deprivation and hunger are far away in history and geography. Generations of us have never known deprivation and perhaps this is not always a good thing. How easily we fall into complacency when food is apparently abundantly available.
What if something happened to change all this? How easily can the situation change? At the start of lockdown the panic buying strategy was evident. (Granted some folk will have a lifetime supply of toilet paper as a result). It is a wake up call though on the temporary nature of our food supply.
How are they coping in Beirut today? A few weeks ago life was normal. All changed in an unfathomable instant. It was shocking to witness it alongside the inhabitants of the city. How would we cope in a major disaster? After the trauma where do they get food again?
Lockdowns albeit temporary create a shockwave to the food supply lines we are used to. We have been inconvenienced but we have managed. The threat of loss and deprivation instinctively make us hoard. How prepared are we if it all goes pear shaped and food supplies are majorly disrupted? When shelves empty. How long have we got? These are thoughts I often think about.
We still rely on our imports to fill many gaps but do we need to? Can we make conscious changes in our food habits to ensure we eat more locally? Our banana bread fetish could change to an apple pie? It's food for thought!
Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal Vegetable Miracle challenged me to think how this is possible and our own Lisa Fingleton with her Local Food Project has championed the 30 day local food challenge. It's harvest time when food is hopefully in abundance! It all comes back to our farmers and gardeners. They know what to do to cultivate the land to produce our food. They have the wisdom of ages that has been handed down. We need them so badly to keep us fed. No amount of money will pay them for the work they do. We are indebted to them more than we will ever know. The next time you enjoy a locally grown food think about how lucky you are that they are close by and rejoice in the harvest! It will be a while before the husband gets there but hope springs eternal!
Written 21 September 2020
Circular Economy - what is it?
When I go for a walk I like to do a loop. Doubling back doesn’t feel right. Doodling on paper inevitably finds me concentrically focused. Throwing a pebble into the water and watching the ripples wave outwards mesmerises and satisfies. Is it a human thing to like circles?
Compelled to get these relentless circular thoughts out of my head and on paper (on a dramatically thunderous night with strobe lightning effects to add to the drama!) I have abandoned thoughts of rest and here goes.
The term circular economy sits comfortably now with many of us as we have begun our collective awakening on environmental concern.
What does it mean? Good old Wikipedia suggests it's an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Living through the recent decades of recession and Celtic Tiger where the era of globalisation allowed us access to and opportunities to consume phenomenal amounts of “stuff”, we certainly made the most of it! And boy did we accumulate! We built bigger houses to accommodate the stuff and the garage to store the overflow. When we were finished with the stuff we packed it in boxes, bins and bags and sent it away to other people, municipal waste collection sites, GAA fundraisers….some people left it on roadsides, in rivers, in oceans. Not in my backyard. Out of sight, out of mind until it returns. And like all circles we go back to the beginning.
When David Attenborough gravely reminded us of the damage to our blue oceans and we recognised those plastic bags ingested by the sea-life as our own, perhaps we shifted uneasily. When a teenage girl reminded us we really had to act quickly we began to take some responsibility. The system we had adopted of the single use throwaway society was no longer acceptable. Refuse, reuse, recycle etc etc we have been learning bit by bit how to make small changes. Our collective guilt had a temporary reprieve when governments made historic commitments to help the environment.
Nature has a way of fighting back and our pandemic year has schooled us in ways we never thought possible. Lock-down forced us to sit at home and look at our stuff while denying us access to more. The withdrawal was painful but we managed to clear our spaces and realise we probably didn’t need so much. Priorities shifted. Images of the earth recovering with clean rivers, clean air gave hope that miracles can happen. There are many silver linings. Albeit a temporary reprieve as our precious earth awaits the onslaught of the disposable PPE!
The pandemic has forced us all to rethink. How big does our circle have to be? A circular economy allows resources to be replenished and reused. Maybe enhanced. In many ways The Urban Co-op is a circular economy. It is many tiny circles repeated over and over. Fractals of circles. By saving resources we have extra for other things. On a day that saw notable queues for fast fashion we focused our energy on interacting with new customers who signed up to become members and commit to shopping locally. Members in growing numbers who realise that their buying power matters, their choices influence the great good and who return because we provide the safe space for them to access basic provisions. They commit to helping us build the demo kitchen as we explain the desire to complete another circle. As we load their nourishing foods into the reusable box we smile at each other. Another transaction enhanced with a flourishing relationship. It feels right.
When I go for a walk I like to do a loop. Doubling back doesn’t feel right. Doodling on paper inevitably finds me concentrically focused. Throwing a pebble into the water and watching the ripples wave outwards mesmerises and satisfies. Is it a human thing to like circles?
Compelled to get these relentless circular thoughts out of my head and on paper (on a dramatically thunderous night with strobe lightning effects to add to the drama!) I have abandoned thoughts of rest and here goes.
The term circular economy sits comfortably now with many of us as we have begun our collective awakening on environmental concern.
What does it mean? Good old Wikipedia suggests it's an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Living through the recent decades of recession and Celtic Tiger where the era of globalisation allowed us access to and opportunities to consume phenomenal amounts of “stuff”, we certainly made the most of it! And boy did we accumulate! We built bigger houses to accommodate the stuff and the garage to store the overflow. When we were finished with the stuff we packed it in boxes, bins and bags and sent it away to other people, municipal waste collection sites, GAA fundraisers….some people left it on roadsides, in rivers, in oceans. Not in my backyard. Out of sight, out of mind until it returns. And like all circles we go back to the beginning.
When David Attenborough gravely reminded us of the damage to our blue oceans and we recognised those plastic bags ingested by the sea-life as our own, perhaps we shifted uneasily. When a teenage girl reminded us we really had to act quickly we began to take some responsibility. The system we had adopted of the single use throwaway society was no longer acceptable. Refuse, reuse, recycle etc etc we have been learning bit by bit how to make small changes. Our collective guilt had a temporary reprieve when governments made historic commitments to help the environment.
Nature has a way of fighting back and our pandemic year has schooled us in ways we never thought possible. Lock-down forced us to sit at home and look at our stuff while denying us access to more. The withdrawal was painful but we managed to clear our spaces and realise we probably didn’t need so much. Priorities shifted. Images of the earth recovering with clean rivers, clean air gave hope that miracles can happen. There are many silver linings. Albeit a temporary reprieve as our precious earth awaits the onslaught of the disposable PPE!
The pandemic has forced us all to rethink. How big does our circle have to be? A circular economy allows resources to be replenished and reused. Maybe enhanced. In many ways The Urban Co-op is a circular economy. It is many tiny circles repeated over and over. Fractals of circles. By saving resources we have extra for other things. On a day that saw notable queues for fast fashion we focused our energy on interacting with new customers who signed up to become members and commit to shopping locally. Members in growing numbers who realise that their buying power matters, their choices influence the great good and who return because we provide the safe space for them to access basic provisions. They commit to helping us build the demo kitchen as we explain the desire to complete another circle. As we load their nourishing foods into the reusable box we smile at each other. Another transaction enhanced with a flourishing relationship. It feels right.
Written 7 July 2020
What is a community grocery?
We are a community grocery…what does this mean? This question has been asked of us recently as we have seen a significant rise in new visitors to the shop. Who are we, who owns this? At the risk of being tempted to say “do you not know who we are?” it is giving us pause for thought… who are we?
As we operate our way through the pandemic carrying out the familiar tasks of getting good food to our customers we have been reminded that our modern food environments have proven problematic for our populations and that in times of crisis our basic needs must be addressed.
A well-oiled modern food system in recent decades advances policy decisions and trends to favour mega grocery stores sited in wealthier city edges and suburbs. Leaving behind the modern convenience store that offers much in the line of products and little in the form of nourishment. The result? The slow but sure deterioration of community. Physically, mentally, socially. A pandemic has been a wake up call.
Food is Power and efforts to create a more just and sustainable world often begin by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. Where do you begin? The concept of a community grocery is not new but for a small group of people in Limerick 10 years ago after Dell departed, it seemed like the right choice of model to demonstrate how a co-operative approach would work. After all, we all need food right? But then, what type of food? From where? Who produces it? How can we sustain the supply? Quickly the issues emerged. It made sense to aim for quality nourishing food, but how can it be affordable if we are used to paying low prices for subsidised food? How could we ensure a local farmer would keep bringing in the food if we weren’t in a position to pay a decent price? We learned quickly that without our farmers, we have no grocery. It's hard work. It needs to be valued. The journey of discovery to focus on nurturing our suppliers began. As folk trickled in and began to commit the demand grew. Basic economics, supply and demand apply but it was more than just the transactions. It was the building of relationships again and the weaving together of a new fabric of community. It began to matter. The way to a community heart is through its stomach….perhaps! Thankfully 7 years on with the dedication of community and strategic support Limerick Community Grocery is still in place and continuing to face everyday challenges. It is great to hear the question what is a community grocery? The answer is US.
We are a community grocery…what does this mean? This question has been asked of us recently as we have seen a significant rise in new visitors to the shop. Who are we, who owns this? At the risk of being tempted to say “do you not know who we are?” it is giving us pause for thought… who are we?
As we operate our way through the pandemic carrying out the familiar tasks of getting good food to our customers we have been reminded that our modern food environments have proven problematic for our populations and that in times of crisis our basic needs must be addressed.
A well-oiled modern food system in recent decades advances policy decisions and trends to favour mega grocery stores sited in wealthier city edges and suburbs. Leaving behind the modern convenience store that offers much in the line of products and little in the form of nourishment. The result? The slow but sure deterioration of community. Physically, mentally, socially. A pandemic has been a wake up call.
Food is Power and efforts to create a more just and sustainable world often begin by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. Where do you begin? The concept of a community grocery is not new but for a small group of people in Limerick 10 years ago after Dell departed, it seemed like the right choice of model to demonstrate how a co-operative approach would work. After all, we all need food right? But then, what type of food? From where? Who produces it? How can we sustain the supply? Quickly the issues emerged. It made sense to aim for quality nourishing food, but how can it be affordable if we are used to paying low prices for subsidised food? How could we ensure a local farmer would keep bringing in the food if we weren’t in a position to pay a decent price? We learned quickly that without our farmers, we have no grocery. It's hard work. It needs to be valued. The journey of discovery to focus on nurturing our suppliers began. As folk trickled in and began to commit the demand grew. Basic economics, supply and demand apply but it was more than just the transactions. It was the building of relationships again and the weaving together of a new fabric of community. It began to matter. The way to a community heart is through its stomach….perhaps! Thankfully 7 years on with the dedication of community and strategic support Limerick Community Grocery is still in place and continuing to face everyday challenges. It is great to hear the question what is a community grocery? The answer is US.
Written 29 June 2020
