The origins of the Co-op lie with a group of activists brought together by the successful campaign against the construction of a nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point in County Wexford. In 1983, a number of those involved met together to form an organisation through which members could 'shop in an ecologically sound way' and 'promote the rational use of the earth's resources'. Thus, a buying club for the collective purchase of wholefoods was established.[1][2] For one Saturday each month, the Co-op used a succession of locations in Temple Bar as a focal point to allow members to collect pre-ordered wholefoods and to socialise. In 1986 some members who were also producers began to provide fresh organic produce for sale directly at the Saturday events.
Pearse Street 1987-2007
In 1987, the Co-op arranged to rent the hall at St. Andrew's Resource Centre on Pearse Street, Dublin 2, every second Saturday and switched from monthly to bi-weekly order collections after that.[2] This location became the Co-op's base for the next two decades. When the Co-op settled into the new venue, the process to formally incorporate as a co-operative under the rules of the Industrial and Provident Society Acts 1893-1978 was initiated, and Dublin Food Co-operative Society Limited thus came into being in February 1991.[3] In 1995, the Co-op switched away from the pre-order-only system, began carrying a range of stock for general purchase and moved to weekly trading.[2]
Concerns about the Pearse Street premises limiting the Co-op's scope for development remained a recurring theme over subsequent years.[2] Other alternatives were explored but it was not until 2007 that relocation occurred, after the Co-op received planning permission and signed a lease on full-time premises at Newmarket, further to the west of the city centre near St. Patrick's Cathedral.[4] Many members and local shoppers wanted to continue shopping at St. Andrew's and one of them started a Saturday dry goods and producers' market at the venue - The Super Natural Food Market. This commenced as a weekly event in August 2007, the month after the Co-op departed.[5]
Newmarket 2007-2018
The former Dublin Food Co-op building at 12 Newmarket, Dublin 8
In July 2007, the Co-op switched operations to a large former warehouse at 12 Newmarket, Dublin 8[6] and added Thursday trading at the new venue from September.[7] It was formally opened in October 2007 by Minister for the EnvironmentJohn Gormley to coincide with Ireland's National Organic Week.[8]
The Co-op also made its hall available for hire and became home to regular events including the monthly Dublin Flea Market,[9] Fusion Market[10] and Newmarket Brocante, plus the annual Independents Day.[11][12] In April 2013 a new five-year lease for the Newmarket premises was signed.
In the final period at the venue the Co-op moved away from a reliance on market traders for fresh produce and increasingly sourced it directly on behalf of members. Use of the hall was discontinued due to structural issues at a time when the premises were already earmarked for re-development. The 'precarious' situation of the Co-op[13] was resolved with a move to a new location, supported by a crowdfunding campaign.[13]
Kilmainham 2018-
In September 2018, the Dublin Food Co-op announced it had purchased permanent premises in Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Co-op members played a major role in funding the move, raising €60,000 through a 'Help Us Grow' campaign in addition to monies received from Community Finance Ireland.[14] The new store opened on Saturday 10 November 2018. Unlike Newmarket, this location does not incorporate a community space but nearby venues are now used for associated activities.[13]
Activities
The vast majority of food the Co-op sells is organic and particular emphasis is placed on Fair Trade and environmentally-friendly produce. The fit-out of the new shop in Kilmainham has placed an added focus on sustainability and Zero Waste.[13]
Members receive a 5% discount on purchases, which increases to 15% if they also volunteer on a rota system to assist with tasks such as shelf stacking.[citation needed]
The Co-op's membership has seen a significant increase following the move to Kilmainham and numbered 2,870 in April 2019.[13]
Distinctiveness
A 2009 academic study described Dublin Food Co-op as "distinctive on the Irish scene" because of its organisational structure.[1] At that time, it was one of only two Irish wholefood retailers established as co-operatives and the only one to take the form of a consumers' co-operative (the other, the Quay Co-op in Cork, was organised as a workers' co-operative). The study also argued that the Co-op had "a different pricing structure to conventional businesses, only adding the margin needed to cover its operating expenses".[1]
The Urban Co-op in Limerick was subsequently established as an additional consumer food co-operative in Ireland, after commencing as a buying club in 2013. Within Dublin, a buying club and community-supported agriculture project provide other non-profit food alternatives, but Dublin Food Co-op remains the sole retail food co-operative.[13]
