40 years of Cork's Quay Co-op: For many years we were seen as niche and off-centre

The Quay Co-op in Cork city first began as a community project before developing into a workers cooperative

Simon Tiptaft, General Manager at Quay Co-op. Photo: Marcin Lewandowski | soundofphotography.com ©

The Quay Co-op in Cork city has pushed boundaries since it first opened its doors in May 1982. While a lot has changed in forty years, the core ethos of what they do has remained the same.

“The ethos of the co-op has always been to be sustainable. Even the model of being a cooperative is sustainable. It’s all about trying to make sure that we are doing things for all the right reasons,” explains General Manager, Simon Tiptaft.