Inclusive ethos at the heart of retail life

Arthur Leahy, co-founder, and John Calnan, manager, at Quay Co-Op on Sullivan's quay in Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

When Arthur Leahy looks back upon the decades of an eventful life, the Quay Co-op stands proud as an institution which has guided much of his life.

“When we began, the Quay Co-op started out as a political enterprise more than a business. But we had to find a means of funding ourselves to keep the organisation going, and that was really how the business developed. The first ten years of the Co-op saw it move slowly from being a political entity into a commercial enterprise around its restaurant and whole food shop.” 

Back in the 1980s, a time of economic challenges and mass unemployment, the Quay Co-Op stood out as a unique addition to Cork’s restaurant and food shopping scene.

“The fact that the restaurant was vegetarian set it apart as unique back then, something that was unusual not just for our customers, but also for many of the people who worked here then,” Arthur recalled.

The decision to make the premises a vegetarian restaurant was a collective decision, arrived at after a lengthy debate amongst the members.

“We were very fortunate in terms of the people who worked here in those early days, they set the ethical tone of the shop and restaurant.” 

Like any fledgling enterprise, those early days when the business struggled to etch its commercial foothold in the city, meant relatively small return for the workers: “In those early days when the place didn’t pay very well, it did test peoples’ commitment rather than as a safe source of income. Happily, there is a core group of people who’ve been here practically from the beginning who have carried the ethos forward.” 

Now securely established as a much loved and admired Cork institution, the Quay Co-op continues to be driven by the principles and values of its original founders.

“Reaching this milestone anniversary is down to hard work, dedication and also that spark of alternative creativity that we see every day in the people that work here, come here and shop here. Our radical roots inform what we do to this day; they make us proud of where we work and of what we've stood for over 40 years. Today we face new challenges, none more so than ensuring that our future generations may respectfully enjoy this beautiful planet in peace.” 

Down through the years, the Quay Co-op’s history has mirrored social and legislative progress in Ireland, while offering information, resources and support to those who sought to organise for equality and against prejudice.

“The Quay Co-op was created to be a base for those who had none, a place for interest groups to meet, to discuss the issues of the time and to plan action,” explains General Manager Simon Tiptaft.

Today, the Quay Co-op employs 50 people across its vegetarian deli, bakery, wholefoods store and restaurant on O’Sullivan’s Quay, in addition to its vegetarian food-production facility on Cove Street and satellite stores in Carrigaline and Ballincollig.

“The Quay Co-op has pushed boundaries since its doors first opened and has brought together groups and individuals for 40 years. It gave a voice to people who may not have been heard otherwise and was a movement for change.” 

A member of the team for fifteen years, Simon says social justice issues remain at the heart of the business: “The same-sex Marriage Referendum in 2015 was a huge moment, we paid the wages of several of our team members to allow them to work full-time for the campaign. Our focus now is on food politics and sustainability and continuing to be the leaders in the provision of organic vegetarian and vegan wholefood for Cork and beyond.” 

Initially established as a collective effort of feminist, lesbian and gay, environmental and other alternative groups and individuals, the ambitious project began during a time of rapidly rising unemployment in Cork.

Over time, the group transformed a neglected former pawnbrokers shop on O’Sullivan’s Quay into a thriving hub — a working collective geared to take on the challenge of a on a renovation project that became the foundation of today‘s thriving business.

The Co-op has expanded over the years and it now has three buildings on O’Sullivan’s Quay, number 24 and the premises on either side, one of which was previously the Cork Fire Brigade headquarters.

The Co-op’s wholefood stores in Carrigaline, Ballincollig and O’Sullivan’s Quay offer a range of organic foods, health and well-being products. The O’Sullivan’s Quay store also has a bakery that specialises in spelt and gluten-free products, in addition to its ground floor deli-cafe and upstairs restaurant. In recent years, the Co-op has added its own range of foods, including dahls, curries, soups and vegan dishes — all produced at the industrial kitchen in Cove Street.

The cooperative ethos that initially built the business continues to inform its creative and commercial initiatives to this day: “The members still run the business, with a continual process of reinvestment being the order of the day. No profit is taken out of the business, that is the way it’s always been for forty years and has served us well. The idea that money spent in our stores goes back into improving the business appeals very much to our customers, and certainly ever more so in recent years when the reality of climate change and sustainability have become such major issues.” 

Simon’s own 15-year period of working in the Co-op is similar to many others who’ve been part of the business for equally extended time frames: “Hundreds of people have worked here over the past forty years, many with far longer tenure than I — and all of whom have brought that collective dedication which has contributed to our success.” 

The Quay Co-op’s customers have proven equally loyal, he says “who continually spur us on to be better, to do more for the causes that will make a better future for us all.”