This gorgeous Cork community grocery is hitting the road with a mobile shop
One of Cork’s loveliest community food initiatives is hitting the road.
Steph Ayres’ Gather Community Grocery in Ballinspittle, already known for championing quality Irish produce, is launching its brand-new mobile shop this week, and honestly? It’s a genius idea we hope grows and grows.
The Gather Community Grocery Mobile will officially begin trading outside The Fields Bar in Dunderrow every Tuesday from 2pm to 7pm, bringing a carefully curated selection of fresh, local food directly to the village.
Shoppers can expect fresh vegetables, bread from Seeds Bakery, milk from Galvin Farms, eggs from West Cork Eggs (including duck eggs), pantry staples from a range of cuisines, snacks, bags of coffee, soft drinks, and even dog treats. And that’s just the start.
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Plans are already in motion to expand the offering to include refill stations for spices, grains and cleaning products, along with a fridge stocked with fine cheeses and charcuterie, a freezer filled with Caherbeg meats, Popsicles from Popsicle, and whatever else can be cleverly packed into the tiny but mighty mobile shop.
While Dunderrow is the first regular stop, the long-term vision is even more exciting. The aim is to pop up in villages and small towns that don’t always have access to a wide variety of fresh, high-quality produce. Once the growing season kicks in, there’ll be an even stronger focus on sourcing from local vegetable producers.
In a time when many rural communities are losing services, seeing a local grocery innovating like this feels like exactly the kind of forward-thinking idea Cork needs.
“Our little mobile version of the shop could well be poddling along to a village near you… so keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground!” said Steph.
Here’s hoping we see that little mobile shop popping up in plenty more villages very soon.
