Quay Co-operative (Cork) Limited, trading as Quay Co-op, is a worker cooperative operating a number of organic, vegetarian wholefoods shops, coffee docks and a restaurant in

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

and

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

History

The Quay Co-op grew out of a group of feminist, environmental, lesbian and gay, and other social justice activists in the 1980s who set up an alternative resource centre and community space in the city of Cork. It was originally set up as a community cooperative with a wider membership, and was operated on a voluntary basis. As the centre started to develop other activities including a wholefoods buying club and a restaurant, the co-operative began to require a clearer commitment from members to provide their labour as a condition of membership. This had the effect of reducing the membership from over 100 to around 40 people. As the activities of the co-operative became more complex and formalised, the co-operative transitioned from a community-owned model to a worker-owned model. During a challenging period in the 90's, the co-operative required capital to continue operating and investing in the capital of the co-operative became a condition of ongoing membership. The 16 members who invested became the core membership that have remained right through the 2020s.

Activities

Quay Co-op operates its flagship vegetarian wholefoods shop from Sullivan's Quay in

, alongside its award-winning vegetarian restaurant. The co-operative operates two additional wholefoods shops in the towns of

Carrigaline Carrigaline () is a town and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the River Owenabue. Located about south of Cork city, and with a population of 15,770 people, it is one of the largest commuter towns of the city. The R611 regiona ...

and

Ballincollig Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at wh ...

References

{{Reflist Food cooperatives Cooperatives in Ireland Cooperatives in the Republic of Ireland Worker cooperatives Cork (city) Organisations based in Cork (city) Tourist attractions in Cork (city)

History

Activities

See also

References