Cork artisan food producers respond to economic climate

HIGH energy costs and rising prices mean that some artisan food suppliers in Cork are cutting back on their supply of foods to shops such as Menloe Stores in Blackrock.

The shop, a small grocery and convenience store with a section dedicated to local artisan suppliers, is run by John Kelly and has been in existence for more than 60 years. John’s mother inherited it from her sister before it passed on to him.

About eight years ago, John introduced food from the likes of On the Pigs Back with its selection of cheeses and paté.

“The artisan section stocks food you’d get at farmers’ markets but you mightn’t be able to get to places like the market in Mahon on Thursday mornings,” he said. “This section is well-supported but everyday groceries have fallen off as there’s no way we can compete with supermarkets.

“People come from outside Blackrock, such as Ballinlough and Douglas, to buy the artisan foods. There’s very few shops doing what we’re doing. There’s Bradleys (on North Main Street) and O’Driscolls (in Ballinlough). We stock stuff you probably wouldn’t be able to find in Supervalu or Tesco or Aldi and other supermarkets.

“We sell locally made pickles and jams, protein balls from Bean Brownie and goods from the Bakery Emporium. We do things like fermented drinks such as kefir from ‘My Goodness.’ But I know that some suppliers are finding it tough. We used to get Kimchi (salted and fermented vegetables) from ‘My Goodness’ but it isn’t financially viable for them to supply that to us.

“We were selling a jar of it for €8 but they said they’re not making a profit on it. I’d have to sell it for €10,” said John.

But that is too expensive.

As Wayne Dunlea from ‘My Goodness’ says, he was just about breaking even on the kimchi “and selling a lot of it. We were working too much ourselves, making it and not actually making any money from it. But we still have lots of other sauerkrauts that we can supply. We’ve stopped selling the kimchi for a while.

“We’re going to change the recipe and find a way to make it more affordable for everyone. We don’t want people spending a lot of money on stuff, so we have paused that product.

“We’re all DIY, figuring things out as we go, looking at the cost of everything.”

‘My Goodness’, which employs about ten people, has its base in the Marina Commercial Park and it has a stall in the English Market.

“We sell Cork grown vegetables, plastic free. Supporting local growers is our ethos. John Kelly is great to support local businesses. But everyone is struggling and everyone has to adapt. Things will always be in flux.”

Marcus Hodder is a one-man operation who makes gelato by hand with a base in Fountainstown. Yumgelato is the name of his company. He made his last delivery of tubs of gelato to Menloe Stores recently.

“With the price of cream, milk, sugar, packaging and labels, it wasn’t working.”

However, Marcus will continue supplying markets and corporate events. He has an ice-cream trailer, selling gelato “by the scoop.” He will continue that line of selling in the summer.

“But to fill the retail tubs and the price of the packaging means I’d have to charge much more. I’d be pricing myself out of the market.” Marcus’s gelato sold for €7.50, a little bit dearer than a big tub of Ben & Jerry’s.

“Prices have gone mad. It’s just too expensive to keep the retail and wholesale side of things going at the moment. Coming down the line are high energy price increases. I couldn’t imagine running all the machinery that’s involved and trying to make a profit. I could always pass on the increase to the customer but it would become completely ridiculous. It’s already a premium product.”

Marcus will compensate for the loss of retail by increasing supplies of gelato to events next year.

Aisling Murphy recently closed down her business, ‘Tiny Turnip’ which was a successful Covid venture, supplying takeaway grazing boxes. They included cheeses, patés, charcuterie, homemade dips, chutney and crackers.

“I was crazy busy during Covid because of the lack of choice for people when the restaurants were all closed. But then, when Covid came to an end and everything opened up, I wasn’t that busy. I started selling my most popular dips to shops, including Menloe Stores. I worked from a home kitchen. My plan was to rent somewhere but it came down to the price of packaging. 

"Everything went up. I found it hard to raise my prices but I did in the end because I was finding it hard to make money. Renting would have been another cost. But rental is crazy for a small business. There’s a lot going against you.”

A commerce graduate of UCC, Aisling closed her business and got a job in the corporate sector. “I had that option. I’m very lucky.”

Some time in the future, Aisling says she may resume her food business, when conditions are more favourable.