Case Study:East Clare Co-op

Organisation type: Not-for-profit-co-operative

Web address: http://www.eastclarecommunitycoop.com/

Contact: East Clare Community Co-Op

Main Street

Scariff

Co. Clare

Tel: 061 921536

Email: eastclarecoop@gmail.com

Community size: 250 shareholders but serves the wider community

Sustainability focus

Funding and Financing sources:

• Clare Local Development Company

• LEADER

• National Development Plan 2007-2013

• Environment, Community and Local Government (Pobal)

Current priorities:

• Local Food

• Sustainability

• Social Enterprise

• Facilitating new enterprise creation

Stated aim of community:

“East Clare Community Co-operative Society aims to provide an inviting space within the community to generate viable and sustainable activities which support the development of the individual and the community”

Additional information:

The East Clare Community Co-Operative (co-op) is a not-for-profit co-operative that promotes a variety of community-led services and activities. The co-op evolved naturally and was established initially by newcomers to the community with alternative outlooks and lifestyles. The co-op is the result of the two communities coming together and their ideas becoming mainstream. There are 250 shareholders and approximately 20% are active in the co-op and half of these are very active. There is an elected committee to oversee management, which in turn works to secure funding and provide employment locally. In addition to paid employment, a number of people volunteer their time at the co-op, with some travelling from outside the community to lend a hand. The café has grown its customer base over the past 3/4 years and is generating an income from food grown and cooked on site. Other income sources include room rental, which are kept at a low rate so as to remain accessible to everyone (€10 per hour) and  two commercial activities that comprise a cookery school and an enterprise centre. All food grown on site is organic, but has not been certified as such. The café uses everything that is produces so there is no surplus. Additional requirements are purchased from local producers where possible. The management aim to use local suppliers as much as possible for all purchases including stationary and supplies.

In terms of waste, both the café and cookery school generate compostable waste that is composted on site to be transformed into a resource for the community gardens. The compost facility is open to the community and has been welcomed by many whose gardens are too small to accommodate a composter. A three stage system is operating and there are no significant problems with odours or contaminants. The kitchen also generates cooked food that cannot be composted and there are plans to set-up a wormery to address this. The position of the co-op in the centre of the town is essential to its continued success. The co-operative initially secured a long term lease on the current property to ensure its sustained operation at the heart of the community. They are now almost 30 years into a 35 year lease. Energy costs are high and this has been addressed in a small way by the installation of solar PV. However there is no incentive to invest further in the building as any benefits will be to the owner of the property and will also increase the value of the property if the co-op are in a position to purchase it in the future. This has left management in a catch 22 position – high energy cost mean there are less funds available to put aside to purchase the property, but to lower the energy cost would increase the value of the property. Any other infrastructural work will benefit the landlord but not the tenants. The hope is that in 2/3 years existing loans will be paid off, freeing up resources that can be diverted towards a fund to purchase the property.

Funding support from Pobal is essential to maintaining management of the co-op, which in turn secures external funding (Brothers of Charity, LEADER) and FAS and CE scheme participation. Currently, the CE Scheme employs two people and they in turn generate income to support jobs for six other people.

The main activities of the co-operative are

1. The Garden Café – salads and vegetables grown on-site are served in the low cost vegetarian café.

2. Second-hand Clothes and Bookshop – an outlet for low cost second-hand items, promotes reuse and repurposing.

3. Counselling and Support Services – in partnership with Ciunas, a range of support measures, counselling and play therapy is provided for the community.

4. Scariff Community Garden – space to grow organic food to the rear of the Garden Café. This space is also used for events such as festivals and theatre productions. Within the garden there is a compost area, rain water harvesting and areas to take shelter from the elements. The co-operative can also arrange tours for visitors, this is especially welcomed by people attending cookery classes and is an ideal opportunity to show where their ingredients have come from.

5. Provision of Community Market, Space Rental and Wood Fired Pizza Oven – what started as a small-holders market selling locally produced food has grown and expanded to include a large range of home-grown and produced goods, and crafts as well as goods from further afield. Within the building space is available to rent at low cost so that a wide range of activities can be provided to the community. In addition the a Men’s Shed group built a wood fired pizza oven which is available to rent for functions and other events. These facilities are seen as important infrastructure on which strong community cohesion is built.

6. Sustenance–Food Training and Enterprise Centre – the centre provides two fully equipped kitchens for community use. This facility is also used as a pop up bistro, food safety training and accredited food based courses.

7. Cothú Cookery School – formally launched in 2017 with a focus on local, sustainable and healthy food, this school offers a mix of courses to suit all budgets.

8. European Youth Exchange – the community has been hosting European visitors under the Gruntvig programme. They also offer young people the opportunity to experience youth exchanges to other countries through the Erasmus programme. These exchanges benefit local youth by exposing them to opportunities to improve their leadership skills and active citizenship.

Difficulties: the SEAI provided the co-op with grants to install Solar PV which has helped reduce energy costs. However, there is no energy storage and excess energy generated is being fed back into the national grid, for which the co-op receives no payment or reduction to their high electricity costs.