21 November 2019
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
The Enterprise Ireland award will help them compete with multinationals
The sisters who run Organico in Bantry plan to grow their online shop by 20% after receiving an Online Retail Scheme award of €25,000 from Enterprise Ireland. Hannah and Rachel Dare hope that the funding will help position their West Cork independent business against far bigger multinational competitors.
Organico’s website, organico.ie, is the fastest growing branch of the business. But any small business moving into online retail faces potentially overwhelming competition from international corporations with extensive budgets. However, Hannah and Rachel believe that people are looking for more sustainable alternatives to these multinational giants.
Hannah and Rachel’s father, Alan Dare, started the business over 25 years ago as a small health food shop at a time when the natural foods sector was unfamiliar in West Cork. Since then, Organico has evolved to include a whole foods cafe, a real bread bakery, a zero-waste refill section, and now a web presence that honours Alan’s original vision of bringing healthy, ethical shopping to new markets.
Photo Credit Jed Niezgoda
Photo Credit Jed Niezgoda
Organico is one of 29 retailers across the country to receive the funding this year, and one of 40 retailers total who are benefiting from the scheme. The scheme grants successful applicants funds ranging from €10,000 to €25,000 to help them remain competitive in a constantly changing business environment.
Upon receiving the funding, Hannah said,
Too often, the big international corporations have poor employment, environmental, and sustainability records. We want to be part of the backlash that understands the value of a small business that is an expert in the field, behaves ethically, and employs people in small local economies. As a small independent retailer, the internet is so important, helping us to reach new customers while staying true to the original vision for the business.
What is Organico?
Organico is a family-run shop, cafe, bakery and online shop based in Bantry, County Cork, run by sisters Hannah and Rachel Dare. Their mission is to inspire people to live healthier, happier lives by providing tasty nourishing food, effective natural remedies, environmentally-friendly alternatives to household necessities, and a place for the community to meet, relax and share tips for good living. More at www.organico.ie.