In Organico Bantry we believe it is vital to support the development of the Irish Organic sector. There is certainly a growing awareness of and demand for organic food in Ireland; you only have to see the new 'organic' ranges in our Irish supermarkets to see that! However, there is far too much Organic food imported into Ireland and we would like to see that reduced and more food grown and processed locally.According to Organic Europe a survey conducted in Ireland shows that 30% of Irish consumers are prepared to pay a 20-25% premium for organic food. This is bourne out by our own experience in running our wholefood shop where well over 75% of the food we sell is organic. In our cafe we source nearly 100% organic ingredients - because the food is vegetarian it is easier although during most of the year this means we rely mainly on imported produce. When we can though we get our greens and salads locally as well as eggs, courgettes, peas, beans, and of course potatoes (though last year the blight was a real pain! Wiped out our 2 suppliers completely.)
Even given that at the moment we are using so much imported vegetables, the food in our cafe tastes so much better than non-organic food, especially the salads. How anyone could eat a non-organic carrot at the moment I have no idea - they just do not have the flavour I expect. And while it's true that you will pay more for the organic carrot I would challenge anyone who has tasted the difference to tell me the choice is hard.
Even in the home of cheap food, the US, consumers have indicated a willingness to pay higher prices for their food. A website I found extolling the virtues of 'cheap food' (called Cheap Eats!) admits that 'A recent poll of food attitudes found 71 percent of Americans claiming that they wouldn't mind paying more to buy food grown near where they live or food grown in ways that protect the environment'. Furthermore, the author says that 'Retail sales of organic foods, which cost considerably more than regular items, are growing at a torrid pace. The Department of Agriculture expects them to hit $20 billion a year by 2005, up from $1 billion in 1990.'For us, in our business of running an Organic cafe, bakery and wholefood shop, this growth in the Organic sector is obviously important. But as I started out saying, we are also very committed to buying more organic food that is grown locally. Please contact us if you are growers or manufacturers of Organic foods in Ireland!Organico Bantry is owned by Hannah and Rachel Dare; contact at (027) 51391
Organico Cafe in Bantry is delighted to host an exhibition of the photographic work of Pascal Ungerer.
