With all that’s going on around us, we’re so glad to have you part of this community. We’re rapidly adapting the way we work so we can continue to be here for you. In this post, we’ve assembled everything you need to know about getting your essentials from Organico, and how to stay safe as you do so.

Shop will stay open with new hours

Now open again on Mondays

Shop hours are Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm, closed each day from 1:30-2:30pm for cleaning

The shop will remain open, but the cafe is closed for the time being.

We’ve adjusted the hours of the shop to give us more time to sanitise and restock while the space is empty of customers.

Don’t worry about losing access to a source of groceries—health food shops have been categorised as an essential service, so the shop will remain open.

Don't worry about stock running out—we are constantly ordering new stock so all of your essentials will be available to you.

We’re keeping the fresh fruit and veg coming in; we realise it’s so important that you get fresh food for health. A diet of 100% shelf-stable carbs is neither healthy nor interesting!

The reason bare spots have appeared on our shelves is because sales have suddenly accelerated all over the country—it's not because of a long-term shortage. If you found we were out of something you needed on one trip, know that we’re working to bring it back in.

We ask that you only buy what you need so we can keep the shelves stocked for everyone in our community.

How to make your trip to the shop safer

We’ve made changes to the way we do things in the shop, all because your safety is our priority, and we want to help this community feel calm as we get through the days ahead.

Guidelines to prioritise safety inside the shop:

• If you don’t feel well, please don’t come into the shop. You can order from the online shop or arrange a Call & Collect Local order (more details on this below) to get your shopping.
• We’ve set up a hand washing sink outside the shop’s front door that we ask you to use when you’re entering and leaving (we’ve asked every member of our team to do the same).
• Please send only one member from each family into the shop at a time—this will help us make social distancing possible for everyone.
• We ask that you come in with a shopping list to minimise the amount of time you spend inside the shop.
• When shopping, please practice social distancing by staying 2 metres apart from everyone else inside. We’ve made changes to the layout of the shop and limited the number of people who can enter certain areas at any time, but social distancing will only work if we all look out for one another and take care in the way we move around the shop.
• We strongly encourage card payments—contactless when possible—instead of cash.
• In kindness to others, please only touch the products that you’re going to buy.
• Now that the cafe is closed, we’re using the space to accept deliveries from our suppliers—not something you necessarily need to know, but we’re mentioning it because the shop floor will be less cluttered and more accommodating of social distancing.

We understand it’s a stressful time for everyone as we all adjust to the need to think about safety before running the errands that we used to do without a second thought. Thank you so much for your patience and mindfulness in helping to make the shop a safer space for everyone.

Call & Collect Local Orders

For the people in our local community who are most vulnerable at this time, we want to provide you a way to do your shopping at Organico that will give you peace of mind.

We’re offering a Call & Collect Local service for anyone who is immunocompromised, parenting alone, or in self-isolation for any reason.

How to place a Call & Collect Local order:

1. Call us: Once you have your list of shopping ready and your card at hand, call us with your order at 55905 or 51391, Monday-Saturday, between 9am and 6pm.

2. Receive your collection time: We’ll either do your shopping while we have you on the phone and give you a collection time straight away, or we’ll call you back with a collection time once your order is ready. We might call you back from one of our new mobile numbers, so look out for unknown numbers.

3. Collect your box: Once you have your collection time, you’ll find your order outside the shop in a plastic box labelled with your name. You can take the box home with you, but we do ask that you return it by placing it on the ground outside the shop the next time you’re in town. We’ll sanitise returned boxes in the cafe’s dishwasher before using them again.

A few more notes about your Call & Collect Local order:

• You will need to have your card at hand each time you place a local order because we do not store card details and we will shred any that we have to write down.
• We hope to accommodate your call straight away, but we are quite busy so we apologise if you get a busy signal and you have to ring us again.
• Depending on our stock, we may have to make substitutions of similar items in your order, but we will always choose a product that is comparable.
• We’re afraid we will not be able to accept returns at this time.

This is a new system for us, so we may have a few glitches to work out as we get started. Overall, we look forward to offering the most vulnerable among us a way to get the essentials they need.

If you know anyone in or around Bantry who is immunocompromised, parenting alone, or self-isolating, please give them the details of this service.

Take home food available in the shop

It was a really hard decision for us to make when we decided to close the cafe. We knew that a lot of our customers rely on us for a source of healthy food, but in the end, we decided closing was the best decision for everybody.

While the cafe is closed, you’ll be able to go to the shop to get nourishing food made by our kitchen and bakery teams.

Below is an example of what you’ll find each day—we may have to make changes to this list based on what’s available.

In the freezer:

• Three-Bean Veggie Chilli (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• Chestnut Mushroom, Cauliflower and Potato Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• Indian Rassam: Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic Yellow Split Pea Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• Chicken, Barley and Vegetable Stew

From the bakery:

• Wheat Sourdough
• Spelt Sourdough
• Wholemeal Loaf
• Granary Loaf
• Oat Bread
• Life-Changing Bread
• Spelt Scones
• Wheat-Free Scones
• Pizza swirls with Roast Veggies and Cheese
• Selection of Cakes

Online orders

If you place an order from our online shop, know that we’ve been running a few days behind in getting orders out—for which we’re really sorry—but we’re working hard to improve the speed of our system and reduce the delay in shipment.

The other thing to note is that we may have to make substitutions of similar items in your order, but we will always choose a product that is comparable.

Rest assured An Post, the delivery service we use, is operating as normal — just in case you were wondering if the government’s new restrictions as of the 27th of March have impacted the shipment of orders from our online shop.

An Post is asking us all for help in keeping their delivery team safe by regularly cleaning the front doors of our homes, including our letter boxes, door handles, and door bells. It really is the least we can do to support the people working every day to make sure we get the things we need.

Cancelled events

We’ve cancelled all tastings and product information days, as well as the workshop with Patrick Holford that was scheduled for the 29th of March.

We’re very disappointed we’ve had to do this, but we know it’s what’s safest for everyone right now.

If you booked a ticket for Patrick Holford’s workshop through eventbrite, you will have already been refunded. If you booked a ticket inside the shop, please call us (027 51391) to get your refund.

As soon as these challenging days are behind us, we look forward to rescheduling our events, including Patrick Holford, and having you join us.

Stay updated with changes at Organico

As you know, things are changing fast right now and we’re constantly adapting to best support you and your health. This blog post will remain comprehensive and updated with everything you need to know as long as COVID-19 is affecting our daily lives.

You will also find updates about all of our news on Facebook and Instagram. While you're there, we'd love for you to leave a comment on social media and let us know what's on your mind and what’s happening in your life right now.

Thank you for being amazing

We can’t thank this community enough for the patience, support, and positivity you’ve shared with us so far.

We'll get through this together.