Our plans for a new organic Farm Shop and Café development here in Boyle are nearly ready!
We are excited to announce that we are about to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of our organic café and farm shop site in Boyle. Notice is in the local papers this week, and the final application will be lodged within the next two weeks. Join us, Liam & Justina Gavin, and VHA Architects of Sligo, for coffee and a chat next Wednesday 1st May, between 3.30 and 4.30 pm. There will be a chance to view the full plans, ask questions and give us your feedback before the final submission is lodged.
The development will replace our existing Drumanilra Farm Kitchen and Shop in Boyle. It will incorporate a more extensive cafe with open fireplace, comfortable seating, in-door play den for children, and a lovely dog and child friendly outdoor garden to the rear. The menu will continue to showcase organic meat and vegetables from our own Drumanilra Organic Farm in Corrigeenroe, and from other local and organic Irish producers. We are particularly excited about the large farm shop space. This will enable us to more fully showcase the amazing organic produce and producers we work with.
The shop will incorporate a deli counter, fresh organic meat counter with an onsite butcher, an organic bakery which will include a range of organic, handmade, “free from” baked goods, an organic vegetable market area, a nano-brewery to supply the café with our own brewed craft beer, and space for sustainable, eco-living style products and gifts. Outside, there will be parking facilities for both cars and bicycles. The building plans incorporate several green technologies to minimise our carbon footprint. There is a large community meeting space, and a cookery classroom, both of which can be used for talks, work-shops, and cookery demonstrations, focused on sustainable living, food production and farming practices. The meeting space could also be used by community groups and as a venue for art, music and performance events.
This is a dream come true for us as a family. We moved back from the UK with our three kids, seven years ago this April, with a vision to build a business around local, organic food produced on our own farm, and supplied direct to customers who lived locally to the farm, or were visitors to the area. The farm has been in Liam’s family since the 19th Century and both his mother and grandmother were born there. We wanted to use our experience with previous successful business projects, to create a social enterprise which could not only make a positive contribution to our community but also care for the land we had inherited and find ways to produce food which is both nutritious and environmentally sustainable. With plans for our building here in Boyle now close to being finalised, it really feels like we are edging closer to seeing that dream become a reality.
For anyone who is interested in viewing the plans, asking questions or raising concerns, please do drop in for a coffee and a chat next Wednesday 1st May between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm to the Drumanilra Farm Kitchen here in Boyle. Our architects, VHA of Sligo, will be joining us. They will bring along full layout plans and will be available to answer questions. We would welcome feedback and suggestions from people living in the area to incorporate into our final submission.
We want to thank everyone in this fantastic community of Boyle for showing such welcome to our family and our business over the last number of years. So many of you have already been so enthusiastic about the plans and it really is appreciated! We hope you can join us next Wednesday!
Justina & Liam
