Stories
The government introduced a bevy of new restrictions this week to stop Covid-19 from spreading. Limiting restaurants to only operating take-away services was one of these new restrictions.
Some, like chef Gary Smith, were ahead of the curve and spoke to me recently about how he was doing this. Other restaurateurs are mulling over how they will start. Some, like the Irish cuisine with a French twist restaurant Hugo’s have decided to close fully until further notice.
The Covid-19 crisis has tightened its grip on Ireland’s food business in the last fortnight. The impacts of this are rippling outside of just restaurant employers and employees. Food suppliers are also getting hit by the economic consequences of Covid-19.
A lot our customer businesses have ceased trading
Potato Seed Company owner Maurice Mathews
Yet, one Dublin northsider came up with a solution to keep his food supply business viable and his staff employed during these unprecedented times.
Maurice Mathews runs the Potato Seed Company based in Ballymun in north Dublin. With Ireland’s food business under significant pressure, Mathews has been feeling the effects on his own trade as a food supplier.
His solution? A drive-through service where customers can purchase fruit, vegetables and eggs.
Mathews spoke about the difficulties of being a food supplier during this time.
“A lot our customer businesses have ceased trading,” says Mathews. His own business has traditionally supplied food goods to catering services, hotels and restaurants but they have “all dried up” due to the current health crisis, he says.
Mathews says he is finding it hard to get in contact with customers and get paid for the produce he has already supplied. Many of them have shut their doors and are not answering phone calls.
“It’s a real supply and demand business,” says Mathews, adding that “we need to reinvent ourselves”. His own reinvention has been a drive-through operation.
Keeping his 13 staff members in a job is a priority for Mathews and a key reason why he decided to start the drive-through.
“I’ve the best staff anybody has,” he says.
The Potato Seed Company, a vegetable and fruit wholesaler, was founded in 1981 by Mathew’s father Andrew, who was a regular at the North Dublin Growers co-op in the 1960s before setting up his own enterprise.
Since then, the business has built up a reputation internationally by exporting and importing vegetables in Spain, Italy and Cyprus.
The drive-thru service started operating on Wednesday March 25, in the Ballymun Industrial Estate.
Customers can pick up a range of vegetables and fruit as well as eggs from the drive-thru depot from 10:00 am until 15:00 pm on Monday to Friday and from 09:00 am until 14:00 pm on Saturdays.
