FAQs

Please find below answers to our most commonly asked questions. If your question isn’t answered here, or you need anything further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Dublin Food Co-op aims to provide wholesome, nutritious food and ecologically acceptable products to its members and community in accordance with its principles. Dublin Food Co-operative Society Limited (known as Dublin Food Co-op), is a food co-operative owned by its 2,000+ members. We have democratic processes which give every member of our co-op a voice. 

Membership of the co-op is open to all and we invite anyone that would like to participate in ethical and conscious consumerism to join us.

Find out more here.

You can join online here. You can also sign up in our shop in Kilmainham, Dublin 8.

Membership is €15 for individuals and €20 for households of up to four per year. There is a concession rate available for unwaged, students and senior citizens of €10 annually. When you first become a member, you also purchase one Ordinary Share for €1. 

Annual membership runs for the calendar year and there are discounted rates depending when you sign up. 

Dublin Food Co-op is owned and controlled by its members; participation and volunteering are our lifeblood and the reason we thrive. 

Members can participate in decision-making and the running of the Co-op, put forward ideas and projects, apply to be a volunteer or join the Co-ordinating Body, participate in and vote at Annual General Meetings, obtain discounts in the shop, make bulk and special orders, and receive members’ information and services. 

Membership is at the very heart of Dublin Food Co-op and the key to what makes us unique.

 While everyone is welcome, we actively encourage visitors to become members.
Join online today.

As a member you can become a volunteer in our shop or another working team. You can also put yourself forward to join the Co-ordinating Body, and our one of its committees. You can volunteer as little as 2 hours a month, all the way up to 4 hours a week.

Find out more here

Products

We sell 100% vegetarian and vegan ethically sourced fresh, chilled, frozen and ambient food products. These are complemented by a selection of ethically sourced household goods, toiletries, kitchenware, homeware, clothes and magazines. We also have a range of Irish artisan products.

Read more on our Purchasing Policy.

All products stocked meet DFC ethical criteria. Our product lines discriminate in favour of (i) sale by weight, then (ii) compostable packaging, then (iii) bulk purchase, then (iv) recyclable packaging.

Read more on our Purchasing Policy.

99% of our products are certified organic. We do sell some products that are non organic, if we cannot source an organic version and the product has been requested by a member. In some cases we also favour ‘naturally grown’ (i.e. without pesticides, but not certified organic) produce from nearby over certified organic produce from far away, e.g. China. 

We also sell local Irish vegetables, naturally grown. By selling naturally grown produce we are supporting local suppliers and ensuring that we source the most sustainable produce with lower air miles and carbon emissions. Due to the lack of certification process, we are very selective about where we source this produce and have regular communications and visits with the growers.

‘Organic’ produce is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. To be certified organic the grower/ producer must commit to regular inspections by a regulatory body such as the IOA. They must also provide evidence of all the materials they use on their land or in their food – such as fertiliser, compost, and seeds. Organic certification is a lengthy and challenging process. Often the cost and bureaucracy involved is prohibitive for small farms and growers.

‘Naturally grown’ produce is grown without the use of pesticides. Like certified organic it uses natural methods to promote growing, like companion planting. ‘Naturally grown’ produce is not certified or regulated under Organic authorities.

No. While we discriminate in favour of local and Irish products, many commonly used food products are not available from Irish producers.  We source a range of dry goods from outside the island of Ireland, and the proportion of our non-Irish fruit and vegetables varies depending on the seasons.

As a city-based food co-op, we consider food produced in the Greater Dublin area to be local. As more local producers adopt organic and naturally grown farming practices, we have been able to increase our range of locally sourced vegetables. We are also partnering with more urban community gardens to source even more local produce.

Placing orders online

Our online shop is a service to place orders online and collect them at Dublin Food Co-op in Kilmainham. We also offer local delivery via e-bike. It is open for anyone to use. 

To organise a delivery please email us at info@dublinfood.coop and we will co-ordinate it with you. 

Zero waste, or packaging free, items are in the Zero Waste category and can be ordered in set increments as detailed. You can add as many of this quantity as you wish. For example, penne pasta is ordered in increments of 100g so to get 500g, you need to add 5 of these to your order.
The total amount will be packaged in brown paper bags. As these are manually filled, please allow for slight variations (i.e. 298g or 303g for a 300g order) – these should be minimal and we do our best to be precise.

Occasionally we do have limitations on certain items. This will be reflected in what you can add to the cart, or if there is an issue for your order, we will contact you directly. If you wish to place a bulk order, please contact us directly on (01) 4544258 or bulk@dublinfood.coop to place your order and avail of bulk order discounts of up to 22%. Read more about bulk and special orders.

Members will receive a discount code each month in the monthly newsletter. If you have not received the newsletter or code, please contact online@dublinfood.coop or call the shop on (01) 4544258.
If you are not a member, you can join here.

Please contact online@dublinfood.coop and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Payment for orders is taken through Stripe, a secure third party system. Staff will not have access to your card details.
We will include a copy of your order with your items.

Processing orders

Orders are packaged reusing boxes from shop products. Zero waste items are packed in brown paper bags.

Our online stock is live and we do our best to ensure that it is up to date, but if an item you ordered is not in stock, you will be offered a substitute or this item will be refunded.

Collecting orders

When placing your order, you will have the option to select a time slot for collection. Please choose a convenient time for yourself and only collect your items within this timeframe.

Time slots will be available with a minimum notice of 24 hours.

If you are no longer able to collect your items during the selected timeframe, please contact the shop on (01) 4544258 to arrange an alternative collection time.
If you do not contact the shop or collect your items during the agreed timeframe, items will be returned to the shelf and your order will be refunded.

You will need a copy of your order confirmation or collection email. You do not need to print the order confirmation or email, presenting them from your phone is sufficient.

Yes. They’ll need a copy of your order confirmation or collection email.

Please come to the door of the shop and tell a staff member you are here to pick up an online order, and they will get your order for you. You do not need to queue, but please keep social distancing guidelines in mind when coming up to the shop door. We ask for your patience if the shop is very busy, sometimes our staff can be under a lot of pressure when there is a sizable queue.

Other

From January 2021, we are offering local deliveries (Dublin 2, 6, 6W, 7, 8 and 12) via e-cargo bike. 

You can ask for a delivery by emailing info@dublinfood.coop before you do your online shop.

Please note, we cannot deliver chilled or frozen goods at present.

We are hoping to introduce more delivery options later in 2021.

Currently our deliveries are run by volunteers, so they are free. This may change later in the year as demand increases.

No, there is no charge for using our click and collect service.

We take great care when packing your order, but if you find something is not quite right with it, please contact us by emailing online@dublinfood.coop as soon as you receive your order. If possible, please also include pictures to help us understand the issue.

We may offer you an exchange or refund for the items if appropriate. We work hard to ensure that products and packaging are to the highest standard, so please contact us with any feedback you have at all.

Most items bought online can be returned in our shop within 14 days of collection once the item is unopened, in original packaging and in a re-sellable condition. Proof of purchase will need to be presented. Items not eligible for returns are fresh, chilled or frozen food, zero waste items, personal care products or toiletries. This does not include defective or spoiled goods.

This does not affect your statutory rights.

Some items are available to order in bulk with discounts available ranging from 15% – 22% depending on the order total. Please contact the shop directly on (01) 4544258 or bulk@dublinfood.coop to arrange bulk orders.

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