About us | Roots Community Shop & Café | Fruit & Vegetables | Kilmeedy

Roots Community Shop & Café is a social enterprise run by the community, for the community.

Until our opening in late 2020, Kilmeedy had been without a shop for over 10 years. For most villages, a shop is a vital lifeline and for some people, especially those without transport, it is an important connection with the world beyond their front door. Kilmeedy Community Development Group, which already had an excellent track record in establishing and running social enterprises in the village, embarked on its biggest venture in 2017 to open a shop and café.

We made a successful LEADER application (securing 50% funding) to start the renovation of premises at the former Geary’s/Ahern’s shop in the heart of the village. With additional works required to complete the project, the Group then made a successful application under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme in 2019. Roots Community Shop & Café is a now a meeting place, communication centre and an important lynchpin of village life.

Our ethos is to offer local products, where possible, with the hope of supporting and sustaining local food producers and suppliers. Our food is wholesome and comforting, with a lot of our ingredients sourced from our own Kilmeedy Homegrown community garden. When in season, we sell Kilmeedy Homegrown vegetables in the shop to complement the hugely successful box scheme.

We have a fully HAACP approved kitchen which is available to local food entrepreneurs as a production hub during off-peak hours. We run evening classes in food nutrition, cooking and fermentation, with themed events also on the cards. Budding foodies should contact us to discuss!

Roots is staffed by a full time Manager, with the assistance of one Community Employment Scheme workers but we would not be able to operate without our strong team of dedicated volunteers. Volunteering is a great chance to learn new skills, make friends and engage with the community. Please contact us if you would like to find out more.

Roots is in the heart of the Golden Vale, 12km from Newcastle West, 20km from Adare and 41km from Limerick City. If you don’t drive, you can easily get to us on the Rural Transport Link from Newcastle West to Charleville with regular stops outside our village church.

The safety of our customers and staff, as well as our broader community is utmost in our priorities. For this reason, some of our services are limited in line with Government advice and restrictions.

Our Partners