Unique shop fills growing appetite for cottage food

Lifestyle – Judy Murphy visits a micro-business that supports local producers and has customers drooling for more

At a time when so many business locally are still facing economic difficulties, one area is burgeoning, and it’s the cottage food industry. All over Galway, small food suppliers are producing quality, well-priced artisan food, which ranges from the healthy and virtuous to the indulgent and decadent.

A visit to one of Galway’s newest food outlets, Molloys Pantry on Eyre Street, will prove an eye-opening experience for anybody wanting to support local producers but without paying a fortune for their food.

The pantry is in a tiny space, but it stocks an eclectic range of breads, pastries, salads, sauces, vegetables, cheeses, breads, jams, chutneys and ready meals. As from this week, there is also a deli counter, where people can sample lunch made entirely from goods stocked in the shop.

Molloys Pantry, which opened 12 weeks ago, is owned by Leo and Klara Molloy, who are originally from Mayo and now live in Menlough. The two are steeped in the food and hospitality business and Leo’s passion for this new venture is infectious.

“I trained as a chef 25 years ago and then worked in Michelin starred restaurants in Dublin, like the Commons, Gilbauds and Chapter 1,” he outlines, adding that Klara worked in the hotel industry.

Later they moved back to Mayo, where they ran Doonfeeny House restaurant in Ballycastle, near the Céide Fields. But with a young family, the work-life balance proved difficult, so Leo took on a job with Carrokeel Seafoods, developing products and markets for that group.

In 2005 they moved to Galway when he became general manager of Galmere Fresh Foods, a position he held for five years before taking up a post with the food giant, Glanbia, exploring international opportunities for their products in countries such as France, the UK and Germany.

But he became disenchanted with an approach to food, which viewed it as a commercial commodity. Given Leo’s background as a chef, he had always been more interested in the craft aspect of food production, so he and Klara struck out on their own again.

Two years ago, they set up a small home baking company called Eaty Treaty in Menlough, producing cakes, breads, pastries and biscuits made from high-quality ingredients. They bought a little van and went door-to-door selling in their neighbourhood, starting from the ground up.

The operation grew and they have since given their recipes to Molloy’s Artisan bakery in Roscommon and Griffin’s Bakery in Loughrea, who make and supply Eaty Treaty goods to a range of shops on Leo and Klara’s behalf. Goods include spelt and whole-wheat bread as well as sweet items. These are available in shops throughout Galway City and County, including Molloy’s Pantry.

Leo’s experience in the commercial world of food allowed him to bring their Eaty Treaty product to a broader market, but he realised that for many artisan producers it was difficult to get properly positioned in major supermarkets and to be identified as an artisan brand.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.