The Green Door Market offers an exceptional array of delicious fresh produce Set up in 2014 by two organic growers and their spouses, the Green Door Market is all about bringing local artisan stall holders under one roof. Situated in the bustling surrounds of Newmarket, just off Cork Street, the Green Door boasts a diverse range of delicious food, including organic fruits, artisan meats, vegetables, cheese and fish. Both Deirdre O’Sullivan and Christy Stapleton started out separately as sellers at the Dublin Food Co-op. With over 25 years experience in wholefood selling between them, and a burgeoning client base, they decided to take a ‘leap of faith’ and set up the Green Door Market. “We wanted to provide a space where people could do all of their household food shopping,” explains Christy. “We try to make a visit to the Green Door an experience, where it’s not just people doing their shopping and leaving.” Rather, the emphasis here is on sustainability and community. Customers are advised to think green, as Deirdre points out: “In our place, you can buy all your fruit and veg unwrapped if you like.” It’s obvious that integrating and giving back to the community is a big focus of the Green Door Market, as they foster an outreach programme for children in secondary schools and primary schools, in which they teach them how to grow their own vegetables. “Giving back is of course important,” says Deirdre, “but we are also engaging with our community, who can get know us, so it very much works both ways. We’ve had transition year students in here, and we also ran another programme with local primary schools, which gets pupils and their parents engaged.” Indeed, due to the increased popularity of the programme, the Green Door are preparing for a busy time in May when schools will once again flock to Newmarket. “We started that programme last year as a trial and we had seven schools involved,” Deirdre explains. “This year we’re going to extend it even more. All bar one school walked to the market; they are all truly local schools and they absolutely loved it!”

18 Newmarket, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8 | 085 855 2665 www.thegreendoor.ie | Open Tuesday-Friday: 12pm-7pm; Saturday: 9.30am-4pm; and Sunday: 11am-5pm.

The Green Door Market, 2018