Yesterday, October 15th., started off with the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) Networking event in the Ambassador Hotel in Cork; good to meet up with a number of County Cork restaurateurs and some of their suppliers. this was one of nine roadshows around Ireland in conjunction with Failte Ireland and Bord Bia.
A quick drive down to the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery for the monthly meeting of West Cork Open Coffee; having been alerted of speed traps it took slightly longer than expected!
For any readers of this in the West Cork area and are wondering what West Cork Open Coffee is all about I quote the following from Calvin Jones, one of the forces behind it:
“West Cork Open Coffee is an on-line and off-line group who enjoy regular meet ups in West Cork. We are mostly innovation and entrepreneurial people who work in or from home or in small businesses in the area.
“Micro enterprise is easy to overlook when it comes to investment and support from state agencies,” said Calvin Jones, a West Cork based freelance writer and core group member of Open Coffee West Cork. “They’re simply too small to register on the radar, and yet they have a disaproportionately beneficial impact on the local economy.
“If you look at the scope, diversity and ingenuity of very small businesses across Ireland, it’s simply staggering. I’m not sure if there is data out there, but I suspect that collectively, micro-enterprise contributes a significant chunk to the national economy. I’m convinced that the little guys, if properly nurtured and supported, can make a real difference,” he said.
Open Coffee West Cork is now attempting to do just that, harnessing the potential of independent enterprise throughout Ireland’s southwest, and providing a forum for interaction, innovation, collaboration and learning both through online and regular off-line networking opportunities. Join now and help expand the network for yourself and everyone else.”
So if this fits you, then register your interest at WestCorkOpenCoffee.Com.
Hi Anthony,
Great to see you last Wednesday… thanks for passing home and heading all the way back down to Ross after being up in Cork. And thanks for this plug ;-).
West Cork Open Coffee has great potential, but we need to spread the word and get more people to participate. Hope to see you and a few of this blog’s readers at the next one (11/11 @ 12:30).
All the best,
Calvin!