Black-owned Irish food and wine businesses to try

One of the best and most sustainable ways to support the black community is through buying from black-owned businesses, some of which are still finding their feet since the pandemic.

If you are looking for black-owned food businesses to support in Ireland, then look no further.

Lagos-born Michael Onalimi developed his love for cooking as a child. He grew up watching his mother run her own small food store in Nigeria, and was surrounded by a variety of foods and spices.

It’s what lead him to set up his own business Flavour Safari, where he blends fresh Irish ingredients with African spices, to create sauces that take you on a journey across two continents.

“My aim is to introduce Ireland and indeed the world, to the richness of African culture and in doing so, inspire others to share heir heritage and use the universal love of food to awaken the inner foodie within all of us,” Onalimi says.

2. Pete’s Provisions

Founded by long time friends Conor Higgins and Darren Thompson, Pete’s Provisions is a wine shop located in Raheny, Dublin.

Using their interest in wine and their locality, as well as their extensive background in Dublin’s restaurant industry, Pete’s focuses on offering a curated selection of food and wine from around the world.

Every product – which ranges from familiar favourites to special occassion wines – in their store has been personally selected and vouched for by the founders.

Gursha is Ireland’s only restaurant dedicated to Ethiopian food. It’s based in Dublin and run by Mel Roddy, an Ethiopian who was raised in Ireland.

After a family holiday to Ethiopia in 2018, where he spent a lot of time eating local food, he was inspired to re-create something similar that felt like home.

It was initially going to be a food truck, but Ethiopian dining is meant to be a communal experience, where you can eat with your hands – if you wish – from the same plate as the person sitting next to you. So Roddy decided that a pop-up supper club was more appropriate.

4. Express Grocerys

Express Grocerys is an online grocery store which stocks African, Arabic, Asian and Eastern European foods and spices, established in 2020. It’s managed by a team who have worked in the food and drink industry for the last 10 years.

Items sold range from a wide range of top-quality fresh, frozen, dry, and canned foods, that can be delivered on the same day or the following day, to customers who live across the Dublin, Meath and Kildare area.

5. Mama Shee

In 2019, Edizemi Onilenla founded Mama Shee with the goal to bring the richness of the Nigerian cuisine to the Irish food industry.Cooking the most popular Nigerian dishes, such as jollof rice, plantain, and, suya, Onilenla hopes to one day also expand across Europe in the next few years.

Mama Shee also caters for corporate events, parties, weddings, and is regularly found at Merrion Square and Moore Street in Dublin, just to name a few, and also offering vegetarian options.