The Holding
The Holding at the Arches, in Ashford, Co. Wicklow is our latest project on our sustainability journey and is the newest addition to the Cloud Picker family. The garden has been organically managed since the 70’s and we’re delighted to be able to continue this! The garden is an amazing treasure trove of fruit, veg, trees, berries, wild flowers and more! We aim to reignite it to become the vibrant small holding it once was.
Here we re-use all our waste from both the Cafe and the Roastery – the chaff, grinds, food waste & coffee sacks as part of our commitment to zero-waste and to be a better earth-forward company for this planet we all share.
The holding is nestled in what's fondly referred to as 'Writers Valley' where the late Seamus Heaney Literature Nobel Prize winner would stroll through the neighbouring Devil's Glen. Situated on the foothill of the Glen with the sea to the east, the mountains to the west, this really is a piece of heaven only 40 mins to our cafe on Pearse Street in Dublin.
The Holding allows us to re-use lots of things from the Roastery, even coffee sacks and wooden pallets!
Rogue dill cuddling up to the greenhouse door.
The Arches was once part of the Glanmore Estate, owned by the family of the playwright J.M. Synge. The original house would have provided accommodation for farm workers employed by the playwright’s great-grandfather, Francis Synge, who lived in nearby Glanmore Castle.
A money safe lays empty - the contents spent on the black stuff we guess!
The Arches dwellings were originally two ‘workmans’ cottages and then merged into a single dwelling property. It sits on 1.5 acres with The Arches originally housing cows. Lucky cows - they must have felt holy!
Re-using coffee chaff from the roastery in our compost. Chaff is the waste or silverskin that falls off the bean during roasting. It's high in nitrogen so it’s great for the soil.
Wooden pallets from the roastery. Perfect for making compost stacks.
Join us on our garden journey. Make sure to check in here and on our social media. We're going to give this a try and we're excited to share the fruits of our labour with you all, in coffee syrups and cafe salads! Green fingers crossed!
