Urban Health founders Darragh and Dee Buckley used to talk about starting a business when they returned to Ireland. The married couple met in Sydney, where a shared interest in yoga brought them together. “We got really into that healthy lifestyle over there,” says Dee. “We were always talking about coming home and starting a business and there were loads of ideas that we thought could work really well.”

Urban Health, situated on the triangle in Ranelagh in Dublin, is a deli offering healthy salads, juices, soups and baked goods, as well as stocking a range of other health-related items. “We wanted to create something that was true to what we believed,” adds Dee. “The food isn’t laden with sugar or fat. It’s healthy, with natural ingredients.”

When the couple returned to Ireland in 2011, Darragh ran two health food stores with business partner James Norton. This was a good learning experience, in terms of dealing with tax returns, suppliers and developing sales. Meanwhile, Dee started a website to sell yoga clothing, as well as teaching yoga.

Taking The Plunge

The couple live in Ranelagh and while the village has many restaurants and bars, there was no health food deli. When a rental opportunity came up, the couple took the plunge with a 4-year, 9-months agreed in early December. The builders got stuck in immediately and the shop was ready to open on December 29. The turnaround was quick because the couple wanted to open in time for the detox season in January. “It was backs to the wall for three weeks, but it was a great experience,” says Darragh.

In Association with

The Urban Health range includes fresh juices, salads, wraps, detox programmes, and meal plans.
Prices range from €5 for a juice, €5.95 for wraps, €6.95 for salad boxes and €120 for a five day detox pack of soups and juices. Like any small business, Urban Health majors in social media. With more than 5,000 Facebook fans and close to 5,000 Instagram followers, they target customers with a mix of motivational posts, healthy living facts and tempting photographs of the Urban Health fare.

The Buckleys have started renovations above the shop to create a general space for brunch, yoga and even nutrition talks with local schools. In addition, they have launched Urban Fridges. The idea is that companies can rent a fridge which Urban Health will stock on an ongoing basis. The plan is ambitious but Darragh is confident of tying down three business customers by Christmas.

Kiosk Opportunity

As the business beds down, the Buckleys see an opportunity for kiosk-sized outlets selling Urban Health fare. “In London kiosks really utilise small space. You can just grab a salad or a juice. I think something like that could work really well at a Luas stop or in the city centre,” says Darragh.

The enterprising duo didn’t realise the amount of work involved in starting a business. Dee says that although people warn you about it, you don’t really understand until you experience it. “When you leave the shop at seven your day isn’t over. You have to do ordering, social media, update the website and look after invoices, stock control and inventory. It’s a huge amount of work. There are nights when we’re working until nearly midnight.”