Picado's New Space
Help us reach the finish line
As some of you might know via our socials, we FINALLY got keys for our second location. It has been a very long and winding road to get here, but four years after conceiving the idea, we are now ready to turn an empty, L shaped concrete box on Cork Street in The Liberties in Dublin 8, into our dream space and the new home for Picado HQ.
We have BIG plans for the space: a bigger and improved teaching kitchen and events space built for our signature style of cooking classes and supper clubs, a production kitchen where we we will launch Ireland's first Mexican Molino, a fab retail space and a coffee bar that will specialise on Mexican drinks only! The space will host food and cultural events and it will be a great addition to the local area and a great space for the foodie community I've built over the past 20 years.
The Ask
Because our money today is worth a lot less than it was two years ago, we have to raise extra cash to get us to the finish line. This is where you, our lovely and loyal customers, come in! We need to raise €50,000 to get the first phase of the space to opening day on the second weekend in December. We have set up this pre-sale campaign especially for you. We want YOU to be the first to get some of the super cool items, products and amazing events we're hosting in the new space.
Support us by purchasing some of the items we have laid out here for you. If you feel like leaving us a little extra donation on top of your purchase, we have added a donation option at check out too, coz every little helps! (damn you Tesco! But it’s so true!). Everything you get here is tangible and deliverable, with an exact date or a commitment to give you a date for delivery.
Some of these products and events make for AMAZING Christmas, birthdays and anniversary gifts, and you'll be not only supporting our small business and the local economy, but you will also be the first to taste and test what we'll be making in the new space.
Our Story
Picado Mexican was founded by me (lily) and my other half Alan in 2011 to bring Mexican ingredients and products to Ireland because I was hungry, homesick and a little angry at what was passing as Mexican food here at the time. We started the business online from our tiny home office in Dublin. We both worked full-time jobs and Picado was run evenings and weekends.
In August 2014 we decided to give our online shop a brick and mortar home. We opened in the middle of a terrible recession with a credit card, a ton of help from friends and family and bits and bobs from our house and Ikea. On our first trading day, half of Ireland turned up to shop with us and it was magical. We had flowers and cards from friends, neighbours in Portobello were incredibly supportive and within a week, we started our cooking classes from the space. The big window of the shop has always been colourful and outspoken and mounting window displays has been the joy of my shopkeeping life. Ten years later, Picado Portobello has established itself and welcomes people Tuesday through Sundays with a lovely team that’s always happy to chat food, life and tacos. It is now time to grow.
The Plan
Picado Portobello will become a full-retail location and we are taking the cooking school to a new space. In Picado at The Loom, we will continue to host our unique cooking classes and popular supper clubs, retaining our signature style of cooking and teaching. The space will have a retail area for you to stock up on all your favourite Mexican goodies, a small but mighty Test Kitchen, where we will produce a line of fresh Mexican products for our own shelves and most importantly, it will also host our Molino Project!
Picado is going to make fresh Masa and masa products from scratch, using ethically sourced Mexican corn and ancient techniques just like my grandfather and my father did and I cannot wait to share fresh masa with you. The space will also have a take-out coffee bar specialising in Mexican drinks only and the test kitchen will make all the Mexican sweet bread classics you would find in a traditional Mexican Panaderia (bakery).
We will be able to host a few special events throughout the year, bring cultural and gastronomic events to the community and host other chefs for collaborations and filming projects. Picado at the Loom will be a hub for all things Mexican and we are beyond excited about the next phase of the business.
How are we doing it
We have been working with our friends Anna & Damien from Hannigan & Cooke Architects who understand what we stand for and what we want to create in the space. We have been as sympathetic to the fabric of the building as we can because it makes financial and environmental sense. We have engaged Nela Build Ltd. to carry the fitout of the space and our gorgeous friends Stephanie & Jonathan from OVO Studios have been madly working on the background to get our website ready, all the branding reviewed and this campaign page up and running.
Our small but mighty team of 6 will grow to 9 quite quickly and next year to 12 and we will continue to manage it with dignity, respect and understanding. We have a diverse team and we are committed to the welfare and wellbeing of each team member.
We are committed to be as sustainable as possible in our practises and we will continue to support local suppliers of fresh produce and services to offset our carbon footprint on the ingredients we import. With a proper test kitchen on site, we foresee many collaborations and pop ups with friends in the industry too.
The Promise
Picado Mexican is here to stay. We’re innovators and we have a deep love and passion for what we do. I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life, sharing my love for Mexico and its gastronomy, history and culture. Picado at the Loom will be the space that will bring it all together and that will give us room to grow and explore the many ideas that are constantly percolating in my head. We’ll make it not just a food destination, but a community you’ll want to be part of!
