by John Coghill, araich.co.uk
Something good is growing here, and we need your help to bring our vision to life.
àraich (pronounced AAH-rich) is a community kitchen, café, wholefoods shop and events space at the Old Woollen Mill in Portree. It’s a place for real, colourful food, where curiosity is encouraged and folk from all walks of life share a table. We’re big on following the Skye seasons and learning skills together in the kitchen, and upstairs there’s space for classes, workshops, and community gatherings.
We are a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee which means we are asset locked and every single penny of investment will be for the benefit of the community.
What We Believe
Àraich is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning to to raise, nourish, nurture, tend, or foster — and that’s exactly what we’re here to do.
At its core, àraich exists to help people feel their best through real food, practical knowledge, shared experience and community connection.
We believe in:
- Belonging: real food should be accessible to all, that everyone should be welcomed as they are, and that sharing a table with folk from all walks of life is how we start to understand and look out for one another.
- Humanity: there’s a spark in every one of us. Busy days and hard years may dim it, but it never goes out, and it glows brighter when it’s seen, fed and nurtured.
- Reconnection: modern life and convenience culture has pulled us away from real food, the seasons, the land, our bodies and each other, and that every meal shared, seed sown and skill passed on helps us find our way back.
Our long-term vision reaches well beyond one café. We want to build a movement that helps people reconnect with food, cooking, growing and wellbeing in a way that’s realistic and accessible. These core values sit at the centre of everything we do, guiding our actions along the way.
A Different Way of Doing Things
Most places that serve food work the same way: you pay the price on the menu, or you don’t come in. We want everyone to feel welcome, whatever their means, so we’re doing things a little differently…
Our Rainbowls work on a contribute-what-you-can model, with no obligation to pay. Some people contribute money, others their company, their time or a good conversation, and every one of those counts. The person who pays a little extra and the person who doesn’t pay at all sit at the same table, eat the same food and are welcomed in exactly the same way. Everyone who chips in helps keep a seat at the table for someone else.
We invite everyone to pick up a Rainbowl, pull up a chair, and see what grows from there.
A shared meal leads to a conversation, then a friendship, a new skill, a class you never thought you’d take, a reason to come back next week. That’s how threads get picked back up, and how communities, and the people in them, thrive.
To keep it sustainable, everything else in the café, shop, classes and events is paid for as normal, and we combine that income with grant funding for community programmes. As a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee, every penny of profit goes back into the community.
Who It’s For
àraich is for everyone: families and busy parents who want a nutritious meal even when time or budget are limited; people living alone who fancy some company with their lunch; older folk with skills and stories to share; young adults curious about cooking, growing or trying something new; and everyone in between. We want àraich to be a place where generations mix, where people feel the good that comes from something as simple as a shared meal, and where they come curious and leave feeling nourished and nurtured.
We’ve already done a lot to make the space feel homely, but it’s a big building with a huge dream and our budget is limited. In phase 1, to take our next steps we are crowdfunding to improve the catering facilities and the building.
Whether you’re from Skye, love to visit the island, or believe in the type of space we’re striving to create, we really appreciate your support in helping us reach our funding goal. Every contribution, big or small, helps something good grow here in Portree. Thank you for being part of it.
The crowdfunding link is here. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post and follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram.