Hi, my name is Nivene, and I’m the owner of Cairo to Cork, Ireland’s first Egyptian street food business.

What started as a dream has grown into something I never imagined. Thousands of people have supported us, shared our videos, queued in the rain for our food, and made us feel like part of the Cork community. Every single customer has helped build this business from the ground up, and I will never be able to thank you enough.

Unfortunately, over the past few weeks everything changed.

Due to circumstances completely outside of my control, I was forced to stop trading. Overnight, my income disappeared, but the bills didn’t. Rent, supplier invoices, Revenue, insurance, equipment costs and everyday business expenses have continued to pile up while I haven’t been able to open my doors.

Like many small business owners, I’ve put everything I have into this dream. I’ve worked countless long days, missed family time, taken very little for myself and reinvested every euro back into Cairo to Cork because I truly believed in what we were building.

I have never been someone who asks for help.

In fact, creating this page has probably been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

But today I simply don’t have another option.

In the middle of all this, an incredible opportunity has come along.

I’ve been offered the chance to take over a permanent premises that could completely transform Cairo to Cork. It would finally give us a proper kitchen, somewhere we can trade consistently, expand our menu, offer deliveries, create more jobs and continue growing the business that so many of you have supported from day one.

The only thing standing between us and that future is finding the funds to secure it.

Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly towards securing the premises, transferring the business licence, purchasing the equipment needed to reopen, and helping us survive this difficult period until we can get back on our feet.

If you’re unable to donate, simply sharing this fundraiser would honestly mean the world to me.

I promise that anyone who helps me today is helping build something that will continue giving back to the community for years to come. Cairo to Cork has always been about bringing people together through food, culture and kindness, and I hope we can continue doing exactly that.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me, believing in my dream, and believing in Cairo to Cork.

I hope this isn’t the end of our story.

❤️

Nivene & the Cairo to Cork family ❤️