Blue Hill Co-op
Self-ReportedDiversified Family Farm
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About Blue Hill Co-op
Use our fully integrated online shopping platform, WebCart, to shop online. You can pick up your order in the store, curbside, or take advantage of delivery if you live within Blue Hill. We are a welcoming, vibrant community of owners guided by our belief in the importance of healthful, honest food options. Through cooperative principles we support our economy by sourcing locally, and by providing education on food, environmental and social issues. Blue Hill Co-op is a cooperatively-owned grocery store that specializes in selling local & organic foods. The Co-op employs 60+ full & part-time staff members and has over 3,000 owners. Everyone is welcome to shop at the Co-op, and, over the years, we have become a community food hub for the entire Blue Hill Peninsula, where people gather daily. Our customers include locals, seasonal residents, and visitors. Becoming a Blue Hill Co-op owner comes with lots of great benefits, and joining is easy! Come for the perks, stay for the purpose. Ownership means you’re investing in a community-owned business that supports the local food system and economy. Do you have special knowledge you’d like to share with the community? Are you a local musician, poet, or author? We’d love to discuss the possibility of hosting a workshop, performance, or reading. Start a rewarding career in the fast-paced, ethical grocery industry by applying for a job at our co-op. We are committed to maintaining a respectful and caring work environment in which staff can develop professionally. We believe wholesome food is necessary for our individual well-being and also the well-being of our community. We believe that supporting local farmers and industries also strengthens our communities. We believe what we purchase and carry in our co-op should reflect the values of our membership. “This March, the Art in the Cafe Gallery is celebrating the artistic talent of our staff members! Like the superheroes they all are—working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our Co-op running smoothly—it’s only natural that some of them should have such exceptional hidden talents…” This quiche is simple but boasts divine flavor. Sweet leeks, smoky fish, and rich cream cheese with a beautifully flaky crust. Pair with a fresh salad for optimal enjoyment! This salad is a fresh, crisp, and sweet dish, perfect for the end of winter. The dressing is creamy, nutty, and pairs beautifully with the fennel and orange! Delicious, moist banana muffins packed with chocolate. Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? All we know is they’re scrumptious! Browse Recipe By Dish Type:AppetizersBreakfastDessertsMain DishesSaladsSide DishesBreadBeverages Right from the start, we knew that we wanted our new Co-op to utilize the sun’s energy. That’s why our roof is so massive. Our roof is home to 414 panels, which can produce 350 kWh on a sunny winter day (offsetting around 40% of our energy costs). In the summer it produces even more. Since installation we’ve saved723,327 lbs of CO2emissions. Blue Hill Co-op acknowledges that it stands on the traditional lands of the Penobscot people and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Penobscot and other indigenous nations. We acknowledge that this land and the area around it is the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Wabanaki Confederacy, including the Penobscot, Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki people. We respect the sovereign relationship between the tribes, states, and the federal government, and we affirm our support for Native Nations and indigenous people. Through colonization, encroachment, genocide, disease, and violence, this land was taken from indigenous people, causing untold and incalculable harm. Yet, despite centuries of colonial theft and violence, this is still and will always be Indigenous land. Indigenous people are still here, demonstrating innumerable talents and gifts in the midst of conti
Our Story
The Co-op’s roots began in the winter of 1974. A handful of people were interested in starting a buying club to bring organic vegetables to the Blue Hill peninsula at a time when they were unavailable in grocery stores. After deliveries of perishable produce began to arrive in the area, a bulk grain order was added to the offerings. These early efforts took a lot of organizing because each item that was purchased came in a 50lb bag, which then needed to be divided amongst members. However, the early membership reveled in the opportunity to spend many hours together working towards the common cause of good food. In time, this small and loosely organized group of pioneers realized they could secure higher quality food at better prices if the burden of the work could be shared among more members. Word spread throughout the community and in just over a year, the Co-op’s membership had reached 100. In these early stages, people drove empty rented trucks as far afield as Boston and then returned having filled them with grains and fresh produce. The trucks were then unloaded at various peoples' houses. Unloading spots changed from month to month, but one location was a residence that is now the Barncastle restaurant and, for a time, the Co-op operated out of the barn located behind 50 Main Street. By 1977, there were monthly deliveries to the North Blue Hill Grange (now the Halcyon Grange). The official “Articles of Incorporation” were signed in February of 1979 offering more structure to the Co-op’s inner workings. By the early 1980s, there were so many families involved in the Co-op that it became necessary to split into two groups. A group on the north side of Blue Hill continued to use the North Blue Hill Grange for deliveries, and members who lived on the south side of Blue Hill operated out of what is now the Sedgwick Redemption Center. A produce order would be delivered once a month and a grain order was made less frequently. Eventually, the two groups merged once again. The Co-op began to experiment with buying more than its members wanted to purchase. The excess was then sold to whoever wanted it. The Co-op also expanded its offerings, bringing in organic dairy products, smoked meats, seafood and bread. The membership was further invigorated by their success in pushing suppliers to order organic foods from far-flung communities in the rural areas of Maine. For several years, the Co-op rented a space that had once served as a schoolhouse in Sedgwick. In 1991, the first paid manager was hired and the store purchased its first cash register. However, the store remained a bare bones operation. A variety of donated freezers and refrigerators were put into use, and volunteers installed shelving to display food for sale to its customers. The store was open several days a week, although lack of funding kept the store from becoming very well stocked and hours were erratic. In 1992, a rent reduction from $500 to $400 a month provided a great relief. Even with these difficulties, membership swelled to over a thousand and the Co-op became a location for a farmers’ market. The first Co-op newsletter was sent out during these Sedgwick years. Although more and more families were using the Co-op, it was becoming apparent to many that the store was not very conveniently located. Often, people would come far out of their way to shop, but the volunteer staffing scheduled for that day would fail to show. There was a division among its members about whether the Co-op should remain a buying club or open a storefront. After many heated conversations, the decision was made to move the Co-op into a storefront. A small but suitable rental was found in downtown Blue Hill, at the base of Greens Hill and a lease was signed in the spring of 1993. At that point, the store only occupied a small portion of the current building footprint. In its new space, the Co-op increased the number and regularity of its hours, but the offerings were still qui
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Store Owner · Since 1974
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