RISING TIDE CO-OP
When I told my 13 year old daughter I was heading up to Damariscotta to visit with Heather Burt and Alex Zipparo at Rising Tide Co-op, she begged me to let her skip school to come with me (which I didn’t, but wish I had). She has been there only once before, but that was enough for her to form a strong feeling of wonder and connectedness to this place.
After enjoying a hot cup of co-op soup in the brisk fall air, I sat down with Heather (General Manager) and Alex (Communications and Engagement Human – love it), who told me that Rising Tide Co-op is a 6,000 square foot natural foods and community market with a strong focus on fostering a vibrant local economy that is regenerative and community driven. learn more…
A Vibrant full-service food co-op since 1978
The consumer co-op grew out of a buying club and formed in 1978 (same year as Fare Share Co-op in Norway). It now has over 5,000 owners. As many other food co-ops, they are transitioning from using the word “Member” to exclusively using the word “Owner” when referring to those who have purchased shares in the cooperative. A similar transition from using “Community Market” to using “Co-op” to describe the operation began four years ago in effort to really highlight the cooperative model and its benefits to the community through education conveying the meaning of cooperative ownership.
Rising Tide is a vibrant Full-Service Grocery store that employs just under 60 community members. This co-op powerhouse is supported by rapid growth along with the caveat of owning their own building in a good location, abutting the tourist-dense Damariscotta downtown.
Alex is especially excited about the co-op’s impact on the local food economy and tells me that 40 out of the 300 something local businesses they purchase from are located right in Lincoln County. Many of those small businesses succeeded because the co-op showcased their items when they were just starting out. Interestingly, because of the co-op’s focus on organic food, many of those food entrepreneurs and farmers were able to pursue a production route that is more holistic and regenerative. The co-op’s local purchases now total around $1.5 million, with $82,200 (in 2020) in purchases from the top producer located right in Lincoln County. That’s real impact on the local economy!
WEATHERING THE PANDEMIC STORM AND LOOKING AHEAD
The co-op has offered service programs in the past, but due to the COViD 19 pandemic, those programs have been halted. Amazingly, however, the community rallied around the community kitchen housed on the second floor of the building, traditionally used for educational classes and local food rescue work, and volunteers pooled resources together to provide 16,000 free meals for the community between April 2020 and June 2021. Heather points out that the program, called Loving Local Meals, served not only those who received meals, but also those who volunteered by offering community and mental health stability in a time of isolation. Loving Local Meals was started by a group of local individuals who donated seed money due to their concern for local farmers, who lost long-term restaurant and other contracts. Around $50,000 were raised, many bellies were filled, and community and food sources were preserved through this effort.
The co-op itself has remained healthy through the pandemic. Lincoln County has experienced low case counts and Damariscotta’s aging population embraced suggested safety precautions. Despite this, Rising Tide closed to the public for three weeks in the beginning of the pandemic and pivoted to curbside pick-up. The staff was in good spirits and their safety was of highest priority for management. However, it was clear that curbside-pick up was not a viable long-term option for the co-op and all agreed to reopen with strong safety measures in place. The co-op received a PPP loan that was forgiven, but has continued to do well during the pandemic and has been able to offer staff a range of new benefits such as Hero Pay, raises, and an employee profit-sharing program. Despite this, the co-op, like many other businesses, have seen higher resignation numbers. To guard against this, they have developed systems that are more efficient as well as accommodating for more frequent Time Off for all employees. Their starting pay is now $15/hour, which also makes an entry level job at the co-op more attractive.
Looking ahead, Heather and Alex are excited about reinvesting in the building, infrastructure of the store, and in the Rising Tide Team. Sales reports and survey data of customer demand have informed the plans to renovate areas of the prepared foods department. That means upgrading equipment, physical renovation of the interior space and the exterior extension of cooler space. Much of this effort focuses on getting the Hot Bar back up and running in a well-designed way and expanding grab n’ go offerings.
JOINING CMBA AND SUPPORTING OTHER MAINE CO-OPS
Rising Tide has been an avid sponsor of CMBA in the past and just recently joined the network as mid-size co-op members. With stable operations, strong growth and positive future projections, Heather and her team would like the co-op to turn its focus additional efforts outward. Rising Tide has a desire to deepen connections with other co-ops and support cooperatives and their efforts state-wide. After stabilizing internally, Heather says they are ready to more fully engage with CMBA and are excited to start with having Alex participate on the Principle Six Planning Committee. Heather praises the CMBA programming, saying that many educational opportunities are geared toward management, while CMBA’s offerings are accessible to staff, co-op member-owners, and board members alike and has a unique Maine perspective that bulbs local awareness and connections.
The Rising Tide Team invites other Maine co-ops to contact them with questions and ideas for collaboration. You can reach them by emailing CustomerCare@RisingTide.coop or calling 207-563-5556.