CMBA Member Highlight: Belfast Community Co-op & Zero Energy Homes

It was a reminder that even in the span of a day-trip, you can glimpse just how interconnected and diverse Maine’s cooperative community is. Each stop offered its own story, challenges, and vision. And together, they represent just a slice of the thriving co-op ecosystem we’re lucky to be part of.

Belfast Community Co-op

With a long-standing connection to CMBA, from serving on the steering committee to presenting at nearly every P6 Conference, Belfast Community Co-op has been a consistent and generous presence in Maine’s more recent cooperative movement. Since 1976, this cornerstone of the Midcoast has also combined thoughtful management, dedicated staff, and member-driven energy to create a thriving hub for local food systems and cooperative partnerships. A visit to the Co-op offers a chance to see that mission in action, its impact on the community and also the everyday flow of activity and care throughout the store.

When I arrived, I quickly located the restrooms, which is a small but always appreciated indicator of a welcoming space. Located in the heart of downtown, the Co-op is also easily accessible by car, bike, wheelchair, or legs. I’d been here a few times before (it’s always worth a trip if you like natural food stores and co-ops), but I only got the full tour once, right before the pandemic. The store itself was, even then, beautiful and inviting. The back end was another story. Wandering through it felt a bit like one of those labyrinth-like, upside-down houses at an amusement park. I came out with chalk all over my clothes, slightly disoriented, and half-convinced that the decades-old electrical panel had a few tricks up its sleeve.

This time around, at first glance, the store itself looked much the same as it did in 2019. Yet behind the scenes, the year-long, $6.4 million renovation completed in September of 2024 has made a dramatic difference (the new electrical panel alone is a thing of beauty; gleaming, orderly, and ready for the future). The project was financed through $4.4 million in loans, $1.6 million in member loans, and the remainder from cash reserves, which is an example of the Co-op’s ability to blend community investment with sound management. The back of the store has been remodeled and expanded to improve day-to-day operations: cold storage and freezer space have been increased, the dry backstock area reorganized, and offices rearranged (the GM is no longer tucked away in a basement closet, for instance). One particularly impressive upgrade is a new lift that moves products from the lower delivery area up to the ground floor, replacing the cumbersome and potentially risky use of a small forklift.

With these behind-the-scenes refinements in place, the Co-op runs more smoothly and efficiently than ever. Shoppers experience a bright, welcoming storefront where it’s easy to take in the expanded range of offerings; fresh local produce and meats, house-made sandwiches and salads, bulk goods, vitamins, body care, wine, and more. Expanded refrigerated and frozen sections in both the storefront and back storage further enhance the shopping experience. Everything reflects the Co-op’s mission “to bring locally-sourced, reasonably priced, organic and natural products to all,” demonstrating how thoughtful design and care behind the scenes directly support the Co-op’s commitment to the community.

This mission is embodied not only by staff and members but also by General Manager Doug Johnson. Over more than a decade, Doug has grown with the Co-op, rising from marketing manager to GM in 2015. His ideas and values are deeply woven into its operations, reflecting the care, thought, and heart he has poured into ensuring reliable, safe access to good local food for the community.

Even with dedicated leadership, the Co-op faces real challenges. Rising costs and an increasingly harsh climate for independent grocers weigh heavily. Like many co-ops, Belfast is navigating the cultural tensions of a world where people feel powerless and sometimes expect local institutions to solve every injustice. It’s a reminder that while community ownership and democratic control are powerful, they are also demanding, requiring patience, trust, and perspective.

Now, a year after completing its renovation, the Co-op is settling into the rhythm of its expanded space. Recently exceeding 6,000 members, Belfast continues to grow its community base while strengthening workflows and enhancing systems. Sales are projected to reach $14 million by the end of September, which reflects an increase of 27% over the previous year, a big step that the team attributes directly to the renovation. As Doug reflected, “I think that the brand work that we did in 2021–2022, followed up by the renovation, really brought our values into alignment and positioned us for success. It all came together beautifully.” In today’s climate of uncertainty, rising costs, and complex collaboration, that solid foundation really matters. While the renovation process was long and demanding, Belfast has emerged with renewed stability and a clear sense of possibility. The Co-op is now looking beyond its role as a food store, imagining how it might serve as a broader community hub, including new approaches for tackling food insecurity.

After the tour, I wandered the Co-op a bit more on my own, taking in the daily rhythm of shoppers, staff, and members moving through the space. Then I met up for a late lunch with a colleague who had once worked at Belfast Community Co-op, which made the visit even richer. They shared reflections on how the Co-op has grown and how it continues to be an anchor in both the local economy and in the community itself. With those reflections in mind, I headed up the road to Searsport for the Zero Energy Homes Open House, moving from one vision of community-rooted sustainability to another, and noticing the common thread of cooperative values woven through both.

Zero Energy Homes – Building for Triple Solve in Searsport

After a late lunch and a day full of cooperative connections, I headed to Searsport for the Zero Energy Homes (ZEH) Open House, eager to see their work firsthand. Founder Caroline Pryor and the ZEH team welcomed visitors into their first showcase home at 14 Osprey Lane and walked us through what they call their “triple solve:” environmentally sustainable design, affordability, and strong local supply chains.

The home itself is modest but thoughtful: 869 square feet, two bedrooms, and a second-story shell ready for finishing later. Move-in ready and fully equipped with efficient appliances, it is built with net-zero energy principles in mind. Eighty percent of the materials are Maine-made, and the 18 panelized sections that make up the house were fabricated in Western Maine. Priced at $275,000, it is intended for year-round residents earning 80% of the area median income or less, made possible through grants, solar tax credits, and energy efficiency rebates.

What struck me most during my visit was how ZEH is making environmentally friendly homeownership accessible to more people in rural Maine. Thoughtful design, energy efficiency, local sourcing, and financial support options help remove many of the usual barriers, and the team is actively working to push prices down further through strong, collaborative relationships with suppliers and partners.

The cooperative currently has four full-time members and two part-time employees. Their demonstration home took four months to build, but the team aims to reduce that to just one month as processes are refined and partnerships strengthened. With each build, they are learning how to cut both time and costs, both critically important in order to grow and serve more communities.

Walking through the house (after carefully leaving our shoes outside to protect the beautiful floors), it was impossible not to feel the pride radiating from Caroline and her team. Every detail, from the home’s orientation for maximum solar gain to its bright, well-planned layout and use of sustainable, Maine-sourced materials, tells a story of possibility. It didn’t feel like just a house; it was a statement about what can happen when cooperative values, local skill, and sustainable design come together with the determination to make meaningful change.

That sense of possibility extended beyond the home itself. It was exciting (and a bit surprising) to run into several people representing different parts of the Maine co-op ecosystem, including representatives of Democracy Brewing, a worker co-op with two locations in Boston. They have purchased a building in Lewiston, Maine for their third location and are exploring the possibilities of creating workforce housing, showing how ZEH’s model is inspiring cooperative innovation well beyond Searsport.

Reflection

Traveling home that evening, I reflected on the day’s journey. The renovated Belfast Community Co-op, the demonstration home in Searsport, and the unexpected connections along the way. This trip was definitely a wonderful reminder of how interwoven Maine’s cooperative community is and how each effort, large or small, contributes to a stronger, more resilient network of people and ideas.

To learn more about Zero Energy Homes, check out their previous CMBA Member Highlight: Zero Energy Homes – CMBA Member Highlight.