To preface this story I would like to mention that recent Maine co-op news and CMBA stories have focused increasingly on food cooperatives. We will pivot to other stories, but before we do, I would like to highlight the fact that there is no coincidence that food co-ops have received this level of attention. Food co-ops are in fact uniquely and visibly positioned to interact with, listen to, and support an extended and diverse community, making them a natural entry point for people to learn about cooperatives.
In prior CMBA stories, we have highlighted the pioneering work of our Maine food co-ops; their focus on building and supporting a resilient food system through creating food hubs and community storage; their round-up programs as vehicles to financially support a myriad of local organizations; their willingness to support local food growers and entrepreneurs through product placement and feature events; their willingness to support other food co-ops with guidance on existing operations as well as start-up phases; and most recently their sustainable support through funding and planning of, and education at, the Principle 6 Conference and other convenings of the Maine network of cooperatives. These co-ops are true leaders, visible representatives, and often the first co-op contact for individuals. It surely makes them extremely important for our co-op ecosystem. We are proud of them for stepping up to represent Maine’s cooperatives community!
That being said, all Maine food- worker- housing- and agricultural- cooperatives are offering real, working solutions to challenges that conventional models often struggle to solve. And in this specific story, yet again, a food co-op, Portland Food Co-op (PFC), stands out as a clear example of cooperative excellence in action providing solid solutions.
PFC was announced winner of the Cooperative Excellence (Retailer of the Year) Award at this year’s annual meeting of the Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) in Tacoma, WA, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives. As the recipient, the co-op demonstrates how a community-owned grocery store can remain financially strong and operationally effective while firmly grounded in cooperative values. PFC’s excellence is reflected not only in the food it sells or in its financials, but in the systems it strengthens and the problems it helps solve every day.
Like food co-ops across Maine, PFC strengthens local food systems by investing in regional farmers, producers, and food entrepreneurs. In doing so, it helps build a more resilient local economy while also keeping wealth circulating within the community rather than extracting it.
The co-op’s impact extends well beyond the neatly stocked shelves and customer experience. In a letter of support for the Cooperative Excellence Award nomination, SPACE, a contemporary arts organization and long-term community partner, highlighted PFC’s role in strengthening civic and cultural life in Greater Portland. Their support describes the co-op not just as a sponsor, but as an engaged collaborator in community programming and public-facing educational events.
SPACE specifically noted the co-op’s support of public programming, including hosting journalist and author Jon Steinman for a free lecture on cooperatives and sponsoring Feastland, a community-centered fundraiser mixing local food, art, and performance. In their letter of support, SPACE emphasized that the co-op’s involvement extended to helping shape experiences that invited participants to learn about cooperation and imagine new possibilities for community-led change.
In addition to supporting community well-being and collaboration, PFC serves as an example of how the retail industry can create more resilient and sustainable strategies for all stakeholders. By ensuring that workers are valued and central to the organization’s success rather than treated as a cost to minimize, the co-op increases retention rates, creates an environment where people want to work, workers therefore do better in their positions, which translates into better customer experience and stable finances. PFC stands as a great example of that investing in employee well-being as a core part of one’s mission aligns well with co-op values as well as financial stability and success.
In a different letter supporting PFC’s nomination, Workforce Equity founder Sarah Dahl highlighted the co-op’s exceptional employee engagement and workplace culture. Based on employee survey data from food co-ops across the country, PFC had 40 percent of its survey measures rank in the top quartile nationally. Equally significant is that 70 percent of survey measures improved since the co-op’s previous survey in 2023. According to Dahl, these results reflect not only strong employee satisfaction, but an organizational commitment to listening to staff feedback, investing in employee well-being, and continuously improving workplace culture.
Employees consistently point to strong benefits, supportive leadership, inclusive culture, and a workplace where people feel respected and able to show up authentically. As one employee shared, “I have rarely worked for a business that demonstrates its care and respect for employees to the degree the co-op does.”
These outcomes are supported by strong governance and a culture of collaboration. Since 2019, Cooperative Board Leadership Development consulting support provided through Columinate has observed a co-op that is steadily strengthening its governance, leadership, and long-term sustainability. In their support of this nomination, Columinate notes that a strong partnership between the Board of Directors and General Manager John Crane has helped create a culture grounded in trust, transparency, and shared purpose, even through periods of board transition and change.
This shared leadership model has helped the organization remain stable, adaptive, and mission-focused. Rather than relying on top-down control, PFC demonstrates how democratic governance can create resilience and clarity in complex environments.
That same commitment to listening to staff, board, and management alike also extends outward. Through a community listening study referenced in the nomination materials, the co-op intentionally sought to understand the needs and priorities of the people it serves along with others in the community who for one reason or another were not being directly served. The insights from that process continue to shape strategic direction and deepen relationships with members and neighbors.
Portland Food Co-op also plays an active role in Maine’s broader cooperative ecosystem, including through its longstanding involvement with the Cooperative Maine Business Alliance and the Principle 6 Conference. As a longtime sponsor, planning partner, and workshop presenter, staff from the co-op regularly share their experience in governance, operations, and community engagement with cooperators from across the state and beyond. This willingness to openly share knowledge and support peer learning reflects a deep commitment to cooperation among cooperatives and the belief that strengthening one co-op helps strengthen the entire movement.
Together, PFC’s efforts reflect a clear and integrated vision of what cooperative retail can be; one that provides tangible responses to the unfavorable realities many communities face today, including local economic leakage, low workforce retention, community disconnection, and the need for more resilient food systems. Rather than isolated examples of cooperative values in action, these accomplishments are practical solutions to real challenges facing communities, workplaces, and local economies. In many ways, the co-op serves as a leading example of what food cooperatives across Maine are working to achieve every day.
As both a leader in Maine’s cooperative community and a model for cooperative retail nationally, PFC shows that cooperation remains one of the most durable and effective tools for building resilient, equitable communities.
