Caitlin Frame and Andy Smith started The Milkhouse Dairy Farm and Creamery in Monmouth, Maine, in 2015. The 280 acres of land they acquired in Monmouth was an ideal setting

Barbara Brooks established Seal Cove Farm and started handcrafting goat cheeses in the French tradition in 1976. At the time, she worked as a part-time lifeguard, swim teacher and a waitress and had two clear goals: to work independently and to make cheese. Though goat cheese would not catch on throughout the United States for a number of years, a handful of Maine farmers (including Brooks) started milking goats in the late 70s and early 80s and were pioneers in introducing goat cheese into the market. Soft chevre made from goat milk was already very popular abroad, but it took time to gain momentum in Maine. Goat milking and cheese has come a long way over the past few decades; with their cheeky personalities and tasty cheese, dairy goats have since captured the hearts of farmers and consumers across the country.

Charley and Carol Baer have operated Baer’s Best Beans in Maine for over three decades. They specialize in producing heirloom bean varieties that have grown here in the Northeast since colonial days.

Ian Jerolmack’s passion for farming started when he was just a sprout. His childhood was spent living in the suburbs and both of his parents were from the city, but he constantly gravitated towards the farms that existed beyond the sphere of this residential world.

Originally from Europe, Angelo Popolare has always had a passion for baking and captures the essence of traditional European bread-making in his sourdough loaves. Trained at Italy’s prestigious Alma Culinary School and seasoned in various Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe and the US, he is bringing a slice of artisan dedication to midcoast Maine.

Paul and Karen Volkhausen have been running Happytown Farm in Orland, Maine – selling meat, vegetables, maple syrup, flowers and eggs – for 46 years. Over the years, they’ve built a house, a barn, 5 hoophouses, a greenhouse, and a legacy, as well as raised a family and countless animals.

Farmer direct, open-pollinated, open source and regionally adapted, Bhoomi Devi Seeds is a no-till seed farm operated by Olivia O’Dwyer, Noah Dest and Bhoomi Devi (Mother Nature) and is based in Lincolnville, Maine.

In 2018, Matt Horwitz-Lee and his family left their life in Baltimore, Maryland, to be closer to his ailing father and were thankfully able to be there for him when he passed. Afterwards, it became a question of where to go and what to do next with their lives. The pandemic arrived soonafter and, with his wife’s family already living in Maine, they chose to take a chance on Stockton Springs.

Every March we celebrate women-owned local businesses carried at the Co-op. Here are three more awesome small businesses owned and operated by savvy Maine women and one woman-founded business (now a cooperative).

Every March we celebrate women-owned local businesses carried at the Co-op. Here are three more awesome small businesses owned and operated by savvy Maine women.

Every March we celebrate women-owned local businesses carried at the Co-op. Here are three more awesome small businesses owned and operated by savvy Maine women, one from outside Maine doing great work for women, and one local woman-founded (now family-run) business.

Every March we celebrate women-owned local businesses carried at the Co-op. Here are two more awesome small businesses owned and operated by savvy Maine women.

Every March we celebrate women-owned local businesses carried at the Co-op. Here are four awesome small businesses owned and operated by savvy Maine women.

Ray Schofield’s first motivational spark to bake bread came as a result from attending the Kneading Conference in 2007/2008. At that time, he was living in Rhode Island where he

Owned and operated by Rodney Boyington and Vanessa Rancourt since 2012, Jackman Maple Syrup is a 3,000 acre sugarbush located on the north side of Bald Mountain