News of the Blue Hill Co-op
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Paul Sheridan
Oct 11, 2012, 6:06:27 PM10/11/12
to Cooperative Maine
News of the Blue Hill Co-op.
Wishing the best of luck to them!
---------------------------------
Paul Sheridan/C.M.
Blue Hill Co-op looks to buy land to move, expand
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff
Posted Oct. 11, 2012
BLUE HILL, Maine — A local retail grocery cooperative has taken an initial step to move its business to another, larger local site.
Mia Strong of Sedgwick, president of the Blue Hill Co-op’s board, said Wednesday that the co-op has acquired a two-year option to purchase a five-and-a-half-acre parcel on South Street in Blue Hill, where routes 172 and 175 lead toward Sedgwick and Brooklin. The property currently is undeveloped, she said.
The main reason for the move, if the co-op ends up acquiring the property, would be to have more space, Strong said. She did not disclose what the purchase price is expected to be.
“It’s a very tight squeeze,” Strong said of the co-op’s current, half-acre leased location on the corner of Ellsworth Road and Main Street. The community market and cafe’s parking lot is cramped and often full, and restricted space inside the building limits the amount of merchandise they can keep in stock, which, in turn, affects the co-op’s purchasing power when it buys in bulk.
“We just need more space,” Strong said.
Strong said a consultant has suggested that the co-op could move into an 8,000 square-foot building, but no plans have been drawn up. More research needs to be done to determine what a new co-op store might look like or include, she said.
The existing co-op already has a cafe and a prepared food counter along with its sections of bulk foods, fresh local produce, cosmetic and wellness items and other grocery merchandise — much of which is organic and produced in Maine. If it had more space, the co-op could host a weekly farmer’s market or sell grain for raising chickens, she said. The larger lot might even allow for more of a campus setting, where other services such as yoga or holistic health treatments could be offered, Strong said.
The co-op’s membership has been growing, Strong said, which reflects a growing demand for organically grown food and natural products.
“We really are in a hub of the local food movement,” the board president said.
Strong said the co-op is a for-profit entity, not a nonprofit organization, so it cannot accept tax-deductible donations. She said the board is looking into whether it can partner with a nonprofit organization with a mission that is compatible with the co-op’s purpose and could act as a fiscal sponsor for a capital campaign the co-op likely would have to mount to raise funds to buy the South Street property and then to build on it.
“We have a long road ahead,” Strong said.
<http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/11/business/blue-hill-co-op-looks-to-buy-land-to-move-expand>
Wishing the best of luck to them!
---------------------------------
Paul Sheridan/C.M.
Blue Hill Co-op looks to buy land to move, expand
By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff
Posted Oct. 11, 2012
BLUE HILL, Maine — A local retail grocery cooperative has taken an initial step to move its business to another, larger local site.
Mia Strong of Sedgwick, president of the Blue Hill Co-op’s board, said Wednesday that the co-op has acquired a two-year option to purchase a five-and-a-half-acre parcel on South Street in Blue Hill, where routes 172 and 175 lead toward Sedgwick and Brooklin. The property currently is undeveloped, she said.
The main reason for the move, if the co-op ends up acquiring the property, would be to have more space, Strong said. She did not disclose what the purchase price is expected to be.
“It’s a very tight squeeze,” Strong said of the co-op’s current, half-acre leased location on the corner of Ellsworth Road and Main Street. The community market and cafe’s parking lot is cramped and often full, and restricted space inside the building limits the amount of merchandise they can keep in stock, which, in turn, affects the co-op’s purchasing power when it buys in bulk.
“We just need more space,” Strong said.
Strong said a consultant has suggested that the co-op could move into an 8,000 square-foot building, but no plans have been drawn up. More research needs to be done to determine what a new co-op store might look like or include, she said.
The existing co-op already has a cafe and a prepared food counter along with its sections of bulk foods, fresh local produce, cosmetic and wellness items and other grocery merchandise — much of which is organic and produced in Maine. If it had more space, the co-op could host a weekly farmer’s market or sell grain for raising chickens, she said. The larger lot might even allow for more of a campus setting, where other services such as yoga or holistic health treatments could be offered, Strong said.
The co-op’s membership has been growing, Strong said, which reflects a growing demand for organically grown food and natural products.
“We really are in a hub of the local food movement,” the board president said.
Strong said the co-op is a for-profit entity, not a nonprofit organization, so it cannot accept tax-deductible donations. She said the board is looking into whether it can partner with a nonprofit organization with a mission that is compatible with the co-op’s purpose and could act as a fiscal sponsor for a capital campaign the co-op likely would have to mount to raise funds to buy the South Street property and then to build on it.
“We have a long road ahead,” Strong said.
<http://bangordailynews.com/2012/10/11/business/blue-hill-co-op-looks-to-buy-land-to-move-expand>
James Murphy
Nov 22, 2012, 3:36:42 AM11/22/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com, Lynda Brushett, Noemi Giszpenc
Hi Folks, Has anyone come across any examples of a farm converting from
single ownership to a jointly-owned co-op venture, and where the previous
owner wishes to be a cooperator? (We have good models for an all-newbie
start-up.) We're looking for how the farm's original value can be realized
by the previous owner (in exchange for the portion that s/he's giving up)
but not be crippling for the new enterprise. Selling the development rights
to a land trust and giving those proceeds to the owner can help. And
incoming cooperators would be expected to pay in some equity amount. And
the share allotments -and their yearly growth - can be tweaked. But other
mechanisms and/or forms of compensation are needed also. Any paradigms or
templates out there? Any thoughts?
Thanks much,
Jim Murphy
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single ownership to a jointly-owned co-op venture, and where the previous
owner wishes to be a cooperator? (We have good models for an all-newbie
start-up.) We're looking for how the farm's original value can be realized
by the previous owner (in exchange for the portion that s/he's giving up)
but not be crippling for the new enterprise. Selling the development rights
to a land trust and giving those proceeds to the owner can help. And
incoming cooperators would be expected to pay in some equity amount. And
the share allotments -and their yearly growth - can be tweaked. But other
mechanisms and/or forms of compensation are needed also. Any paradigms or
templates out there? Any thoughts?
Thanks much,
Jim Murphy
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Nanne Kennedy
Nov 22, 2012, 7:24:59 AM11/22/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
If the farm has a decent business model, there should be no problem remunerating the seller appropriately, especially as the group can subtract his/her share from the selling price. Are you talking about an operating farm business? Or land with gardens?
Nanne Kennedy
Meadowcroft Farm, Washington, Maine
h207.845.2587 c207.542.2587
James Murphy
Nov 22, 2012, 7:38:05 AM11/22/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
Thanks, Nanne. Talking about a former dairy,
now hobby farm, that earns about $3K - $5k per year between pasture rental,
firewood sales, and seasonal veggies.
Business model - What's that?
Jim
Nanne Kennedy
Nov 22, 2012, 8:10:37 AM11/22/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
So, in all fairness to farmers, this is not a farm anymore but a cooperative living development site for which the coop does not want to pay for the land resource valued as housing... I don't mean to be ignorant, or obstreperous, but it seems to me that the whole land trust model is straying farther and farther from its intention of SAVING farmland if it is to become house lots. Am I missing something?
Terry Daniels
Nov 23, 2012, 2:54:35 PM11/23/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
Jim,
The CLT model is about multiple uses of the land and that can including farming, but its focus is minimize the real estate investment piece so that different uses can happen with reasonable rents for each use.
If you separate out who is doing what with the land you might have a basis for a CLT. Who wants to live there and who wants to farm there?
But all of this is irrelevant if the farm and farmers don’t have a business model for them to be able to afford their share of the costs of the farm.
Perhaps a CSA or buying co-op can help with the marketing, fundraising, and sharing of risk of whatever farm produce is decided upon.
Good luck,
Terry
Terry Daniels
Ed Democracy
Nov 23, 2012, 4:20:38 PM11/23/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
Anyone, please correct me/ add to this line, but, it seems to me that the a "business model" starts with a "business plan" and financial statements - especially, initially, a "cash flow" spreadsheet which lists expenses & income over a 12 month period.
Ed
===================================================
EDWARD J. DEMOCRACY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDWARD J. DEMOCRACY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOME: 444 Sawyer Street #2, South Portland, ME 04106
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[G]overnment of the people, by the people, and for the people
There's been a quantum leap technologically in our age, but unless
there's another quantum leap in human relations, unless we learn to
live in a new way towards one another, there will be a catastrophe.
History, despite its wrenching pain
cannot be unlived, but if faced
With Courage, need not be lived again.
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===================================================
Jonah Fertig
Nov 23, 2012, 7:14:48 PM11/23/12
to cooperat...@googlegroups.com
Jim,
I don't know of a farm specific model, but there is various examples of businesses that transition from sole proprietors to worker co-op ownership. Farms are obviously different in that the farmer often lives there. So there is the need to separate the property with the business. Would the co-op buy the business or the land (and housing) or both? So then you would need to assess the value of the land and business and figure out an investment structure and ownership structure for both of these resources. With all that said, it seems like a pretty complicated and intricate situation. In addition to reaching out to CDI, which can definitely help with co-op transitions, the US Federation of Worker Co-ops just received a USDA Cooperative Development grant for technical assistance for rural cooperatives, so they would be able to offer you some assistance. I will pass on an email about that to the Co-op Maine list.
Southpaw Farm in Unity is looking into creating a co-op (potentially a hybrid of a worker and producers co-op. So it may be good to try and connect with them.
Contact Me 
I don't know of a farm specific model, but there is various examples of businesses that transition from sole proprietors to worker co-op ownership. Farms are obviously different in that the farmer often lives there. So there is the need to separate the property with the business. Would the co-op buy the business or the land (and housing) or both? So then you would need to assess the value of the land and business and figure out an investment structure and ownership structure for both of these resources. With all that said, it seems like a pretty complicated and intricate situation. In addition to reaching out to CDI, which can definitely help with co-op transitions, the US Federation of Worker Co-ops just received a USDA Cooperative Development grant for technical assistance for rural cooperatives, so they would be able to offer you some assistance. I will pass on an email about that to the Co-op Maine list.
Southpaw Farm in Unity is looking into creating a co-op (potentially a hybrid of a worker and producers co-op. So it may be good to try and connect with them.
Thanks,
Jonah
---
Jonah Fertig
Local Sprouts Cooperative
Cafe Catering Learning Community
local organic fair-trade worker-owned
Worker-owner, Co-founder
Catering, Outreach and Learning Coordinator
cell: 207-615-9970, Cafe: 207-899-3529
Local Sprouts Cafe 649 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101
On Thu, Nov 22, 2012 at 3:36 AM, James Murphy <jmu...@gwi.net> wrote:
Hi Folks, Has anyone come across any examples of a farm converting from single ownership to a jointly-owned co-op venture, and where the previous owner wishes to be a cooperator? (We have good models for an all-newbie start-up.) We're looking for how the farm's original value can be realized by the previous owner (in exchange for the portion that s/he's giving up) but not be crippling for the new enterprise. Selling the development rights to a land trust and giving those proceeds to the owner can help. And incoming cooperators would be expected to pay in some equity amount. And the share allotments -and their yearly growth - can be tweaked. But other mechanisms and/or forms of compensation are needed also. Any paradigms or templates out there? Any thoughts?
Thanks much,
Jim Murphy
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Nanne Kennedy
Nov 23, 2012, 9:22:26 PM11/23/12
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projects...
On Nov 23, 2012, at 4:20 PM, Ed Democracy wrote:
Anyone, please correct me/ add to this line, but, it seems to me that the a "business model" starts with a "business plan" and financial statements - especially, initially, a "cash flow" spreadsheet which lists expenses & income over a 12 month period.Ed===================================================
EDWARD J. DEMOCRACY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HOME: 444 Sawyer Street #2, South Portland, ME 04106
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