Blue Hill Co-op & Café
Community-owned since the 1970s. Organic produce, local sourcing, bulk bins, and a café — all two minutes from Hannaford if you're already making the Blue Hill grocery run. Worth the stop.
The Blue Hill Co-op has been operating in some form since the back-to-the-land era of the early 1970s, when a lot of people moved to this part of Maine and wanted food that wasn't coming off an industrial assembly line. It's grown considerably since then — now a full community-owned natural foods market at 70 South Street in Blue Hill village, with an in-store café attached.
Ownership is open to anyone. Members pay a one-time equity share and get voting rights plus occasional owner discounts. But non-members shop there too — the store is open to everyone.
What you get over Hannaford: noticeably better produce quality, strong emphasis on local and organic sourcing, a solid bulk section (grains, flours, nuts, spices, etc.), more options for specialty diets, and a general sense that someone thought carefully about where the food came from. The café does prepared foods — sandwiches, soups, hot bar items — that are a cut above typical grocery store deli fare.
What you sacrifice: price. The co-op runs meaningfully more expensive than Hannaford across most categories. If you're provisioning for a week and watching costs, you'll probably do the bulk of your shopping at Hannaford and cherry-pick at the co-op — good local cheese, interesting bulk staples, fresh produce, things you actually care about.
For Deer Isle visitors who are already driving to Blue Hill, the co-op is a logical add-on stop. For people committed to eating local during their stay, it might be the main event.
Hours
| Monday | 7am–7pm |
| Tuesday | 7am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 7am–7pm |
| Thursday | 7am–7pm |
| Friday | 7am–7pm |
| Saturday | 7am–7pm |
| Sunday | 8am–6pm |
Local Tips
- Park once and walk. The co-op and Hannaford are both on South Street — about a 5-minute walk apart.
- The bulk section is legitimately useful if you're staying a week or more: coffee, grains, nuts, spices without the packaging.
- The café is a reasonable lunch stop if you're running errands in Blue Hill.
- Check for local farms you recognize from the island — Spring Tide Farmstead, Planet Naskeag, and others show up in their produce and dairy sections.
- Owner memberships are available to non-residents — not necessary for a short visit, but worth knowing if you're here regularly.
Connected To
- Hannaford Blue Hill — two minutes away; most people hit both on the same trip
- Spring Tide Farmstead — Sedgwick farm that supplies local dairy
- FarmDrop Deer Isle — online farmers market with island pickup; overlaps with some of the same farms