Belfast Community Co-op

This newly revamped local gem is a total delight! With a wide variety of healthy, fresh options, it’s your one-stop shop for all things good-for-you. Craving lunch? From tasty pre-made meals to piping-hot pizza straight from the oven, you’ve got choices galore. And while you're waiting, sip on a coffee and kick back in the cafe. When the weather is warm, there are tables with umbrellas outside to enjoy the sunshine. Bonus: sparkling clean restrooms and the friendliest staff around!

So many reasons to shop here! Spices, absolutely the least expensive and best quality, also ... Also, since you measure your own, it promotes being present in the moment. We can all use opportunities to slow down.

A wonderful spread of products. The produce all looks healthy and high quality without a high price tag. If you like a specific brand of organic grocery store then this is miles better and supports the local community.

We had both a good and bad experience! The cashier was rude with a begrudging attitude, and annoyed to answer any question or help fix a price that rang up incorrectly. Honestly, the whole energy of many people there made us feel like a burden. The inside structure pretty much matches the outside. There is a great selection of local products, from seeds and coffees to dairy and meat. Unfortunately, it is all very overpriced with limited options for those not on EBT. We tried a few different new items-- the Crystalized Ginger, Dried Dates, and local Maple Yogurt were some of my favorites. Very delicious!! There are also some organic items which are hard to find in many typical stores.

Typical price difference between Hannaford (left) and coop (right). The Hannaford corn is local and delicious. And twice the size of the coop corn. Really see no reason to continue shopping the coop.

WOW some employees that cashier here are very unkind, unprofessional and rude for no reason. (Few different cashiers.) Saturday nite..As I'm going to check out i asked the cashier, "davy" about how I was trying to find someone to help me in the supplement area.. "yeah your not gonna find someone they all leave at 3." (No offering.. leave me alone bad attitude) So Okay.. "the website says there's an item in stock and I don't seem to find it looked everywhere" he then says "the product is on the website?" Correct.. he then proceeds to tell me the price of my transaction and i pay thats it, no have a nice nite nothing very passive aggressive.How can someone be so rude in the smallest interaction with a customer that's asking for help looking for something. Never do I have this bad of experience at tiller and rye or natural living center. Only Belfast co op

Stopped by for a quick grab-n-go lunch — delicious vegan and gluten free deli foods! The staff was super friendly as well:) Wish we lived closer!

The sandwiches/lunch and breakfast options are crap, I don't even know what you have to do to a fried egg to make it harder than the bread it's on and tougher to chew through than cardboard but the Co op has done it! The main thing that makes them so brutally the opposite of a "community minded business" is the fact that their prices are ungodly high so they can maximise profits in a county where 16% of children live in poverty and 14% of households experience food insecurity. A pak of low-mid shelf beer, a bag of corn chips, and a jar of salsa costs almost 40$. Yes they "give back" by asking you to round up but that's for their tax write offs, and is being donated to these causes by the customer, not the business. Google has incorrectly labeled the Co op as a 'small business' which just could not be less true and hasn't been in at least a decade. Now it is as corporately run as any chain supermarket. Their "front end manager" is the finest example of this corporate > community approach as she will literally interrupt you asking how she's doing to bark "Owner number?" No greeting, no anything, these are the first words out of her mouth WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE SOME BRIEF FORM OF HUMAN TO HUMAN CONNECTION. All they care about is whether you're in their club or not, which costs hundreds of dollars to 'become' part of. It is super sad to see this new corporate business model and these more recent hires making the Co-op a pretentious, downtown version of Hannaford's that no-one can afford.

Diplomatic Community Great boutique grocery store located in Downtown Belfast that has lots of locally produced fruits, veggies, and goods, like some locally-made kimchi we picked up that was fantastic. The Good: *It's important to note that since this is a "co-op," that it's a community-owned organization; anyone can apply to be an owner for $200/year which includes discounts and other benefits. *The store was clean, organized, and stocked with all manner of goodies. *Friendly employees The Meh: *Probably not a "complete" grocery store in regards to the products they carry, if that makes sense. Probably more in-line with a higher-end Trader Joe's than a typical grocery store. The Ugly: *Located in Downtown Belfast, the parking can always be a little dicey especially during the tourist season. Conclusion: Great grocery store to visit if you're staying nearby at an AirBnB and need some food stuff to cook up at home.

Great grocery store - made me think of a non-chain Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Interesting wraps and salads, great ice cream selection, just an overall nice grocery store.

We LOVE the Belfast Community Co-op!!! We love it so much, we're members. Although we live in Bucksport, we make a weekly drive out to BCC for our specialty plant-based foods since they carry a LOT of stuff that simply aren't in our local supermarkets. Produce is always fresh and local. The staff is always super friendly. The newly-renovated expansion makes for a much more spacious shopping experience. Great new displays! Now, with it being fabulously renovated, the 22-mile drive to the Belfast Community Co-op is a no-brainer...!!! :D

Awesome new remodel. Needs a butcher shop but all other aspects of the Coop are GREAT!

Very fresh produce, good food, and friendly staff. Pluse a place to use the restroom whle on vacation.

Hands down the best coop out there. I love all the local businesses they carry and besides that the amazing variety of herbs and supplements. Their premade food is delicious, my absolute favorite thing to grab here on the go is their chicken curry wrap. It's not only beautiful but really really yummy.

Although we're in Augusta as often as we can we stop in when Belfast. Co-op employees are great, stock although a tiny store (at the moment) is excellent. The only drawback is the construction, and finding a parking spot; which is a tiny headache in comparison to daily life. Can't wait to see the finished store in 2024!!

Amazing! I love cute food coops in small towns. It feels like a community center. Really yummy fresh apples

On my first trip to the Belfast Coop Store it was nice to be greeted to a sign that says, "everyone welcome" in large print over the door. As a first time customer I was not a member but anyone can shop there! I came to pick up a specialty item a doctor recommended that I couldn't find anywhere else. The store is well laid out like a typical grocery store with signs and aisles that flow much as you'd expect them to. However, they have a high concentration of organic, local, and bulk items that are much harder to find elsewhere. The self serve bulk section was very tidy and well organized. I was impressed with the wide variety of beans, grains, pulses, etc. I snagged a nice cup of organic coffee on my way out and the cashier was super helpful in giving suggestions I asked for. When I needed assistance finding the item that had been recommended to me, an associate helped me right away and knew where all the supplements were located. There was a nice section of prepared foods from the Café, which was unfortunately closed for orders and seating due to safety concerns related to the pandemic. The Co-Op has a great friendly atmosphere and staff with good quality local products that can be hard to find. Highly recommend and will be a repeat customer. Can be pricey but when you compare the cost of eating well and preventing disease, versus getting a chronic disorder, it's probably better to pay a little more for high quality organic foods as you can afford them.

Love the remodel! Aisles are wider, things are much easier to get to. Looks fresh and beautiful inside - great job! The staff is very kind and helpful

Great selection of beer and local sausage. Stopped in on the way to Acadia this summer. Cute town. Lots of soup options in the winter.

Very nice little store. So many specialty items. I was very impressed with the selection they carry. Only complaint, it's a bit pricey but that comes with those types of items.

The best time I have found to go to the co-op is Friday morning - everything amazing is restocked. They have an incredible assortment of local organic breads, eggs, a plethora of local dairies, and amazing fruits and veggies. The staff is super helpful and friendly - it feels like we are all on the same team in there.

Very small store with cramped isles. Hard to move around with other shoppers. They have a large selection for the store size. Prices were really expensive. I was disappointed to find the 5 dollar small bottle of salad dressing I bought expires in three weeks. It should have been on sale! Check expiration dates here.

This has to be one of the best co-ops anywhere. We're new to the area and had to check it out. It is clean, well stocked, and very alive. The produce is fresh and well organized, though they didn't have everything I was looking for. This is understandable, and I can go to other stores for the berries I want, for instance. This is really my only reason for not giving 5 stars. Bulk food has plentiful options. We love being able to buy dish soap and olive oil in bulk, using our own containers. The meat, seafood, and cheese counters are superb. We can get Beyond Meat burgers there. We haven't eaten/drunk at the café yet, but it is inviting and always lively. The staff are friendly, helpful, and cheerful. It feels like a small Whole Foods, in the best way, with a nice selection of home products as well. We became members right away.

I found the staff here to be cheerful and kind. Really. I feel like they go out of their way to make shopping a calm and fulfilling experience. I get that others have had stressful COVID shopping experiences but mine have been super chill. Onwards! One of the best things about Maine is that one can buy booze AND food in the same spot. The Co-op's wine selection, although small, was solidly banging, with respect to price points (lots of options under around $10 bucks and many under $15) and some interesting bitters choices. I grabbed several bottles. Moving to the caffeine aisle, I ground some delicious, broody coffee beans called "Dark Star" (POWERFUL stuff so don't get this if you're looking for a Dunkin' vibe or are mostly a decaf person because you will be levitating pls mark me). And then I ambled over to over to health and beauty to score an excellent Dr. Plotka toothbrush (quite literally a miracle dental hygiene instrument pls look it up). In produce I bought a bagful of varietal heritage apples; a carnival squash; several radish (purple daikon, watermelon, etc.) to make kakkdugi; and a ginormous head of escarole. In the meat section I scored two gorgeous locally butchered steaks. And finally, in spices, I found some wild Greek oregano, Turkish bay leaf, whole calendula blossoms, caraway seeds, and marjoram. I went in because I needed a toothbrush, wine, coffee and food. I came out with some additional other stuff and having had a nice experience. ps: The cafe is closed due to the pandemic and the freshly baked goods section seemed to focus on gluten-free products the days I shopped. Perhaps that's the norm or perhaps the non-gluten items get snatched up earlier in the day?

Make sure to bring your reusable containers, great spot!

Fantastic place for us out-of-towners looking for healthy snacks and natural foods/drinks. My son can't have artificial colors so this was a great place to pick up things to eat in the hotel room and as we drove around. The prepared foods were great, the coffee very good, the selection small but diverse, the wines looked wonderful. We stopped in at least three times during our 5 days there. I liked it so much it made me want to move to Belfast. (Not that I will, but I liked it that much.)

Most likely the best co-op in Maine. Great selection of food stuffs and local veggies. The eatery is outstanding, with both hot and cold food. Keep an eye on the specials. Even their coffee is great. I never visit Belfast without making a stop at the co-op. Oh and they recently remodeled the interior making it a much nicer place.

This was heaven sent for me during my stay in the Belfast-Camden area. Staff is helpful with an unhurried ease and I sincerely mean that in the best of ways. Boston living can make grocery visits a high maintenance hassle. Not here! They had everything I needed in my mid coast adventure, and more. I found some products I wasn't familiar with that I've tried to locate in Mass to make regular staples. I stayed in the area for two weeks all told over the season and probably came to the co op three times. That says something. Worth checking it out.

I love the Co-op! I've been visiting Belfast almost once a year since I was an infant and I can not remember a summer where we didn't visit the Co-op at least once. I really wish we had a place that was this awesome in Jersey. As another reviewer noted, the place has to be a left over from the sixties, complete with barefoot, dreadlocked hippies. Nothing against them, they complete the ambiance. I love the bulk bins. Whenever I hear of some new herb, grain or anything natural, I know they will have it at the Belfast Co-op. It's where I first bought Quinoa and agave nectar. It's what Trader Joes tries to emulate.

It's a great place for organic and healthy food, as well as natural medications. Sometimes I pop in every once in a while and grab a quick bite to eat from their great restaurant. It is a little bit expensive though, and they recently lost one of their best employees.

This place is killer. The woman in charge of marketing (can't remember her name) literally walked us out-of-towners through the store to help us shop and was beyond friendly and open to interacting and hearing from customers. The provisions were top notch and the vibe perfect. Also the best kombucha and snacks ever. A must when passing through Maine!

They have a nice bulk section of spices, beans/grains, and oats.. but other then that their selection is limited and EXTREMELY OVERPRICED! I completely understand how co-ops work. But when people on both sides want top dollar for their products, customers suffer. Nearly everything I saw was 2x-5x more expensive then normal.

I can usually find what I'm wanting &their staff is helpful!I would give 5stars but I just think their items R pricey.

I've loved this co-op for so many years! The best selection of everything before organic was even a thing. I trust the products and appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes along with sourcing them. I don't think I've ever been to Maine without at least one visit to this great co-op.

Always a pleasant experience. They've remained cheerfully accommodating even through all of the covid adjustments. Food is fresh.

Not a fan of this co-op. The people and the staff are quite rude especially when you are trying to social distance. When i check out the lady at the register was so very abrupt and not pleasant especially when i asked what to do with the cart as i left. The isles are not uni directional not that i think the customers would care. Also the products are not all that special most of this is found in a commercial store. The coffee and herb section needs help. One local felt the need to scold me as i cleared my coffee from the grinder as there is no small brush. I don't know about others but i am not sticking my hand in a glove box after who knows how many people have. Finally i was a bit aggravated by missing prices everywhere.

I could have spent hours in here! Fresh local produce, an impressive beer and wine selection, meat, cheese, it goes on and on. Staff was friendly and the store was extremely clean. I'll need to go back to visit the cafe.

The Belfast Co-op is my go to place for locally produced food and fresh bulk spices. Forget purchasing stale, overpriced bottled spices at the grocery store! At the Co-op you can buy better, fresh spices at a fraction of the price. You can either put the spices into one of their bags, or there are containers to buy to place them in. In addition to spices, the Co-op has a great selection of local food. My favorite thing to buy is the Monroe made Stone Fox ice cream. The ginger flavor is to die for! I also visit the Co-op for beer, wine and cheese. They definitely have the best selection of gourmet type items in the area!

Stopped here to pick up delicious sandwiches, local cream cheeses and crackers, fruit and drinks before heading down to Memorial Park. Great food, friendly staff, local color -- highly recommended for a quick stop.

The Co-Op is one of those things I had to leave behind to fully appreciate. Who woulda thought I was so spoiled and didn't even know it? Pretty good fresh produce section, but a great selection of frozen and pre-packaged goods, bulk ingredients, yummy craft beer selection, organic/off-beat wines at great prices, and prepared food that puts most markets to shame. Not as big a toiletry selection as one might hope, but still better than what you'll find anywhere else in the area. I don't think this place has off-days, and it can be a challenge to find parking. The Co-Op is most assuredly a Belfast mainstay, a fact aided by its cozy little dining/meeting place that makes you feel like part of one big happy family. Prices are pretty good, and even better if you have a membership. Try to pay with cash if you can, as they obviously suffer from high processing fees and have a minimum debit/credit purchase. I've never had a problem with the service here, then again, I'm originally from the area and am usually with or meet someone else I know here.

Wonderful store.Good selection.Helpful staff. I've been going the "Co-Op" for years on my visits to Belfast and always make it a point to stop here.

I always head here when I'm back in town from the west coast. There is a nice selection of natural and many local goodies including produce. I enjoy their deli which whips up great sandwiches and salads to eat in or to go. I did get their cookbook on my last trip which is best described as quirky but certainly entertaining to check out (no central theme, is kind of everybody and the kitchen sink's recipes). Always pleased this place is still here and really adds to the community!

Love this place. It's a full grocery/wine/butcher shop and when the pandemic is over, the cafe will come back, too, I bet. The people who work here are really great. The place is clean, well stocked. You will find everything you need here!

We'd read about co-op stores so wanted to check one out. We weren't a member so we didn't have as big an advantage. Enjoyed walking around to check out the goods. Our main goal was lunch. I ordered a burger with salt and pepper chips on the side. The bun was grossly too much bread but taking the top off made it right. The burger was juicy and cooked to medium well per my request. There was plenty of red onion slices with minimal mayonnaise. My sister had the BLT and thought it was good. Wi-Fi was available. The restroom was extremely tight but clean.

Staying in Belfast for a family vacation and we've already visited the Co-op 3 times in 2 days! Love their selection of local, organic produce and other products. They also have a little cafe inside that serves sandwiches, pizza, soups, salads, etc. It's a great alternative to the grocery store chain in town and you'll feel good knowing you're supporting local farmers.

Good local beer selection priced fairly. All around good vibes and a pleasure to shop here.

Wonderful store where all are welcome. You'll find essentials here and fun different foods and supplies. The wine guy has great advice. The fresh sandwiches: delicious. Local organic produce, flowers, dairy, beverages and meat. Beauty products. Pet food. Seasonal offerings too.

This was my first visit and really impressed with the selections. We were out looking for Maine blueberry and found the perfect spot for it. we ended buying few more items. I wish i live close to a store like this.

Why not park the carts outside and use that area for condiments and seating?! I had to bother a clerk for a fork and no hot sauce for my rice dish ?!?!

Not impressed , out of stock often, ever-changing product offering, high prices, and ridiculous that they ask if you prefer not to have a copy of your sales receipt. Most of the help , not all , are asleep at the wheel. Boils down to not very good management. Sorry but this place just can't be our go to grocery store. We spend several thousand $$ a year at the co-op. I wish they would focus more on making this store more functional and reliable, and not focusing on coop tee shirts and hats for the tourists . Note too, most reviews are from folks who are from out of town; they may not get the second - third impression we have. I hope things get better there.

Friendly staff, amazing selection, pretty ok prices. It's one of the best stocked natural food stores I've seen.

Couldn't be more pleased with my experience at the Belfast Co-Op. Was visiting the area for a wedding and needed to stock up my fridge with vegan goodies and their selection didn't disappoint. The staff is incredibly warm and helpful and the woman who works in the beauty and supplements section helped me tremendously. They have a wonderful selection of Maine products, including Little Lads which made me smile. The counter where you can order food is delicious too! I highly suggest this place for all of your health food desires!

Good selection of groceries, lots of organic food, but beware of their offerings for lunch. They use a lot of canola oil and don't guarantee that it's non-GMO, a real disappointment for me, as I think their prepared food is excellent. They are also rather pricey, unfortunately.

This place is ok. Not exceptional for produce and pretty pricey at that. The staff was pretty helpful and the wine and seafood selection is decent. Don't go with big expectations though.

Absolutely fantastic member- owned grocery store! The local organic produce selection is amazing. Many wonderful local farms' goods are available throughout the store, there's a great full service butcher, bulk everything, and you can also get anything else you may need in the kitchen. Staff members are so friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. They also offer a wide array of community programs, like great lectures at the library. This place is a hub of such a great community - you can't go here and not see friends happily running into each other. So nice! Everything at the deli is great too. Three cheers for build your own sandwiches with actual good ingredients!

Love the Thai Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa Salad. I will stop every time I head to Castine. Friendly staff.

I always go in here when I am in town. The selection is great. From veggies to wine, they have it all. A bit pricey but that is the same as home for me. Everyone is helpful. They have a small restaurant and a prepared foods counter to save you from cooking if you so desire. Stop in!