Matthew Thomas and Jenny Blair
In an effort to expand, the Hunger Mountain Co-op has purchased the former rk Miles lot next door. The 1.6-acre parcel sits directly east of its store and became available after a massive fire burned down the company’s lumber storage buildings in 2023.
“The purchase is a key part of our long-term vision to deepen the co-op’s values of health, sustainability, and cooperation,” co-op manager Mary Mullally stated in a Sept. 5 press release. The lot was purchased for $487,500, she told The Bridge.
Joe Miles, the CEO of rk Miles, said he was excited to see the co-op as the new owners of 707 Stone Cutters Way.
The co-op plans first to use the land for additional staff parking and the remaining on-site building for office space and for product storage, enabling it to purchase in larger quantities, according to Mullally.
As to the ultimate fate of the new property, Mullally said “The future use of the property will be determined by the outcome of the visioning process that the council recently began.” She added that the new purchase “unlocks a lot of potential” previously unavailable.
Why acquire new property now? The release cites the current store having reached sales capacity, peak-hour parking lot overflows, the “bulk-buying advantage” made possible by expanded storage area, and the land’s immediate proximity.
The co-op council voted unanimously in favor of the purchase. Community feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Mullally said. “It’s been wonderful to see how much our community supports the future of our co-operative.”
Mullally said the food co-op is still in the early stages of what she anticipates to be a “multi-month” visioning process. “We will be hearing input from co-op members and the broader community,” she said.
Co-op Annual Meeting in Brief
At the Co-op’s annual meeting Sept. 13, council president Carl Etnier and general manager Mary Mullally announced plans for a renewed visioning process — the last one took place in 2011–2012 — and asked members to share ideas for the co-op’s next five to 10 years.
The store made $31.4 million in sales in the past year, a 5% increase from the previous year, and most of it due to additional goods sold rather than price increases. Also in the past year, the co-op has built a new electrical room to expand electrical capacity, which along with the installation of two new HVAC systems should allow it to eventually reduce its propane use. Four people are running for the council this year – first-timers Mark Seltzer and Greg Gerdel, who is also a board member of The Bridge, and current council members Catherine Lowther and Jeff Roberts. Members are asked to vote; a new council will be seated in October. Members were also invited to share ideas for the new property at 707 Stone Cutters Way.
Among the many grant and award recipients was farmer and educator Alan LePage, who received the Hunger Mountain Cooperative Community Award. LePage spoke about his work teaching school children about farming.
“In whatever capacity you may have to encourage ag education,” he said, “you’re doing something for the future of food production in this country.”
A recording of the meeting will be available on orcamedia.net.
—Jenny Blair
