News

Best Management Practices for Greenhouses: Workshop on October 2, 2025 Boost Your Greenhouse Success: Join Us for the 2025 Best Management Practices Workshop! The 2025 Greenhouse Best Management Practices workshop will be held October 2 at Estabrook’s new facility in Pownal, ME from 9:00 AM to 4:15 PM. This state-of-the-art greenhouse will provide an inspiring…

We are pleased to have worked with the Independent Garden Centers of Maine and Plant Something Maine for ten years. Planting vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees and shrubs gives us good food as well as gets us outside and helps us feel positive and healthy; improves property values; gives Nature a helping hand; improves relationships with…

The Independent Retailers Shared Services Cooperative would like to congratulate Estabrook’s for their commitment to growing and planting in the state of Maine. We are pleased to have worked with Estabrook’s, the Independent Garden Centers of Maine, and Plant Something Maine for ten years. Independent garden centers have had a tremendous impact on the Maine…

IRSSC 2023-2024 Summary: The Independent Retailer Shared Services Cooperative continued to work with various food businesses (often 7 days a week) to navigate many challenges with respect to local businesses. We produced innovative marketing materials and have offered marketing resources available at a low cost through our social media marketing campaign, and continued to facilitate…

How to expand Maine’s base of core production to new product categories, such as sea vegetables, sustainable proteins, and meat processing: Job Growth: From 2018-2023, the Food Economy occupation in Maine with the most job growth was Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers, which added 716 jobs (+27%) in the Food Economy from 2018-2023. This…

  ReTreeUS planted it’s 100th educational orchard on Saturday, September 21st, at Beach Plum Farm in Ogunquit.   Visit https://www.retree.us/support-us for more news.   See the PDF: Back to School Gardens and ReTreeUs  

The IRSSC will be supporting this momentous occasion! Union Maine’s official website: Sestercentennial Committee (Union’s 250th Anniversary) – Union, ME (maine.gov) The IRSSC will be promoting local producers and businesses as well as the educational work that ReTreeUS is doing … all in support of this project: New England Food System Planners Partnership | Independent Retailers…

New England Food System Planners Partnership The IRSSC will be supporting The New England Food System Planners Partnership, which is comprised of about six statewide organizations. These include Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund/Vermont Farm to Plate, Maine Food Strategy, New Hampshire Food Alliance, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Connecticut Food System Alliance, and Rhode Island Food Policy…

Here is the promotion for customers of The Common Market in Union, Maine. The offer is for a shopper to spend $75 in the store and receive a free package of Green Meadow Farm meat—and for every free package given away, the store will donate $1 to the Come Spring Food Pantry.  

The IRSSC and ReTreeUS are grateful for the support that the PepsiCo Corp is providing. This promotional opportunity is being offered only to Maine independent grocery stores. This year (2023) participating stores are donating $200 each. Independent retail supermarkets and the wholesalers that supply them play a vital role in the communities they serve, and…