Testimonials

Tony's Foodland Praises AG of Maine's Incomparable Service

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Dave Allenson is the owner of The Umbrella Factory, DBA Tony's Foodland in Naples, Maine. Mr. Allenson bought Tony's Foodland in 2004 after working at the store since 1987. Tony's Foodland bears the distinct personality of Mr. Allenson , who is a collector of umbrellas and memorabilia. The ceiling in the mid-part of the store is lined with 160 distinctive umbrellas. Pedal cars line the top of the produce case. The store is dotted with a period Coke machine, barber chairs and a gas pump. Tony's Foodland is as much a destination as an independent retailer. Since taking over in 2004, Mr. Allenson has doubled the size of the store through two expansions. Currently, the store occupies about 12,000 square feet and houses an agency liquor store. Mr. Allenson said Tony's Foodland has always used AG of Maine as its distributor, even before he owned it, and he wouldn't think of using any other company. Mr. Allenson said the service from AG of Maine is incomparable. He pointed to the assistance he received from AG of Maine when he applied for an agency liquor license as an example of the company's incredible service. Mr. Allenson said AG of Maine's Vice President of Administration/Human Resources, Cathy Callahan, helped him navigate every aspect of the application process, right down to preparing a script he could use before the licensing commission. Mr. Allenson said he is sure his scripted presentation played a key role in allowing him to win the liquor license over five competitors.

John's Convenience Plus Utilizes AG of Maine's Full Package of Services

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John Robichaud is the owner of John's Convenience Plus, a 10,000 square foot independent grocery store in Fort Kent, Maine. Mr. Robnichaud opened his store in 1980 and began working with AG of Maine in 1982. Mr. Robichaud said the best thing about AG of Maine is its service. "AG is the type of warehouse you can work with," Mr. Robichaud said. "They come in and really help you with your business. They get to know you and treat you like family." In terms of services, Mr. Robichaud said he uses just about everything AG of Maine offers: weekly sales flyers, website assistance, the meat program, product consultation and store layout advice, to name a few. He added that AG of Maine's sales specials, among the best he has ever seen, are especially appealing because they are available longer than other warehouse's deals. Mr. Robichaud also praised AG of Maine for the assistance it has provided through four store resets and expansions.

David Welch Impressed with Advertising Programs
and New Management

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David Welch owns two independent stores in Maine. He owns the 4,000 square foot Village Market in Fairfield, and the 2,000 square foot Corner Cupboard in Pittsfield. For both stores, Mr. Welch uses the one distributor he has relied on for the past 15 years: AG of Maine. He said he buys 94 percent of his stores' stock from AG of Maine, with the remainder coming from DSD providers. Mr. Welch utilizes most of the services offered by AG of Maine. "I like everything about AG of Maine," Mr. Welch said. "Their service is the best. If you need anything, they're right there for you. I've never had anything to complain about. The whole team is great." Mr. Welch offered special praise for the company's advertising program. "The advertising program is great," Mr. Welch said. "It really helps us keep our prices in line and remain competitive with decent margins. The meat program works very well for us." Mr. Welch said one of the best things about working with AG of Maine has been watching the new management team installed over the past two years rededicate the company to its roots as a cooperative. He said you join a cooperative to get a fair deal and that is the direction the management team has been going in.

Finding New Success with AG of Maine

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Ron and Launa Picard took over the Friends and Family Market in Ellsworth just a few short months ago in June 2008. Before they took charge of their new store, they interviewed a number of prospective distributors. After completing their research, they decided that AG of Maine offered the best overall package for their new business. "AG of Maine was, and is, definitely the best suited to our needs and purposes," Mr. Picard said. "We have a lot of competition and we need a distributor that can meet our needs and provide excellent service. Our store has always been popular because of its meat, and AG has really done a great job helping us maintain that reputation." AG of Maine helped Mr. Picard identify pricing as a key issue for his store because of the intense competition in Ellsworth. Following AGME's advice, Mr. Picard adjusted his pricing and experienced an immediate increase in overall sales. "Over the years, previous owners had difficulty pricing merchandise correctly because they didn't live here," Mr. Picard said. "We live in this community and understood that we had to adjust our pricing. AG helped us price our products correctly and we have become much more competitive." Mr. Picard said he is very impressed with the management team at AG of Maine. He said he was pleasantly surprised one day recently when CEO Craig Burgess stopped by to see how things were going.