Business Spotlight: Kindred Farms Market & Bakery

There’s an old saying that reminds us that love starts with the family, and in the case of the family that owns and operates Kindred Farms Market & Bakery in Casco, that expression is heartfelt.

Kindred Farms Market & Bakery is the realization of a dream for Corrin Conforte-Albrecht and her mother, Shirley Greeley, and their love for family and baking is evident with every bite of every item on their menu. When her daughter was only 8, Greeley took her Corrin on a trip to Lake George, New York and while there, they visited a market and deli housed inside an old restored farmhouse. They dreamed that someday they would create such a place and their persistence paid off.

Three years ago, together with their family, they launched what many customers lovingly refer to as “a little slice of heaven on earth.”

Located at 595 Meadow Road at the intersection of Route 11 and Route 121 in Casco, Kindred Farms opens at 8 a.m. every day and closes at 7 p.m. daily.

Working at the market and bakery is a genuine labor of love for their entire family and despite the long hours and time spent preparing everything just right, their devotion to each other and to providing the finest baked goods, sandwiches and pizza has been popular with the public and visitors to the Sebago Lake Region.

 

“I’d like to think that our customers can taste the love and the passion for what we do,” Conforte-Albrecht said. “We are a family business, and we’re so grateful we get to do this together.”

Along with her mother, Conforte-Albrecht’s husband and their two daughters work there too and that has led to a unique camaraderie and closeness among the staff.

We work really hard, but we also have a lot of fun working together and that time is precious and invaluable,” she said. “It shows in everything we make and serve to our customers.”

Open seven days a week, Kindred Farms Market & Bakery offers a large variety of baked goods, breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices, gluten-free, keto, vegetarian and vegan options, seasonal lobster rolls, fresh pizza, take-out items, vegetables, ice cream, special orders and catering. For holidays and special occasions, they take orders for pies and other assorted goodies.

“We bake every day,” Conforte-Albrecht said.  “I hope our customers know how much we care about making them happy. “We’ll do anything it takes to bring a smile to their face.”

Each day, the family pours its heart and soul into running the Kindred Farms Market & Bakery. Greely is there early to do the morning baking and the rest of the family continues to see things run smoothly until the doors close in the evening,

“We just want everything to be as delicious as possible,” Conforte-Albrecht said. “We’re so grateful for the support of our community and customers. We’ve even had customers send us thank you notes for staying open and how we’ve dealt with the pandemic.”

Regular customers to Kindred Farms Market & Bakery return time and time again for mouthwatering breakfast sandwiches, chicken salads and an out of this world array of whoopie pies, cinnamon buns, cupcakes, brownies, iced coffee or homemade smoothies.

A convenient take-out window is available and Conforte-Albrecht said many breakfast, lunch and dinner items are cooked to order.

“We don’t take shortcuts,” she said. “We don’t rush things but make every meal we serve delicious and worth it.”

There’s no question that the most popular item Kindred Farms Market & Bakery sells has strong appeal to local residents and tourists alike. Mainers - it’s the traditional Maine favorite, the whoopie pie, which comes in many yummy flavors and fillings. To accommodate all the numerous requests for different whoopie pie tastes from the public, each week Kindred Farms hosts “Whoopie Wednesday” with flavors suggested by customers.

“It’s our best seller year in and year out,” Conforte-Albrechi said. “Every so often we’ll get a request from someone visiting from out of state to send them a box of whoopie pies. So sometime soon we’re going to have a mail order business too, so stayed tuned for that.”

To review a complete and up-to-date menu, find them on Facebook. To place a take-out or curbside order, call 207-627-5224. <

Business Spotlight: Northern Light Mercy Health Center

Northern Light Mercy Health Center Article

How long has it been since your last health screening?

For many Windham residents, it’s been too long due to COVID-19 safety concerns. But one local business is helping its patients get essential health services without sacrificing safety.

Northern Light Mercy Health Center, located at the rotary on Roosevelt Trail, is home to a dedicated staff of medical professionals, including Dr. Su-Anne Hammond. Hammond and her team of physicians and nurse practitioners are currently accepting new patients for in-person and virtual visits while following strict guidelines to ensure a safe return for all.

Throughout the health center, social distancing is being practiced. The amount of people in reception areas has been limited. All high-touch surfaces are sanitized regularly. Meanwhile, all visitors, patients, and employees are required to wear masks or face coverings. Finally, anyone who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms must stay home and call ahead so that they can be directed to the most appropriate location to receive care.

“We want to keep our patients coming in to get treated, but their safety is also our biggest priority,” Hammond says.

Before COVID-19, most patients used in-person and walk-in visits for necessary health screenings, routine wellness exams, and sick visits. Now it’s a good mixture of in-person services along with virtual visits through phone or web-based telehealth options. The center is open each weekday for in-person primary care appointments and seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm for walk-in care. 

This dedication to their patient’s safety is part of the reason why readers of the Windham Eagle have voted Northern Light Mercy Health Center as the best physician’s office in the region. For many local residents, Mercy’s focus on personalized care is what keeps them coming back.

“My staff and I try to make sure our patients have peace of mind,” Hammond says. “Because that’s so hard to get right now.”

Many Mainers have not had a health screening since quarantine began in March. That’s why it’s important to the Northern Light Mercy team that their patients feel comfortable coming back in to get crucial care, including bloodwork or x-rays that are available onsite at the health center.

As Hammond explains, part of good primary care is about making people more aware of their health and preventing issues before they happen.

At the Northern Light Mercy Health Center, key services include blood tests, pediatric screenings, women’s health screenings, vaccinations, immunizations, same-day sick visits, Medicare wellness visits, minor wound treatment procedures, and even chronic disease education and management.

The office also uses care consultants that can help patients deal with substance use disorder, stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

This is all part of what Hammond calls Northern Light Health’s “holistic” approach to medicine that puts preventive healthcare at the forefront. Now, patients can rely on their local doctor’s office to achieve better wellness overall.

“When patients come here, we focus on anything and everything they might be dealing with,” Hammond says. “It’s all about comprehensive care for us.”

The Windham office is able to do so much because it is part of Northern Light Health’s expansive integrated healthcare system, which has more than 35 primary care locations across the state, 10 hospitals, and hundreds of healthcare professionals.

To better help patients who need specialized care, Northern Light Health has recently added several new experts to Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland.

These gifted new hires include an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, a diabetes care expert, and the only Maine-based, fellowship-trained pediatric electrophysiologist in the state, who studies the electrical activity of the heart to make informed cardiology decisions.

With one visit to Northern Light Mercy Health Center, patients are able to connect with this vast network of specialists, who are all practicing the latest safety best practices to ensure the all patients receive care in the safest possible environment.

With this, Northern Light Health has found a way to make safe, in-person healthcare work for Windham residents and all Mainers.

“We all need to keep up with our health, so it’s good to know our guidelines are making this happen,” Hammond concludes. “We’ve been safely seeing patients throughout these uncertain times, and we look forward to continuing to be partners in their care moving forward.”

Mercy Primary Care is located at 409 Roosevelt Trail, Windham, Maine, 04062. For more information, go to MaineMadeUs.com/MercyPrimaryCare or call 207-400-8600. To learn more about the safety measures being taken across Northern Light Health, please visit NorthernLightHealth.org/safecare. <

Mortgage Spotlight: Interest rate drop results in huge savings

For anyone considering purchasing a home soon or refinancing your current mortgage, Leigh Gagnon of Northstar Mortgage Group has a clear message: do it now and save a lot of your hard-earned money.

Gagnon says that in an effort to stimulate the economy from the impact of coronavirus, rates have been slashed. Gagnon states she has only seen rates this low once before and that was during the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. What that means for homebuyers and homeowners is anyone pondering whether they should buy now or even those thinking about refinancing their current home loan…now is the time.

“One of the most significant aspect of interest rates being this low right now is buying power,” Gagnon said. “That means if they were considering the purchase of a $200,000 home, they may now be able to afford a $300,000 home.”

According to Gagnon, Northstar Mortgage Group LLC, based in Windham and Auburn, is committed to helping everyone find the right mortgage product for your individual needs.

“We are local and understand the housing market in Maine,” she said. “We pride ourselves on being one of the premier mortgage brokers in Maine. We understand that every borrower ‘s situation is different, and we offer a vast variety of different loan products to ensure your expectations are met.”

Gagnon said that the goal of Northstar Mortgage Group is to make the process of securing a mortgage simple and straightforward by offering the latest tools and technology. Most of the loan can be done from your home or office or right from your cell phone making the process fast and simple!

“Since day one, we have been dedicated to providing the highest-quality customer care available. We pair that with a casual atmosphere that ensures borrowers are comfortable,” Gagnon said.

She said that Northstar Mortgage Group works directly with a number of lenders, giving us more options to consider for each borrower.

“We pride ourselves in delivering superior and personal customer service,” she said. “Buying or

refinancing should not have to be a stressful time. Our priority is to walk you through the entire process. We will handle the loan transaction from start to finish to ensure you feel comfortable with your investment.”

Buying a house is an incredibly memorable milestone and we work hard to make the process casual, stress-free and as fun as possible.”

Northstar Mortgage Group offers Conventional, FHA, USDA/Rural Development Loans, VA, Reverse Mortgages and Turnkey Construction Loans. 

Because of the low interest rates, Gagnon said she is encouraging everyone to explore how much they could save by acting soon whether that be buying or refinancing.

To learn more about how Northstar Mortgage Group can help you purchase your dream home or refinance your current loan, call 207-893-8499 or visit northstarmortgage.net < 

Business Spotlight: Berry Water Solutions, Inc.

Without an abundant supply of water, human life could not be sustained in Maine and although this necessity is plentiful here, it sometimes isn’t always as clean as it could be. Pollutants and unwanted particles may pose problems, but fortunately Berry Water Solutions, Inc. can identify and resolve water issues sensibly.

Raymond residents Kam and Heather Berry launched Berry Water Solutions, Inc. earlier this year and provide water treatment services, pressure tank replacement, well pump replacement and repair, and water testing for personal knowledge as well as for real estate transactions. The business installs systems to remove dangerous contaminates such as arsenic and uranium, as well as systems to improve the feel, taste and smell of your water.  

“The most significant aspect of our business that sets us apart is our desire to treat the customers the same way we would want to be treated. We provide very affordable annual services and the most competitive prices on water testing,” Kam Berry said. “Our water treatment installations include a site visit to assure we size, install and plumb water treatment in a way the customer prefers on the day of installation. What distinguishes us from our competitors is the personalized service we provide. I will be present on every job, and you will always speak with Heather or myself when calling in to our office.”

As a small business, Berry said that his company prides itself on offering outstanding customer service and affordable options.

“We price our water solutions very competitively and offer package pricing for systems,” he said. “All of our systems fixing a health contaminate include a follow-up independent lab test at no additional charge, and our site visits assure we can provide a quote with maximum accuracy to avoid unforeseen expenses due to the location of the system.”

According to Berry, clean water is essential for health, and working in this field is a responsibility that the company takes very seriously.

Kam Berry is the owner and
operator of Berry Water
Solutions, Inc.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

“It’s important that water be tested for your home,” he said. “When we are installing filtration or servicing a well water system, we use only products we can stand behind. We use only the highest quality products we can buy and try to keep our rates highly competitive despite refusing to compromise on product quality.”

The relationship that Berry Water Solutions, Inc. has with its vendors, including a number of New England companies, is vital in assuring customers that systems are reliable and affordable. 

“They support us in our mission to have products we can stand behind,” Berry said. “We also do our very best to use products made in the USA. The feedback we receive has been positive, primarily in regard to annual service and doing our best to provide cost effective solutions.”

Berry said that the company’s business practices are environmentally friendly, by doing things such as making sure discharge water is properly handled, drains and all plumbing is done to code, and they especially be cautious near lakes.

“We do a lot of filtration for homes on bodies of water, and the importance of proper plumbing and drain discharge is so important in these locations,” he said.

Having worked in the industry since 2012, Berry said he stays up to date on the latest trends in water systems and testing to always offer the safest products at the lowest possible prices.

“Current trends are awareness around elevated uranium and arsenic levels,” he said. “These are many contaminates that you can’t see, taste or feel, yet many wells in Maine are contaminated. You are under no obligation to fix the water if it fails if you are just testing for personal information, which is a question we receive a lot.”

He said that even if a customer isn’t ready to do full treatment, it’s important to know what is in the water and what they are putting in our bodies.

“The best way to assure long term savings in your water system is preventative maintenance,” Berry said. “A well system inspection can find things like a failing pressure tank before it destroys a well pump, for example. We specialize in the installation and repair of filtration systems and to provide rapid response to ‘No Water calls.”

For more information about Berry Water Solutions, Inc., call 207-383-5153, or by email at info@berrywaterinc.com or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BerryWaterSolutions/  <