A Bath husband-and-wife entrepreneur team received a prestigious prize for their organic clothing brand.

The Bath-based Peace House Studio, which operates out of Nick and Kate Bergmann’s home, has won the Maine Entrepreneurs Top Gun pitch competition, taking home the $25,000 grand prize. The Bath couple founded the brand in 2020 in the attic above their garage to make toxin-free, organic cotton clothes for their three kids.

The couple plans to use the Top Gun prize to fund a larger manufacturing facility in the Midcoast.

The award was announced at the University of Southern Maine’s Abromson Center on May 16 following a statewide 15-week business mentoring program for early-stage entrepreneurs.

“We believe regenerative and circular practices aren’t just for runway brands — they should be the foundation of every family’s wardrobe,” Nick said.

This year, the Bergmanns have added adult-size clothes due to an overwhelming demand for their attire, made from regenerative and domestically sourced fibers. The business manufactures all of its garments in the U.S., sourcing materials from Global Organic Textile Standard–certified organic cotton from South Carolina and California.

“Our clothing line began with a simple desire to do better for our kids,” Kate said. “Now we see it’s something bigger — about making better clothes for everyone and doing it in a way that uplifts people and the planet.”

In addition to running their clothing brand, the Bergmanns also introduced the Patches Project, a take-back program where customers return worn garments in exchange for store credit. The returned items are then repaired, remade and resold to boost sustainability efforts in clothing production.

Peace House Studio sells directly through its website and in a curated selection of Maine boutiques, including Hatch in Brunswick, Blue Jay Baby in Camden and My Darling Maine in Bar Harbor. The small business brought in around $80,000 in revenue last year.

“We didn’t see the kind of clothes we wanted for our kids in the market, so we made them,” Kate said.

The Top Gun program is in its 16th year. It is a business-acceleration program for Maine-based startups sponsored by the Maine Technology Institute and organized by the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, Maine Development Commission and Upstart Center for Entrepreneurship.