FEATURED BREWER PROGRAM

Since their founding in 2018, Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. has put in countless hours of testing, refining, and brewing as Maine’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery. After co-founder Kathleen Pigeon realized she could make brewing more inclusive to people who are gluten-sensitive like her, Kathleen, her wife Bev, Bev’s sister Lesley Bramer, and Lesley’s husband Nic started Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. in Biddeford, ME with a mission to make beer that is safe for those with intolerance to gluten and simply delicious to all.

Lucky Pigeon Brewing is the first dedicated gluten-free brewery in Maine, meaning that 100% of their products are brewed with ingredients that are naturally without gluten. This is different from beers that are brewed with barley-based ingredients, which contain gluten and are then stripped of gluten or have the gluten reduced.  

In August 2021, Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. opened their tasting room where people can visit to try their gluten-free beers on draft and buy cans of Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. beer to go. Today, Lucky Pigeon is sold in over 100 places across Maine and Vermont. To find a location closest to you or to learn more about the wonderful brands of Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co., visit https://www.luckypigeonbrewing.com/!

Do you ever have that craving for a freshly-baked pie or a warm, comforting baked good with love? Founded in 2005, Two Fat Cats Bakery has been the spot in Portland to get a taste of classic American baked goods for years.

Since 2005, the brand has grown significantly, hiring more staff and adding a second location in South Portland in 2018, but their core ideals, dedication to community, and love for a cozy, rustic flare have remained. Made with real butter, local eggs, and wild Maine blueberries, Two Fat Cats Bakery’s most iconic sweets are their pies, which get neverending raving reviews on their Facebook and Instagram @twofatcatsbakery. And, through their Baking that Matters program, each sale of their Triple Berry Pie generates funds for local beneficiaries that change every year. Visit their website https://twofatcatsbakery.com/ for the full rundown of their menu and locations!

It was a quiet Saturday morning in 2006- until Lucy Benjamin heard a knock on her door. That’s when she remembered- she forgot to bake a cake for the monthly library bake sale! Instead of sulking empty-handed to the children at her doorstep, she took granola she had just made for herself, split it into jars, and gave it to the children so they at least had something to sell. After the bake sale, she was surprised to learn that all of her granola had sold within 10 minutes, and soon after people were coming to her door asking her for more. This is when she knew she had a good product, one that was unique and delicious. In 2009, she made it official, and Lucy’s Granola started producing its savory snacks for purchase.

Now sold across the U.S., her granola stands out because of the way that Lucy makes it. Her products are less sweet than competitors’ and have no added flavor, instead relying on wholesome ingredients for the depth of flavor that you can taste in each bite. They are also fresh: after being handmade in her commercial kitchen with mainly local Maine products, they are sold at the farmers market she attends or shipped across the country.

Lucy’s granola enterprise has now grown past just granola, and she also makes trail mix, toffee bars (available in our Tasting Room!), and chicken feed that tastes great to people too. Visit www.lucysgranola.com for a full list of her products, where to buy them, and how to use them!

The reason that the Maine Needham has been an iconic Maine tradition for so many years is, well, it’s delicious! Linda Lenberg recognized this powerful potato product as a Maine delicacy, and in 2007, she began making Needhams in her small kitchen in Norway, ME to pursue the craft of the uniquely Maine treat. For twelve years, Lenberg owned and operated the company herself, but in 2019, she decided that her time in Needham making had come to an end.

That is where the Picards came in. Approached by Lenberg, Gerard and Malika Picard, who already had some confectionery experience, agreed to continue the Maine Needham Company legacy and purchased the company in April 2019. And, even though Lenberg has since taken a different path, her Needham recipe remains the candy cornerstone of the Maine Needham Company.

Gerard continues to carry out this recipe as the confectioner of the Maine Needham Company, mixing the potato and coconut filling, covering the filling with a gourmet blend of dark chocolate, and packing the Needhams for sale, while Malika does the marketing for their treats. As the company continued to expand, the Picards decided to move their operations from a commercial kitchen in their basement to a larger kitchen in Saco, ME to keep up with demand and to finally have a separate dedicated space for their Needham-making.

The appreciation that the Picards hold for Needhams is truly a sight to behold. Did you know that they were the people to propose a Maine Needham Day to the state of Maine, which is now the fourth Saturday of September every year? You can find unique flavors of this moving treat, savor the traditional flavor, or try a potato-free version of the candy at https://www.maineneedhams.com/. See what the Maine Needham Company is up to on Instagram or Facebook @maineneedhams!

Pickle’s Potions isn’t exactly what it sounds like. There aren’t really any pickles in the products, and there isn’t much magic occurring- just a mixture of simple, natural ingredients.

Kristin “Pickle” Mutchler began the search for natural, clean beauty products when she was first pregnant. Looking at the labels of her regular cosmetics, she realized that the cosmetics she owned were made with toxic ingredients and hormone disruptors that aren’t great for people, especially pregnant people. But after she threw away her harmful beauty products, she couldn’t find a natural replacement that worked as well as they could. So, she started doing her own research on how to make an effective line of natural cosmetics that are safe for everyone to use. This research wasn’t just looking on the internet and searching; Mutchler now has certifications in herbology and aromatherapy and an advanced diploma in organic cosmetic science. In doing this, she developed the first skincare products of Pickle’s Potions in her kitchen and introduced her products to the community of Wayne, ME, where everyone immediately saw the promise of her potions.

Since that first introduction in 2015, Mutchler’s business has transformed from a DIY project to a full-scale business with a lab and a storefront. The natural aspects of her products are often unsuspecting foods that people hear about a lot in daily life but would never imagine could be effective, active ingredients in skincare and beauty products. These ingredients include locally sourced herbs and beeswax as well as unrefined oils and butters, which give her products their clean title while also supporting local food producers.

Her climb to clean beauty champ has won her numerous awards, with many of her products being decorated in national and global competitions (4 of her products were Gold Winners in just the 2022 Global Makeup Awards!). The overflowing positive reviews on all of her products show just how amazing they are. All of her products are available for sale on her website at  https://www.picklespotions.net/, including a vegan line! And, all of the listings show the ingredients she uses with explanations of their uses, so you will never have to guess what is in your Pickle’s Potion.

An experience like this occurs once in a lifetime. Or twice. Or however many times you crave the taste of a draft cider handcrafted with local apples.

Located in Winthrop, Absolem Cider was launched in 2020 on the site of a beautiful orchard and 150-year-old barn by Ryan Travers, Kevin Sturtevant, and Zack Kaiser. Using traditional cider-producing methods, including growing local heirloom apples, aging in barrels, and fermenting with native yeasts, the three cultivated apples, tested blends, and aged their ciders to perfection until their grand opening in 2021. Now, Absolem Cider has hand-made over 30 varieties of ciders, including unique blends with wines made from grapes and apples from around the U.S.

Absolem Cider has perfected both the taste of their beverages and the experience of the tasting of their beverages. The antique barn in which they age their ciders also serves as an atmospheric tasting room where visitors are invited to try several Absolem ciders as well as cocktails, beers, wines, and snacks.

Want to learn more? Visit their website www.absolemcider.com to learn about all of the intricacies of their ciders, such as the sourcing of their apples and grapes and the aging process, or follow Absolem Cider @absolemcider on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with their events.

In 2017, (for reasons probably best discussed over a glass of mead!) Christy Hemenway and Geoff Keller moved from Maine to North Carolina. When they got there, they found that what they missed most wasn’t blueberries, or lobster, (or winter!) — but the fact that they had left behind a dozen mead-making friends and their freely-shared mead.

Exploring their new locale in the mountains of WNC, Hemenway signed up for a beginning mead-making class at a bee shop in Weaverville, NC.  And soon… Uh oh!  Hemenway immediately felt drawn to the mead-making process, and soon found batches of mead in glass carboys taking up all the available horizontal space in the kitchen.

After only a few months of homebrew mead making, she was fully immersed in learning the craft, experimenting with the fermentation process and finding new ways to combine different honeys, yeasts, and other ingredients. Then, in March of 2020, the pandemic hit, and North Carolina, like most of the rest of the country, essentially “closed."  But, what is a pandemic if not an excuse for an avid mead maker to make more mead? And so, she made more mead. (A lot more mead!) Mead so delicious that out of the 20 competitions she entered, 17 ribbons were won, including 2 Best-in-Shows.

Then, call it fate, or call it a long strange trip, in November of 2020 Hemenway and Keller got the opportunity to return to Maine, (and they took it in a New York minute!).  Purchasing real estate in 2021 was a roller coaster ride, but at last they found what they were looking for — in an 1858 farmhouse and barn along with 8 acres on High Street in West Gardiner.  By early 2022, they had obtained the permits to open a commercial meadery, began the needed renovations, and upgraded from glass carboys to 40-gallon stainless steel fermenters, scaling up for commercial production and retail sales.

Here, their iconic mead-making methodology was finally implemented - Making Mead on the Moons in Maine!  They start with honey, add other delicious and delightful ingredients, and turn it all into an amazing taste experience.  And they do it on the moons!  New moon, full moon, blue moon, super moon — features of the moon, the turning of the seasons, and the vagaries of life here on planet Earth - all these make their way into each bottle at Run Amok Mead, and every name and label tells a story all its own.  The meads continue to be entered in competitions and the awards continue to come in.

Since their grand opening in September of 2022, Run Amok Mead has been dedicated to ensuring that the experience of tasting their offerings is just as great as the mead itself. FairWeather, the Tasting bar(n), operates as their tasting room in, (you guessed it!) fair weather but even during the winter months, tastings continue by private reservation in their cozy meadery. You never have to go without the magic of Run Amok Mead! Their hand-crafted mead is available for guided tastings, flights, and by the glass or bottle at FairWeather, as well as at local retail stores and markets here in Maine.  Find them at https://runamokmead.com/our-meads/#local-purchase.  Run Amok Mead is also available for shipping out of state through VinoShipper at https://shopmeads.com/run_amok_mead and Corkers! (the bottle club) can be found there too, with a 10% discount on releases that come out for each solstice and equinox.

Be sure to follow Run Amok Mead on Facebook (Run Amok Mead) and Instagram (@runamokmead) for more updates and upcoming events! Come and Run Amok with us!

Steeped in one woman’s craving for her mother’s signature Indian dishes, Mumbai to MAINE seeks to bridge the culinary and cultural divide between Mumbai and Maine through Gourmet Indian-inspired Simmer Sauces based on delectable family recipes. Owner Cherie Scott lived in Mumbai until she was 16 years old. When she moved to North America and realized she missed the iconic flavors of her childhood, she launched her culinary blog to reawaken those nostalgic flavors in her Maine kitchen. In 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, she launched her debut collection of simmer sauces intended to broaden access to (and love for) regionally authentic Indian cuisine.

Mumbai to MAINE has curated hand-made mouth-watering Indian Simmer Sauces designed to be both shelf stable and insatiably savory. The collection is currently available on the website, www.mumbaitomaine.com, and at our Tasting Room's retail shop. In addition, several specialty retail markets and restaurants across the state of Maine and beyond proudly carry the collection, click here to find that list:  www.mumbaitomaine.com/pages/where-to-buy.

Imagine former dairy farmer, cheesemaker, and bread-baker Karen Getz’s surprise to learn that she would need to cut gluten out of her diet. Actually, for a lot of people, it’s not hard to imagine- gluten intolerance is on the rise, and more people are looking for healthy alternatives to their favorite glutinous foods. A foodie at heart, Getz knew that lack of options in this gluten-free space was an issue and that she was craving a variety of satisfying, gluten-free snacks that just didn’t exist. So, she began experimenting with buckwheat flour, a gluten-free grain-like flour with a robust, nutty flavor, in her cooking and baking and created the company’s first crisps in her own kitchen- cranberry almond and blueberry walnut crisps.

Launched soon after in 2014 from Getz’s kitchen, Maine Crisp has been distributing its gluten- and grain-free crisps across New England for years. Their product line remains simple- but that’s what makes it so good. With only five flavors, Maine Crisp has been able to perfect each delicious bite, from the ingredients all the way to the distribution. Buckwheat isn’t just an amazing-tasting crop- it is also a regenerative plant that is naturally flavorful and nutrient-rich, meaning that it is a superfood that also gives back to the soil. The other fruits, nuts, and ingredients in the crisps are all sustainably sourced and carefully selected to create their rich flavor profile. While the ingredients used are all naturally gluten-free, Maine Crisp’s production facilities are intentionally kept gluten-free so that people can feel safe while snacking on their favorite crisps.

Maine Crisp boasts a number of accolades, amazing reviews, and certifications, all of which can be found for each product on their website www.mainecrisp.com. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook @mainecrisp for more updates!

Sprouting from founder Elaine Mack’s longing for her favorite flavors from the U.S. while overseas, Just Crackers is now known for its delectable crackers in a variety of flavors designed to satisfy your craving for the wonderful flavors of Maine. Mack’s products are all imbued with her many years of experience tasting foods while immersed in various cultures from around the world. The crafting of these crispy treats began in an ovenless kitchen in South Korea, where Mack realized she needed to supplement her diet with an ingredient that was not available in South Korea- spelt. Yearning for spelt, Mack had it shipped directly to her in South Korea and started experimenting with cracker-making through the rigorous process of hand-milling her own flour to be baked in small batches of crackers. While her location and ingredients have changed over the years, her handmade processes have not.

On her journey throughout the world, Mack was first introduced to Maine through a connection to the Maine Seaweed Company, which produces the kelp that is featured in some of Mack’s crackers. This led Mack to discover the wonders of the rich food culture at the United Farmers Market of Maine, where she eventually decided to set up her own shop. Originally founded as Popcorn and More in 2019 when Mack sold, well, popcorn and more, since 2020, Just Crackers has focused solely on hand-milling flour to create small batches of unforgettable crackers.

Now, Just Crackers offers over 40 types of crackers produced with fresh ingredients from Maine (except for Italian olive oil that Mack sources from a fellow farmers’ market vendor). To spread the cracker love, Mack also creates gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan varieties of her delectable snacks.

Check out Just Crackers’ wonderful products at the United Farmers Market of Maine, Marsh River Co-op, Sawyer's Market, or the Maine Grains Retail Store!!

Hootenanny Bread boasts a host of breads- all hand-crafted by bread expert, artist, and musician Derek DeGeer. When he stumbled into the 2009 Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, his desire to make bread finally began to seem more real than it had ever been before. DeGeer then learned that a bread vendor at the local Damariscotta farmers’ market had dropped out, creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to finally try his hand at making –and selling– bread. After working with the Damariscotta River Grill to use their kitchen off-hours and dedicating himself to this path, Hootenanny Bread was born.

As the years went on, Hootenanny Bread expanded to serve their delicious bread at a large number of farmers' markets in the area. From savory sourdough to perfect pretzels, Hootenanny Bread’s selection of fresh, artisan breads is ever-changing. Stay updated with all of DeGeer’s creations by following Hootenanny Bread @hootenannybread on Facebook and Instagram or checking out their website www.hootenannybread.com!

From humble beginnings as a nostalgic dream to a brand well-loved across the U.S., Crooked Face Creamery has gained notoriety for its unique cheeses and its place in the Skowhegan community. Crooked Face Creamery, founded in 2012, was Amy Rowbottom’s second chance at the agricultural life, using cow’s milk from the farm she grew up on to make specialty artisan cheeses on the side as she worked full time off the farm. In 2016, Rowbottom recognized her love for making cheese and the potential that her cheese business had, and so she quit her full-time job to pursue a career in cheesemaking.

Now, in her Skowhegan location, Rowbottom is churning out her iconic ricotta and other cheeses for a local and nationwide consumer base. She uses local dairy to create unique creamy concoctions such as herbed ricotta and applewood smoked butter. Some may say that Crooked Face Creamery all started with one silly-looking cow, but Rowbottom’s dedication to cheesemaking and connection to the dairy industry in Maine have truly made it what it is today. Visit https://www.upnorthricotta.com/to see all of Rowbottom’s products or follow her on Instagram and Facebook @crookedfacecreamery!

This small, family-owned vegan business’ artisanal, quality products have not only spread the love for vegan foods through their popularity but also a special care for the environment and people that will support our future. Their scrumptious seitan-based meats and fermented plant-based cheeses are hand-made and carefully packaged at their farm in Brunswick, ME to be sold across New England. Pulling from a forest garden, their wild, plant-based ingredients have been skillfully fermented and lovingly prepared to concoct an ever-expanding variety of vegan meats and cheeses that can win over even the most skeptical of omnivores! Midcoast Vecan’s product line includes cream cheese, salami, ham, and sunflower cheese – and they have recently expanded their menu to sell foods made with their popular products, such as charcuterie boards or vegan Maine Italians.

Just look to their Instagram and Facebook (@midcoastvegan) for countless mouth-watering photos of their work and raving reviews of their products! If you are already craving a vegan delicacy handcrafted here in Maine, you can visit https://midcoastvegan.square.site/ to view a limited selection of their products, directly visit their farm, or say hi to them in person at farmers’ markets across Midcoast Maine.

Colvard & Co Sausages began on the coast of Maine in 2016. Chef Carter Light started making sausages in his restaurant, but like many others the restaurant did not make it through the pandemic. He converted the liquor storage area into a state-licensed sausage-making facility and the company has grown steadily ever since. Colvard & Co makes handcrafted, all-natural chicken & pork sausages. Chef Light is very serious about what he puts into Colvard sausages AND what he does not include. Colvard does not use any fillers, nitrates or anything artificial. All of their sausages are also gluten-free. Colvard uses their own handmade spice mixes and makes their sausages fresh every week.  Taste the Colvard difference and you will not be disappointed.

Visit Colvard & Co's Website at https://colvardsausages.com/ for some recipe inspiration, instructions on how to cook their sausages, and where to purchase their products. Follow them on Instagram @colvardsausages.

Luxuriate in a beautiful 2,000-plant lavender field or pursue a plethora of organic, sustainable farm-fresh goods at SeaLyon Farm in Alna. Owned by service-disabled veteran Don Lyon and his wife Marcia Lyon, SeaLyon Farm has become a cultural cornerstone of the community, hosting numerous events throughout the seasons that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and offering an appetizing variety of naturally grown vegetables, berries, and lavender products. Enjoy a warm summer sunset while picking your own lavender or relish in their delicious products, all of which are locally sourced or made in-house, including hand-poured candles, handmade tea with homegrown flowers, and delightful fruit jams.

SeaLyon Farm partners with multiple programs in the area, including the Senior Farm Share and the Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway, to facilitate their activities. You can view these activities and discover more about everything that SeaLyon Farm has to offer at www.sealyonfarm.com.

Cultivating mushrooms in the wild is great, but nature's surprises aren’t so amazing. Striving to maintain the wild influence of natural mushroom cultivating and foraging at a large scale, the Sharood family decided to found Mousam Valley Mushrooms in 2012 to produce Maine mushrooms with an organic approach. Using Maine hardwood and straw from the woods and fields they forage in, the Sharood family grows all of their mushrooms indoors to ensure a quality product year-round, but weaves in natural elements through their recreation of the local conditions that make Maine mushrooms Maine mushrooms. This natural approach focuses on the mushrooms’ growing conditions, the mushrooms themselves, and the transportation of the mushrooms to their customers. Their native and exotic mushrooms are all certified organic, non-GMO, and have no preservatives, and they make a great effort to keep their growing and packaging practices sustainable. And that’s it- they work year-round to make mushrooms and only mushrooms. With years of experience and passion for mushroom growing, foraging, and eating, the Sharoods are able to cultivate cleaner, more sustainable mushroom growing practices that make their mushrooms taste so good and ensure that they will stay that way for years to come.

Visit mousamvalleymushrooms.com to browse all of the mushroom varieties they offer and see some of their favorite ways to cook up their products!

Few family traditions have proven as mouth-wateringly delicious as the art of making maple syrup. The wonderful Maine maple products of Hilltop Boilers are the result of the Bryant family’s four-generation-long dedication to this art form. For over three decades, this company has been developing a variety of new maple products using their classic, iconic Maine maple syrup produced with years of experience in the craft.

At Hilltop Boilers, they practice a perfected system for tapping maple trees that guarantees excellent taste every year. Every year as Spring begins to bloom, maple trees are ripe for the tapping. They select only the healthiest trees in their Newfield and Limerick sugarbushes to harvest the most important ingredient in their products- maple sap. Healthy trees produce sweet sap that is kept fresh by being gathered daily – an essential step in quality that makes Hilltop Boilers syrup irresistible. The collected sap is then boiled on a traditional wood-fired evaporator. This complex process is truly what makes their maple products so great.  Visit during their event days in March (including Maine Maple Weekend) and April to see this process in action!

Want to know why Hilltop Boilers was voted Maine’s Best Maine Maple Syrup and Best of the 207 Maple Syrup in 2023? You can find their delicious range of products in their farm store or on their website www.hilltopboilersmaplesyrup.com.  The Maple Store in Newfield is open Saturdays year-round.  If you would like to test an amazing variety of delectable products from other small businesses in the area, we recommend participating in the Sunshine/Snowflake Trail, which is a unique shopping trail held in both July and November featuring Hilltop Boilers and other local businesses.

Founded over 25 years ago, VitaminSea provides a glimpse into the amazing benefits of one of the most powerful plants on earth. Seaweed’s many varieties are rich in a multitude of nutrients that make them stand out against greens that grow on land. That’s why VitaminSea decided to start its harvest right here in Maine, where many delicious species of seaweed grow naturally. All VitaminSea products are hand-harvested directly from the North Atlantic Ocean, processed, and packed in-house. That processing is very low, though- Vitamin Sea sun-dries their seaweed to maintain all of the natural nutrients that make seaweed so special.

VitaminSea’s philosophy is one of giving back. People take so much from the ocean and the land, but VitaminSea ensures their seaweed is sustainably harvested so that the Earth can heal from harvests and they can continue to produce amazing foods that you can enjoy for years to come.

Looking for a new snack packed with nutrients? Visit https://vitaminseaseaweed.com/ for more information.

Founded in 2006 by dedicated fishermen from Port Clyde, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) has operated for almost two decades, working to improve fisheries management and amplify the voices of fishermen in the discussion of fisheries policy. Today, MCFA protects waterfronts that are essential for fishermen, promotes innovation in the fishing industry through research and community development, provides support for fishermen who have been impacted by a decline in the value of fish, and advocates for policies that create fisheries that will last. In addition to working directly with fishermen, MCFA also strives to raise awareness among communities and consumers about the value of Maine's fisheries. For this reason, MCFA has also created materials for Maine communities such as recipes using Maine seafood, a podcast highlighting voices within Maine’s fishing industry (https://www.mainecoastfishermen.org/docktalk), resources to educate and update the community on what’s happening along the waterfront, and tools for coastal towns to use to protect and promote thriving fishing communities in Maine (https://www.mainecoastfishermen.org/working-waterfront).

One of the ways that MCFA works to support fishermen is to raise awareness about the array of delicious sustainable seafood harvested along the Maine coast. During the pandemic, fish declined in value and markets disappeared, leaving committed fishermen with an uncertain future. In response, MCFA initiated its Fishermen Feeding Mainers (FFM) program, a fish donation program that purchases fish at a fair price from fishermen and donates it to the food insecure. In order to support this program and to introduce consumers to monkfish, a tasty but often overlooked seafood species, MCFA worked with Hurricane’s Premium Soups and Chowders in Greene, Maine to develop the 2023 Good Food Award-winning Maine Coast Monkfish Stew. The Stew, made with sustainably harvested monkfish along with Maine vegetables and dairy, is sold to generate revenue for the FFM program. This ready to heat and serve gluten-free product is being served or sold at over 70 locations statewide, including right here at the Maine Tasting Center!

To find the nearest location, visit www.mainecoastfishermen.org/monkfishstew. If you would like to support the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association or any of its programs, there are many opportunities to do so at www.mainecoastfishermen.org/getinvolved. And, if you would like to visit MCFA in person, please visit www.mainecoastfishermen.org or contact Susan Olcott, Director of Operations at susan@mainecoastfishermen.org for more information!

Bixby Chocolate, established in 2011 by Kate McAleer, was born out of a passion for chocolate and a determination to make chocolate with a conscience. Proudly woman-owned and family-run (Kate's mother, Donna, has been actively involved from the start), Bixby is  committed to supporting the communities that are involved in all stages of their production.

Bixby makes a diversity of chocolates and confections- from certified organic and vegan chocolates, to premium bean-to-bar varieties, to drinking chocolates and bonbons. For Kate, business is a community affair: some of the company's standout offerings were born out of collaborations with other Maine producers, like Split Rock Distilling and Maine Grains. Allagash Peanut Beer Brittle is a favorite of guests at the Tasting Center all season long.

Find Bixby Chocolate products in a local store or visit their website at https://bixbychocolate.com/ to learn more about their delicious sweets.

Morse’s Sauerkraut was founded in 1918 by Virgil Morse in Waldoboro, Maine. Over a hundred years later, the company uses the same methods to create its famous sauerkraut: cabbage grown by neighboring White Oak Farm is shredded by hand, tamped with wooden mallets, and weighed down by river stones.  Over the years, they hae also added crock pickles, relishes, mustard and horseradish to their roster of delicious goods. If you’re looking for another great stop on your Maine food tour, be sure to check out Morse’s – not only do they sell delicious sauerkraut and pickles, but they also have a fabulous German restaurant onsite and a full specialty food market. It is a can’t-miss destination in midcoast Maine!

Chris Kinkade, a father of three young children, created Green Bee soda as a way to offer his children a fun beverage that he could feel good about. He started out in his kitchen using honey from his own beehives, creating drinks with fresh juices, herbs and honey. Today, the company operates out of a commercial manufacturing facility in Brunswick and distributes nation-wide. They are the only soda company currently operating within the state of Maine.

Founded in 2015 by Mika and Nicholas Repenning, Go-En Fermented Foods was born out of a passion to share real, good Japanese miso within the United States. Mika and Nicholas met in Japan and started life in Maine together with their son in 2011. Here, they were drawn back to the moving flavors of koji and miso, and began to make these fermented foods for themselves. As they shared their love for these Japanese ferments with their community, their production started to grow, and eventually turned into what it is today.

Go-En is a Japanese word about connection and relationship. It has an interconnected holistic sense and exists in the convergence of peoples, places, and all events where each has an equal, mutual relationship. The Repennings constantly reach for this connection through the food they produce. Fermentation allows foods to cultivate microorganisms that live in harmony with the body, not only because they make fermented food taste so good, but because they can assist in gut health. The harmony the Repennings reinforce is also exemplified by their support for the communities that support them, sourcing local ingredients and utilizing local connections to create more positivity, all captured into a simple jar to share.

These connections have indeed garnered a positive response- in the winter of 2023, Go-En Fermented Foods sold out of their miso and continues to attempt to keep up with the constant demand from the people that have tried and loved their products for years. Visit their website (https://www.goenfermentedfoods.com/) for a list of their products and updates on their stock!

The Fat Friar’s Meadery is a Maine farm winery run by Sean Bailey. Sean paints houses during the day and makes delicious semi-dry and semi-sweet meads with the rest of his time. His meadery and tasting room is located in Newcastle, Maine just off of Route 215. It may look like you’re driving up to someone’s house when you pay them a visit – because you are! Don’t let that stop you though – Sean has transformed the basement of his home into a top-notch mead production space and cozy tasting room fitted out with medieval décor.

A Smallgood is a family-run salumeria, founded in 2018 by Oliver and Kelly Perkins.  A Smallgood prides itself on reimagining the craft of cured meats using wild fermentation, hard cider and koji. 

A Smallgood uses only whole animals and primal cuts sourced directly from local farmers. All animals are raised on living pasture with a focus on animal welfare. In the shop, they practice traditional European "seam butchery," a technique that focuses on pulling out individual muscle groups to reduce waste and allow for a better preparation of salami grinds and whole muscle cures. 

In place of standard freeze-dried cultures, the company uses their own in-house ferments, built up from the spent hard cider lees they collect from a local hard cidery that spontaneously ferments its cider. A Small Good then adds their own lacto-brines to build up the vigor before using it to catalyze the fermentation of the salami. They are currently the only USDA facility in the US that is wild fermenting its products.

Wine making has been a Mancini family tradition for generations - one which Mark and Carrie Mancini continue in their Palermo meadery. Their meadmaking journey began as a happy experiment in the Spring of 2012: they wanted to compete in a  "dandelion wine off" with friends while holding true to their Paleo diet. Enter, Maine honey. The drink they ended up was delicious, and different from any wine they had tasted before. Soon after, they founded Aegir's Den. 

Today, Mark and Carrie produce a line of dry, sparkling session meads in cans, as well as several full-strength meads in beautifully designed bottles that highlight Norse mythology: Metheglin (mead aged with spices), Melomel (mead aged with fruit), Acerglyn (mead aged with maple syrup from our family’s maple grove) and Cyser (mead aged using apple cider, hand pressed from a local holistic orchard). They source their raw honey from hives in Jay, Palmyra, and Pittsfield Maine.

Six River Farm is a diverse organic vegetable farm located in Bowdoinham. They grow 24 acres of vegetables on their 40 acres of land, under the ownership and direction of Nate Drummond and Gabrielle Gosselin.

The year-round farm is supported by a team of employees who work to provide their customers with a wide range of healthy produce. Six River Farm can be found at local farmers markets, their own impressive farm stand, at local grocery stores and at area restaurants (like ours!).

Six River Farm has been especially good to us here at Maine Tasting Center, regularly hand-picking the smallest potatoes out of their harvest to put aside for us to serve as “Maine Marbles.”

Green Thumb Farms has been farming in Western Maine since 1965. Working on over 2,200 acres of rich Saco River Valley soil has firmly established their reputation for quality potatoes, turf, dry beans and corn. Their third-generation family farm strives to preserve Maine’s open spaces and agricultural heritage.

Currently, they grow New England heirloom bean varieties such as Jacob’s Cattle, Yellow Eye, Soldier, and Red Kidney – some of which are found in the bean hummus dish on our menu. These beans can be found in specialty food markets, Hannaford’s, online, and in a variety of other locations - look for a big red, white and blue logo that reads “State of Maine Quality!”

Green Thumb also supplies the potatoes for Cold River Vodka, a brand from Maine Distilleries in Freeport. This spirit is a true “ground-to-glass” product and worth seeking out!

Heiwa Tofu is a small family business, founded in 2008, operated out of Rockport. They make their delicious tofu using local organic soybeans and are continuing to grow today. Their tofu can be found in local co-ops, Hannaford and through local distributors.

Raye’s Mustard Mill, located in coastal Eastport, Maine, the nation’s eastern-most city, is North America’s last remaining traditional stone-ground mustard mill. In 1900, J. Wesley Raye, the 20-year-old son of a sea captain, founded the business in the family smokehouse to produce mustard for Maine’s burgeoning sardine industry. In 1903, Wesley moved the Mill to its current location, enabling Raye’s Mustard to be shipped out by both rail and steamship.

Raye’s makes dozens of varieties of mustard, each produced with the traditional cold grind process in the same mill since 1900, using the original stones from France. The Aroostook Gold variety is even made using mustard seeds grown right here in Maine.

Raye’s Mustard Mill is a working museum that hosts thousands of tourists each year and brings needed tourism dollars to Washington County. The museum, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is currently raising $2 million dollars for much needed restoration, preservation and succession planning.

Winter Hill Farm, located near Freeport, is a 55 acre farm of gently rolling pasture and mixed forest. The business was founded by Jim Stampone and his wife Kate LeRoyer with their herd of Randall Lineback cows. These founders retired in 2011 and Winter Hill was purchased by two families dedicated to the preservation of farmland in the midcoast area. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Freeport Conservation Trust, Winter Hill Farm is now permanently protected with an agricultural easement.

Today Winter Hill is managed by Steve Burger and Sarah Wiederkehr, who live in the farm homestead with their two children, Isaac and Calla, and their dogs Jasper and Cully. There are also full and part-time employees -- without their hard work this farm could not run! Winter Hill produces a core line of award-winning cheeses as well as meat, flowers and other farm products.

You can sign up for a farm stay on their beautiful property if you’d like to pay them a visit! You can also find their products through FarmDrop, at the Brunswick Farmers Market and in local co-ops and shops throughout the midcoast region.

Broad Arrow Farm, located on the Pemaquid Peninsula, is a “farrow-to-finish” operation that maintains approximately twenty heritage-breed sows and two terminal sire boars for breeding. Their hogs thrive in the woods and on pasture year-round and the farmers use intensive grazing and agro-forestry methods to build soil, regenerate forage and put their woods to productive use.

The result is happier, healthier animals, enhanced fertility and water absorpotion in the soil and more nutrient-dense, delicious pork. In addition, Broad Arrow Farm also raises lamb, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, eggs and seasonal vegetables which can be purchased at their wonderful farm market. Pork and lamb products can also be cold-pack shipped through their online store.

Visit their website to plan your visit to their farm market, order a beautiful charcuterie board (stocked with their housemade charcuterie, of course), or learn about their upcoming events. Their seasonal ticketed meals are not to be missed!

Cellardoor is located in Lincolnville and boasts a five-and-a-half-acre vineyard planted with cold-hardy hybrids developed to overcome the challenge of Maine’s climate. They are one of very few wineries in Maine that grow their own grapes (or use Maine-grown grapes at all!). Their varieties include Marquette, Frontenac Gris, Frontenac Blanc and L’Acadie Blanc. They also source high-quality grapes from California, Washington and New York.

Cellardoor uses innovative technology to improve the quality of their wine and reduce their impact on the environment. The water used in their facility is sourced from their own natural mountain spring, and they utilize a water filtration system that allows them to sustainably return clean water back to the ground supply. Even the winemaking facility itself is built into a mountain hillside to help regulate temperature and humidity in the barrel aging rooms.

Bluet, a wild blueberry wine brand, was founded by Eric Martin and Michael Terrien, childhood friends who grew up in Maine and reunited as young adults in California. In California, Michael worked as a winemaker and Eric would help out seasonally, sorting and stomping the grapes. During subsequent visits to Maine, Michael began to see Maine’s iconic fruit – the wild blueberry – through a winemaker’s eyes. He began experimenting and eventually teamed up with Eric to release the first batch of Bluet in 2015.

Michael and Eric are passionate not only about the quality and Maine roots of their product, but also about its potential to support wild blueberry farmers in Maine. With the price of the fruit dropping significantly over the past years, fresh market sales and value add products represent the highest earning potential for growers. The amount of blueberries needed to make blueberry wine is significant – tens of thousands of pounds per year – which adds a lot of value to the crop and helps the state’s economy. It helps growers get a good return on their berries and helps spread the unique cultural story of Maine’s wild blueberries to new consumers in new places. Bluet is not just focused on local sales – they have their sights set on national distribution and are using their wine industry connections to make that happen.

In 2009, the founders of Atlantic Sea Farms created the first commercially-viable seaweed farm in the United States. Then and now, their goal has been to diversify how coastal waters are used and to provide a domestic, fresh and healthy alternative to imported seaweed products.

Today, the company identifies and works with fishermen throughout the coast of Maine, to help them start their own kelp farms. They provide technical assistance and training, helping farms obtain leases, set up their gear, learn how to seed and harvest, and support their business planning. Post harvest, they use seaweed from partner farms to create easy-to-cook-with products like cut kelp and kelp cubes, and also create delicious value-add products like fermented seaweed salad.

Atlantic Sea Farms products can be found at shops throughout the United States with a heavy presence in California and the mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

Five minutes from the busy harbor of Stonington Maine, Coldwater Seafood Market & Smokehouse is a family-owned business that takes great pride in the traditions of the area. They are well known for their signature smoked mussels, but also produce a wide range of smoked finfish and fresh seafood.

They work with local lobstermen and fishermen to supply their onsite fresh fish market – including some of the freshest, best tasting and most artfully picked crabmeat we have ever tasted!

Stonington Seafood is owned and operated by Richard Penfold, who began smoking fish 40 years ago in Scotland after studying Fisheries Science in college. He worked underneath two of Shetland’s legendary smoke masters, who were producing kippers and Finnan Haddie for export all over the world. In 1997, he moved to Stonington, ME with his wife and helped to form Stonington Sea Products, a well-regarded and award-winning smokehouse.

After Stonington Sea Products was sold in 2010, he founded Stonington Seafood with the mission of making top-quality Finnan Haddie widely available, keeping the Scottish smoking tradition alive for future generations. He smokes his Finnan Haddie in a historic kiln that was shipped from Scotland in 2001 – a nearly exact replica of a Torry kiln, the first mechanized kiln. Buy some Finnan Haddie online or find the retailer that carries it closest to you at https://www.stoningtonseafood.com/!

Spring Day Creamery (est. 2008) is a small, solar-powered operation in Durham, ME, helmed by cheesemaker Sarah Spring.

Inspired by her years living and working in the French countryside, Sarah purchased an old farm and set to restoring it with her husband. Her first foray into cheesemaking was purely experimental, but promising enough that she built a creamery in the annex off the old farmhouse kitchen. She founded Spring Day Creamery shortly thereafter. The name pays homage to the Day Family, who stewarded the land for 150 years.

Sarah makes only 4,000 pounds of cheese each year —small, hands-on, experimental batches, letting all the forces of nature do their part to produce cheeses that taste of the place. Try Spring Day Blue on our cheese board, and head to the creamery to snag a wheel.

Heather and Doug Donahue started Balfour Farm almost 20 years ago as a hobby farm. Today, they’ve scaled to a full-time family farm and run a MOFGA-certified organic dairy farm with a herd of Normande and Normande-cross cows, each of which they name.

Balfour Farm produces a wide range of raw milk aged cheeses, fresh cheeses, yogurt and other cultured products - including several state, regional and national award winners. Their daughter Erin and her partner David operate their own business, Tiny Acres, on the property, producing mixed vegetables, mushrooms and more.

Their retail shop “The Little Cheese Shop,” located on the farm property, was named after a cheese shop they encountered on a trip to the United Kingdom and sells a wide variety of Maine cheeses, charcuterie, wines and other delicious items – everything you need for the best Maine-made picnic you’ve ever had!

Amish Charcuterie in Unity is run by Matthew Secich who has worked in some of the country’s most gourmet, stressful kitchens. Growing discontent with his restaurant career and seeking a quieter life, Matthew, his wife and children joined the Amish community in Unity, ME.

Today, Matthew runs Amish Charcuterie, making delicious artisan meats with a focus on supplying his local community. Because of this hyper-local focus, his products can be difficult to find, but if you’re near Unity, consider stopping at his shop! It’s a peaceful, calm and respectful space where customers are encouraged to linger, sample products and chat with Matthew.