Maine Maple Products

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In November of 1993, Marc and Heéleène Larivière of St-Zacharie, Quebec, bought a small business in Maine called Maine Maple Products, Inc. This acquisition was the next progression of their growing family business. Marc and Hélène hoped to transform a family tradition of making maple syrup in Maine into a self-supporting enterprise.

Hélène’s grandfather Napoléon Larivière, began making maple syrup in Maine in the early 1900’s. He operated a small sugar camp in Big Six Township; a remote area nestled in the northwest corner of Somerset County near the Canadian border. Despite the many changes, which have taken place over the years, the Larivière’s continue to make maple syrup from the same area.

In 1915, Napoléon sold the sugaring operation to a cousin – Napoléon Larivière-. He was in fact Marc’s father. By 1955, Napoléon Larivière, in turn, sold the maple syrup camp to two sons Marc and Ange-Aimé Larivière. At this time, the two brothers were using teams of horses to gather sap fro 3,500 maple trees and stoking a wood-fired evaporator to boil the sap to syrup. During their tenure at the sugar camp, they experienced tremendous change and growth.

By the 1980’s, tremendous technological advancements were revolutionizing the maple syrup industry. The implementation of plastic tubing, vacuum systems, reverse osmosis machines, and oil-fired evaporators triggered growth in the industry for the Larivière’s. Ange-Aimé departed the business in 1984. At this time, Marc and Hélène oversaw the family maple syrup business, with their children Jean-Pierre, Martin, Fabien and Brigitte pitching in to help when and whereever needed. The Larivière’s had become the largest maple syrup producers in the state of Maine.

When the opportunity arose in 1993 to purchase Maine Maple Products, Inc, Marc and Hélène responded. This well established business was Maine’s largest packer and distributor of maple syrup. With its purchase, the Larivière’s hoped to secure a market for their product and expand their family maple syrup enterprise.

In 1999, Pierre, Martin and Fabien purchased the maple grove from their father. They now produce maple syrup from a grove of 80,000 trees, with the help of the next Larivière generation, their seven children, while Marc and Hélène continue to oversee operations at the packaging facility.

Enjoy many years of maple syrup experience and family tradition in every container you buy from Maine Maple Products, Inc.

Belted Cow Company

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When we started the Belted Cow Company in 2004, ribbon and motif belts had been a staple of casual fashion for decades, but the designs and materials had not improved much. The same white sailboat pattern worn by your grandfather for 30 years was still offered in stores. It was high time to re-invigorate this classic casual fashion accessory.
What’s with the cow?
Though we’re based in Maine, the Belted Cow Company name comes from my college days in Vermont, where cows typically outnumbered people. One breed – the Belted Galloway – stood out. Also known as “Oreo cows” for their resemblance to the popular cookie, Belted Galloways are a hearty Scottish breed with a striking white belt around the middle. When you come upon them, you can’t help but do a double take.

We started with a goal of creating belt designs with this same look-twice appeal and rugged quality. Our name and cow logo reflect our attitude toward designs and product development – we will always offer products that let our customers stand out from the herd.

An artful twist
As we set out to make classic casual belts with better designs and better materials, we decided to invite Maine’s skilled artisans to try our belts as their canvases. The result was a fresh take on the familiar ribbon belt – and customers approved. We asked more illustrators, potters, water colorists, and painters to be part of our team, and the Belted Cow Company continued to grow.

Meticulously made in Maine
We also insisted on doing this right, with first-quality materials such as casted brass buckles, rugged cotton canvas and the Midwest’s finest Latigo leathers. We make Belted Cow products in Maine, where we’re based. First and foremost, this supports American workers. It also allows us to closely monitor quality, quickly incorporate new ideas into our product line, and deliver finished goods in a timely way. We have a skilled and dedicated team that cares deeply about quality products.

Vena’s Fizz House

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Vena’s Fizz House is a cocktail/mocktail bar and mixology shop located in Portland, Maine. Founded by Steve and Johanna Corman, the business began in 2013 specializing in old fashioned, all natural fizz sodas, and “mocktails”.

In 2015, Vena’s obtained a liquor license and created a custom cocktail menu. The use of bitters and hard-to-find nostalgic ingredients, like shrubs and switchels, are now the shop’s claim to fame.

In addition to the bar, the venue houses a brick + mortar shop offering an array of items for beverage enthusiasts to dabble in the art of mixed drinks (with or without spirits). We sell bitters, shakers, muddlers, vintage glassware, coasters, and more. Additionally, Vena’s has created a retail line of products including infusion kits (all natural, freeze-dried fruit in mason jars that are ready to drink by simply adding liquor), bitters and syrups that are available in-house and at our online shop.

St. George Candle Co.

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With an emphasis on clean, elegant designs and fresh scents, St. George Candle Co. provides environmentally friendly products without sacrificing candle quality.

Years of experimentation have shown us that Coconut Wax makes a superior candle, both in appearance and fragrance; while being far more eco-conscious than its competitors.  Unlike the processing of soy wax, coconut wax production does not involve hexane rinses, GMO seeds, or deforestation.

 

My Pasta Art

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Made in small batches on our farm in Downeast Maine, we use the healthiest, freshest ingredients available, many of which we grow ourselves.
Kale, beets, carrots, chives and garlic thrive in our nippy climate, and our cage-free flock of over 100 hens cooperate most days with a bounty of fresh, nutritious eggs.
Our golden yellow semolina flour, grown in the northern plains of the U.S. creates a nutty flavor note that enhances our home made vegetable purées.
Once we blend these ingredients in our authentic Italian made pasta machine, we extrude it through brass dies and slowly air dry the pasta shapes to retain all the benefits of our select ingredients.

Sarah Crawford Handcrafted

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I am a jewelry designer working and living in Portland, ME.  I design simple, minimalistic jewelry for women who want a splash of color in their life, but also want the convenience of jewelry they can put on and leave on, that they can live in.  I use Japanese glass beads that won’t fade or break and string them on wire to maximize durability.  My work is about the colorful play of color, gemstones, and asymmetry.  Each piece is inspired by the beautiful state of Maine; it’s dramatic coastlines, tall majestic pines, crisp blue skies, and blue oceans dotted with rugged islands.

I’ve been in business for 5 years and work with stores throughout the Northeast.

 

Lowell Hill Pottery

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By way of introduction, my name is Geoff Miller. I am a former Rowantrees potter and founder of Lowell Hill Pottery. My mission is very simple; to assure that those who wish to own and enjoy the simple elegance of Rowantrees products may continue to do so well into the future.

I value the Rowantrees heritage, so I continue the practice of making each piece one at a time by hand on the potter’s wheel. Where practical, I continue the tradition of using local materials in the glazes that grace the wares as long as I can maintain quality control. I am committed to high standards of quality and customer satisfaction.

Where necessary, I have made changes to assure the safety and continued availability of my products. But at every turn my decisions are made to assure that the final product is as indistinguishable from the original as possible.

I have also started producing a line of products that are exclusively my own design. These include the Labyrinth tile pictured on this page (great for meditation) and custom-made logo mugs for a local pub.

Maine Heritage Weavers

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The Bates Manufacturing Company was established in Lewiston, Maine in 1850 by Benjamin Bates. It quickly became one of the largest textile manufacturers in New England and transformed Lewiston from a struggling agricultural town into a booming industrial city. By 1857, the Bates Mill in Lewiston ran 36,000 spindles, employed 1,000 hands, and annually turned out 5.7 million yards of the best quality of cotton goods. Even after winning multiple achievements and awards for his textiles, including “Best Pantaloon Stuffs” and “Best Plain and Fancy Cotton Fabrics”, Bates wanted more. Accordingly, in 1858 the Bates Manufacturing Company wove the first Bates bedspread.

Upon the start of the Civil War, most New England mills started selling their cotton stock, assuming that the war would only last 90 days. Instead, Benjamin Bates bought as much cotton as he could find (despite the skyrocketing prices) and became the main supplier of Union textiles during the 4 year war. Even afterward, despite post-war depression, the Bates Manufacturing Company prospered and continued to expand. It was at this time that the French-Canadian population began to immigrate to Lewiston for work; even today the city of Lewiston continues to have a great French-Canadian influence (and many of the current mill workers have French-Canadian ancestors that began their American lives as mill workers).

Throughout the Civil War and both World Wars the Bates Manufacturing Company continued to weave its fine quality cloths, with bedspreads being the main focus for the past 50 years. The company was running for more than a century when it was sadly forced to close its doors in 2001 like many of its peers in the world of American manufacturing.

Former Bates President and Founder of Maine Heritage Weavers, Fred Lebel, recognized the historic significance of Bates Mill and was not willing to let the cherished tradition fade into the past. With this in mind, Lebel and his daughter, Linda Cloutier (current President of Maine Heritage Weavers), salvaged the necessary equipment from closing mills to create Maine Heritage Weavers in 2002 in the likeness of the historic manufacturer that so many people had come to rely on both for its loved, quality bedding as well as for employment. Lebel further kept the weaving tradition alive by hiring former Bates Mill employees who had lost their jobs when the Mill closed.

Today, Maine Heritage Weavers maintains the high quality and standards of New England’s historic textile tradition and continues to weave many of the original designs under the famous Bates name. To this day, the products are truly “loomed to be heirloomed.”

AP Curiosities

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I, like most people, started making and creating as a young child. The only difference is that I never stopped. Even while getting my business degree at the University of Colorado Boulder and juggling my job as a waitress, I was addicted to making things in my spare time. No matter what it was, I would find an excuse: a new apartment warranted glass cutting and electrical wiring to create a lamp out of an old bottle; a date provided an excuse to make a new pair of earrings out of collected rocks; a shower the reason to make soap. Opportunities were endless and I was enthusiastic.

In 2011 I left the Wild West and relocated to the East Coast. Initially it was a short-term move. I had worked in the hospitality industry for 15 years and the restaurant scene in Portland was booming, so it seemed like a fun place to be for a few years. But life tends to work out in ways you never expected. First the ocean hooked me, then I signed up for a pottery class, and next found a job as an assistant to a local artist – all which kept me here just long enough to fall in love with a Mainer. Nine years later and I am still here, living and working out of my art studio in an old farmhouse on the shores of the Kennebec River. I am beyond lucky to have stumbled into such a welcoming and creative community, and have now been a part of the Bowdoinham Guild of Artisans for two years.

While not formally trained in art, experience has been my teacher. It has not always been kind to me, but it has been honest. They say art is self-discovery. I have learned two very important things about myself through making art. The first is how much I smile. Smiling has always been a way for me to break down barriers and also as a reminder to enjoy the little things. So it comes as no surprise that my work tends to make people smile. The second – I anthropomorphize. Everything. My favorite movie as a child was The Brave Little Toaster. More often than not I find myself attaching a hand on a mug in place of a handle, or sculpting feet on the foot of my bowl. Right now ceramics is my primary medium; but I am happy as long as I am making.

Coast and Pines

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It all started with a bright blue picnic table at the family camp on the ocean in Gouldsboro, Maine. The table had held hundreds of my relatives over the years as they cracked fresh crabs and retold old stories. After many decades, repairs, and repaints, the time came when the table was no longer safe to sit at. It would be sacrificed to the bonfire gods that weekend. That just struck me as heartbreaking. Hundred-year-old relatives had fed the first bites of lobster to their babies and grand babies on it. Countless gooey marshmallows sticks were laid on it while campfire songs were sung around it. Thousands of sunsets were shared by distant cousins reconnecting over cocktails while gathered at it. All that history and it would just be destroyed? I convinced them to let me take it home instead.
With no prior history of power tool use, I watched countless Youtube videos and taught myself some basic but necessary skills. I cut away the rotted ends, sanded off the rough spots and chopped it down to sturdy smaller pieces. Then I made my first sate of Maine sign. I kept the blue weather worn chippy paint and used one of the old bolts to mark the camps location on the coast of Gouldsboro. I brought it back up to the camp and hung it on the hundred-year-old wall by the family tree. It is a treasured piece still, one that preserves the history of the family that came there before us and the beauty of the traditions they left as a legacy.
Maybe I romanticize it all, but I see stories in the discarded wood I find. Old pine flooring makes me think of chubby baby feet taking first steps, worn walls bring thoughts of family laughter and holiday gatherings, fences with etched writing brings a glimpse of lovers first moments together. It always seems a shame to just discard the history and the memories. I want it to go on. I want the piece to become part of someone else’s story and continue gathering memories. By putting customized words on each one, I feel like I am somehow connecting the old life and the new life and giving each piece a fresh place in history.