When:
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
5:00-8:00 PM
- 5:00 to 6:00 PM – Social Networking and Taste Maine Showcase of Food and Beverage
- 6:00 to 7:00 PM - Panel: Why Maine?–Maine’s Future in the Food Economy
- 7:00 to 8:00 PM - Social Networking and Taste Maine Showcase of Food and Beverage
Evening made possible by
RSVPs are required
Where:
O'Maine Studios
54 Danforth Street
Portland, ME 04102
Panelists
Jacob Buck
Co-founder, Maine Malt House
Jacob Buck is the Co-Founder of Maine Malt House, a division of Buck Family Farms which traditionally grows potatoes. Since 2015 the Maine Malt House has been providing breweries and distilleries high quality malted grains from Maine. Along with the inauguration of the Maine Malt House Jacob has been a part of Buck Farms Grain growth over the last few years, both businesses combined they are working with several Maine growers and handling thousands of acres of grain annually.
Jacob started working on the business plan for Maine Malt House while studying Electrical Engineering Technologies at the University of Maine. The Buck Family consisting of Jacob's father, brothers and uncles began building out the malt house and grain facility in 2014. Since then the facility has grown to include new state-of-the-art processing and cleaning equipment. Jacob currently resides in Castle Hill, Maine with his wife Kelsey and takes every opportunity to travel.
Erik Heim
CEO, Nordic Aquafarms
Erik Heim is the founder and CEO of Nordic Aquafarms, a Norwegian pure-play land-based seafood producers with head-quarters in Norway. Nordic Aquafarms has developed and constructed some of the largest land-based fish farms in the world. The company is currently developing plans for a land-based salmon farm in Maine, dimensioned to produce 7 percent of the total US demand for salmon. Erik Heim is a dual citizen, born in Boston. He has a dual masters degree from Oregon, and is now looking to bringing the benefits of sustainable fish farming to Maine. He has built Nordic Aquafarms on the back-bone of the Norwegian aquaculture industry; the largest salmon producing nation in the world. Nordic Aquafarms was conceived as an environmental alternative to the sea pen industry, and has gained momentum as the need for environmentally sensitive food production increasingly has become a priority. Heim is moving to Maine September 28th with his wife Marianne Naess to head up US operations.
Luke Holden
Founder + CEO, Luke's Lobster
Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third generation lobsterman. He attended college at Georgetown University, after which he moved to New York to start a career in investment banking. He was remiss to find that every lobster roll available was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one. In 2009, Luke turned to his roots and longstanding relationship with the Maine lobstering community to cut out the middleman and bring Maine lobster to the heart of NYC.
Luke's Lobster has grown beyond New York City, with homes in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Taipei, Tokyo and MAINE! Luke’s Lobster chooses partners who uphold their commitment to sourcing superior, sustainable ingredients and strive to support other small businesses. Preserving our fisheries will forever remain at the core of the business. Luke's Lobster is dedicated to the health of the shellfish in our waters and the fisherman who live off them, allowing for the success of future populations and ecosystems, and thus ensuring our oceans continue to exist as a key source of food and livelihood for people all over the world.
Luke also sits on the boards of the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op, The Lobster Institute, Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative and The Island Institute.
Tony Shurman
President & CEO, Jasper Wyman & Son
Tony Shurman is President and CEO of Jasper Wyman & Son. Founded in 1874, Wyman’s is a vertically integrated wild blueberry grower, processor, and marketer. The Wymans of Maine brand is the second largest brand in the retail frozen fruit category in the US. The company also operates in the Food Service channel and sells its fruit on a global scale for use as an ingredient in other foods such as muffins, jams, and yogurts. Tony joined the family-owned business in 2017 excited by its growth prospects, entrepreneurial culture, the opportunity to enhance health through the remarkable wild blueberry, and the chance to live and work in Maine. Prior to joining Wymans, he ran the Post Foods breakfast cereal business with brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Grape Nuts, and Shredded Wheat. Earlier in his career he spent a decade working in the gum and min ts categories with experience working across geographies including Japan, Europe, and the US. Tony moved to Yarmouth last summer with his wife Jen and two teenaged sons and is thoroughly enjoying life in Maine.
Moderator
Kristen Miale
President, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Moderator
Kristen Miale is the President of Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine’s largest hunger relief organization. Good Shepherd Food Bank works with a network of more than 400 nonprofit organizations to distribute 22 million meals a year throughout the state to people in need. Before her role as President, she was the founder and program director of Cooking Matters Maine, a local chapter of Share Our Strength’s nationally recognized cooking and nutrition education program for low-income families. Prior to her work with food security, Kristen worked for over a decade in the private equity and business consulting fields. After volunteering for hunger relief organizations, she decided to make her passion for ending hunger her occupation. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her Master’s in Business Administration from Boston University, where she studied both entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. Kristen currently serves on the Board of the Maine Philanthropy Center and is a member of the Maine Food Strategy Steering Committee and the Community Economic Development Strategy Committee for Eastern Maine Development Corp.