Good To-Go: Gourmet meal business expanding with guidance from UMaine Cooperative Extension

Transcript

My name is Jennifer Scism. The business is Good To-Go Foods, and we’re in Kittery, Maine. We make all-natural dehydrated meals.

I started doing this just for myself. My husband is an avid backpacker. I had never done any backpacking. I was a chef in New York City. We collided in our interests, and I started making food, really with no idea to turn into a business. People really liked the food, so that’s when I started doing all the research.

Actually UMaine was part of that, because I had no idea how to go into food processing. The Department of Ag came in, and the inspector steered me to what my next steps were. One was that you can’t just go and sell your food. You have to have a process review.

That’s when I contacted the University of Maine, so they would go through my process, and make sure that it was safe. Right now, all our products are gluten-free. I have smoked chili, risotto. Thai curry was a no-brainer, and that’s my comfort food, and the classic marinara.

Our business has taken off much more than I had anticipated. Originally, we just started selling here in Maine. Now we’re in every state in the Union. Last April was our first sales. We sold 162 meals, and this last month we’re selling over 10,000 a month.

We started, and we still are, in a small Cape house. We do need to grow, and we have plans for growth, an addition on the building. Jason Bolton from the University of Maine has come and sat with David and I and gone over how we can grow our facility, layouts, materials, equipment. It’s all about having your business flourish in Maine, staying in Maine, and also doing it safely.

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