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V O L . X X V I N O. X V I 200 200 IDEAS FOR MAINE'S BICENTENNIAL 16 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine Gain access to unlimited articles & lists for download Access to print and digital editions, website content, email newsletters, and downloadable business lists, plus events discounts! MAINEBIZ.BIZ/PRINTSUB Become a premium member of Mainebiz today to receive unlimited access! » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Craft brewers craft a niche B y R e n e e C o r d e s ou'd need more than 100 bottles of beer on the wall for every craft brand made in Maine by the state's 152 licensed brewers — 109 unique brands to be exact, according to the Maine Brewers' Guild. Of the 152, 16 were newly licensed in 2019 and two in 2020. The sector, which employed more than 2,000 people as of early 2020, touches on numerous other sectors from agriculture to real estate and tourism, and con- tributed $2 billion to Maine's economy in 2018. Even in these uncertain times, Maine's craft cachet remains robust, from tiny rural upstarts to big brands like Allagash and Shipyard. That's unlikely to change as Maine brewers continue to innovate on flavors and collaborations — Lone Pine Brewing with the Holy Donut is one — and join social causes like the global "Black is Beautiful" stout initiative that aims to raise money and awareness for racial equality. 'Made in Maine' is more than a slogan — it's been a necessity B y W I L L I A M H A L L ainers are used to facing harsh environmental conditions, and have adapted, tinkered and invented to endure them. The state's winters on average are the second-snowiest in the U.S., after Vermont. Maine ties with Vermont for the lowest temperature recorded in New England, 50 degrees below zero. No wonder that it was a Mainer, Chester Greenwood, who invented a staple of winter wear — the earmuff. A Farmington resident, he came up with the idea in 1873, at the age of 15. He later started a muff-manufacturing business, employing area residents for nearly 60 years. Mainers also pioneered the use of mechanical vehicles to travel over snow, starting with Alvin Lombard's 1901 invention of a steam-powered log hauler with skis and a continuous-track propulsion system. In 1909, O.C. Johnson of Waterville used a similar track system to drive the first snowmobile. Perhaps the greatest Maine tinkerer was Leon Leonwood Bean, an outdoors- man and hunter from Freeport. Hoping to keep his feet dry and warm in the Maine woods, Bean combined the rubber soles of rain boots with leather uppers. In 1912, he formed the L.L. Bean Co. to make and market the now-iconic footwear. M Y P H O T O / X B A M E S X T, W I K I M E D I A C O M M O N S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y L O N E P I N E B R E W I N G A Lombard Log Hauler restored in 2014 by the University of Maine Mechanical Engineering Technology class of 2014 and the Maine Forest and Logging Museum. Lone Pine Brewing teamed up with the Holy Donut on a tasty collaboration.