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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 M A R C H 8 , 2 0 2 1 M A N U FA C T U R I N G at process, too, is quintessential Maine. "We're approaching it the way we've approached the rest," Field says. "Figuring out what feels right and not necessarily doing anything that feels too big or too risky." ey're also thinking of ways to expand design-wise. "We're looking back into Maine's history and finding other tidbits that are representative of who we are as a state," Korzen says. Tourists, particularly in 2020, have been a big market, which was a sur- prise, Korzen says. "People who come here and are shopping in the Old Port. ey're taking this home with them." ey're not surprised that some- thing that says "Maine," not in words but in design, is so popular. "e values the flag represents — community hard work, self-reliance, nature — that all accounts for a lot of the mystique of Maine and the reason people want to take that image back with them." Maine-grown success Four years ago, Maine Crisp Co. was taking over Karen and Steve Getz's Waterville house, so they moved it into 2,500 square feet at 10 Railroad Square. Since then, it's spread into some unused space down the hall and a 3,500-square- foot warehouse in Benton. ree years after moving out of the house, Maine Crisp is preparing to move into a 17,500-square-foot building in nearby Winslow that CEO Michael Ross bought in December and will lease to the company. Steve Getz says the move will allow the company to triple its workforce of 11, with more expansion to come. at's a fast trajectory for a com- pany that started with award-winning cheesemaker Karen wondering what she could make using Maine buck- wheat and blueberries. It's the buckwheat that started it. e family, including daughters Rachel and Claire, lived on a farm in Vermont, with Steve working for milk distributor Organic Valley. He frequently made trips to Aroostook County. He wanted to move to Maine, but Karen wasn't sold. But she accompanied Steve on one of his visits and saw the waving buckwheat fields in the St. John River Valley, and she was hooked. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Maine Crisp owners Karen and Steve Getz in their Waterville production plant. F O C U S