Mainebiz

J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 2 2 19 F O C U S products, cookbooks and cooking related products; the Miller's Table cafe, which sells loaves of bread, pastries and pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven built by Maine Wood Heat Co. of Skowhegan; and a cheese maker and shop, Crooked Face Creamery. A maker of pizza dough, the Good Crust, recently out- grew the space and moved to nearby Canaan. Combined with what's going on along the Kennebec riverfront (see sidebar), Skowhegan is gaining momentum. In recent days, Mainebiz returned to Skowhegan to meet with some of the other people who are con- tributing to its growth. Cheese and bread — a natural fit Crooked Face Creamery has been making specialty cheeses for more than a decade, but the company defined its identity in the past three years with its move into the Maine Grains building, at 42 Court St. in downtown Skowhegan. Founder Amy Rowbottom, who grew up on a dairy farm in Norridgewock, was working at a pub- lishing house in Vermont but longed to get back to Maine. At first, she worked for Maine Wood Heat Co. (more on that company below), and eventually drew on her dairy farm background to start making cheese, specializing in ricotta. She was selling the ricotta at local farmers mar- kets, but longed for a greater reach — at first, shoot- ing for Whole Foods and other retailers. As she says, she had "to scratch and claw to get an equipment loan" to make cheese. And even then it was a slow process to make any money. "Ricotta paid the bills for 12 years," she says. It was in 2018, as she was having coffee with Amber Lambke at the Miller's Table at Maine Grains, that her fortunes changed direction. She asked Lambke how to garner more business. "Amber said, 'Why don't we go look at some- thing next door.'" Next door was an empty space — also part of the former jail, a basement-like space with thick granite walls. "Amber was thinking about putting in a tap room, but shifted gears" to welcome in Crooked Face Creamery. e building is part of the downtown Tax Increment Financing district, which would help defray expenses. Rowbottom spent more than a year outfitting the space, which required clean rooms for processing raw milk and making cheese. Working in the fortress- like space, she worked with contractors to drill holes for wiring and pipes, install drains and amp up the electrical service. DISCOVER AN ENTIRE ORGANIZATION WORKING FOR YOUR SUCCESS. Loans & Leases Financial Record-Keeping Payroll Services Profitability Consulting Tax Preparation & Planning Appraisals Estate Planning Beginning Farmer Programs Crop Insurance Nobody serves your ag credit needs like Farm Credit East. Farm Credit East was made in agriculture. It's all we do. So every product, every service and every person is dedicated to meeting your financial needs and growing your success. We know agriculture, we understand your business needs, and work to achieve your goals. Discover the difference at Farm Credit East. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » I designed it from scratch. There was no turnkey plan. It was all custom. I'd have to say, 'We're gonna have to think outside the box on this one.' — Amy Rowbottom Crooked Face Creamery

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