Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 M A R C H 6 , 2 0 2 3 S TA R T U P S F O C U S and family and spent $80,000 on credit. Specialists in branding, design and bag and label manufacturing followed. ey leveraged Maine's resources, including University of Maine Cooper- ative Extension classes on topics such as facility design and food safety. Maine's Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped with kitchen layout and lean manufacturing. In 2014, they had three products — Thai Curry, Herbed Mushroom Risotto, Smoked ree Bean Chili — and formally established Good To-Go. In 2016, they made 14,000 meals per month and meals were in over 400 stores. at year, In 2016, they realized that, to be competitive, they needed to scale quickly, and that required addi- tional capital resources. ey raised a $900,000 seed round, to expand the facility and add equipment, from nine accredited angel investors, who included certain family and friends – including a regular customer and a former business partner from Scism's New York restaurant. In 2017, they made 53,000 meals per month and won the $50,000 grant top prize in the annual Gorham Savings Bank LaunchPad pitch competition. In 2022, the company closed on a Series A round of $1 million to enable it to scale the facility further and make strategic hires to support ongoing growth plans. Series A investors included the Maine Venture Fund, Maine Angels, CEI Ventures and Maine Technology Institute. Along they way, they 've also had support from Bangor Savings Bank and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Marketing e partners knew they would be mar- keting to "the outdoor retail crowd" and not going to supermarkets. eir sales representative introduced them to Meriden, Conn.-based retailer Eastern Mountain Sports, which put them in about 50 stores on the East Coast early on. A public relations specialist in the outdoor space introduced them to a trade show called Outdoor Retailer and connected them with a New Hampshire camp stove manufac- turer. e two manufacturers tag- teamed, with Good To-Go doing cooking demonstrations on the stoves. A buyer from Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI swung by, tried the food and soon put in an order. "REI was the driving force for us to become a more national brand," says Scism. e company has added about two distinctive meals per year until 2019, now offering 15 with Scism work- ing on research and development for new recipes. Today, the company's 5-year com- pound annual growth rate is just shy of 21%. Products are in all 50 states and Canada. The company also sells through Amazon and its own website. Average annual production is about 700,000 servings. With 23 employees, she expects to hire up to five more in the coming months. What's next? Market research is underway for natural-food and gro- cery outlets, with an eye toward non- outdoor consumers. Says Scism, "We've had many com- petitors come up and say, "We've copied everything you do. You're really great.'" L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t l s c h r e i b e r @ m a i n e b i z . b i z Good To-Go goodto-go.com / Kittery Founded: 2014 Founders: Jennifer Scism, David Koorits What it does: Food manufacturing Workforce: 23 Funding: Friends and family, credit, seed round, Gorham Savings Bank Launch Pad, Series A round, Bangor Savings Bank, U.S. Small Business Administration N OW AVA I L A B L E In Print and Digital Lists Mainebiz researches companies, executives and transactions in many industries and ranks them by various factors. This comprehensive information on hundreds of companies is the ultimate tool for decision makers doing business in Maine. Become a premium member and get all access to list downloads, the digital version, and print edition. MAINEBIZ.BIZ/PRINTSUB DOWNLOAD A LIST OR ALL LISTS Access the top ranked Maine companies and business leaders with downloads of our entire database of lists in Excel, including the complete Book of Lists, extended lists, and new lists every month. The 2023 Mainebiz Book of Lists P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C O A S TA L M A I N E BO TA N I C A L G A R D E N S — T R O L L S C U L P T U R E / R Ø S K VA B Y T H O M A S DA M BO $19.95 December 26, 2022 VO L . X X V I I I N O. X X X www.mainebiz.biz S P O N S O R E D B Y P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C O A S TA L M A I N E BO TA N I C A L G A R D E N S — T RO L L S C U L P T U R E / R Ø S K VA B Y T H O M A S DA M BO $19.95 December 26, 2022 VO L . X X V I I I N O. X X X www.mainebiz.biz S P O N S O R E D B Y $19.95 December 26, 2022 VO L . X X V I I I N O. X X X www.mainebiz.biz

• Cover