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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 A U G U S T 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 "We wanted to have an impact on local foods and are dedicated to local business. We steered clear of farmers markets. We needed to be more convenient and accessible," says Slayton, who works in the store and runs Farmers' Gate Market, a meat farm and shop in Wales. He says the stand tries to keep prices competitive with other food stores in the area. e Farm Stand is getting good reviews from its business neighbors. " ey have brought in a lot of foot traffi c here on Ocean Street," says Jim Gailey, South Portland's city manager. " ey're bringing buzz to the area. I've gone into e Food Stand and purchased vegetables. ey've created a unique and eclectic store niche here." e Farm Stand is across from City Hall. at part of Ocean Street did not have much foot traffi c when the old bridge was still there. But with the diff erent location of the Casco Bay Bridge, more businesses are sprouting up in the neighbor- hood. Gailey says that coincides well with the Mill Creek Master Plan to rejuvenate the area, which city councilors passed unanimously on July 6. South Portland is Maine's fourth-largest city, with a population around 25,002, according to the 2010 census. Mill Creek runs between Broadway and E Street and abuts the waterfront Knightville neighborhood. " ey came at a time when the neighborhood was growing," says Melissa Coriaty, owner of nearby Verbena café, which has been in the neighborhood for seven years. "It's made a great impact. ere are lots of good restaurants here, too." Coriaty says she and e Farm Stand collaborate on some projects, such as a Valentine's Day dinner. " e Food Stand is a great addition," says Coriaty. Notably, she already was buying from Jordan's Farm, and now that produce is closer at the stand. Eyes on SoPo Jordan says she and Slayton were both independently looking to open a market in South Portland, but decided to join forces after Lindsay Weld of Slow Money introduced them. Fournier, a purchaser at Rosemont Market who also had his eyes on South Portland, joined them. Fournier declined to comment on what percent- age of e Farm Stand each co-owner holds. Each invested in e Farm Stand, along with three private investors, for a total of $70,000. Another $70,000 came from the Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund through the Finance Authority of Maine. e stand has 11 employees, including the own- ers, six full-time staff and part-time workers, and hopes to add staff as it grows. "We're beginning to settle down and fi nd a rhythm," he says. "Positions are becoming more defi ned, so as we roll through the fi rst year we are getting a better idea of our staffi ng needs." Fournier says he expects $1 million in sales in the stand's fi rst year, and says it will be profi table. He projects 5% annual growth, which he says is conserva- tive and excludes any expansion. He expects single- store sales to be around $1.3 million within fi ve years. Slayton adds that each co-owner contributes a per- centage of sales from their own goods to the store for overhead, but declined to comment on how much. e group, which says it still is fi guring out sea- sonal fl uctuations in food availability and purchasing, is nonetheless thinking broadly toward its future. "We have a lot of irons in the fi re," says Fournier. at includes a potential second store, more diverse foods, a big kitchen to process its own foods and possibly an eatery. Adds Slayton, "We're trying to fi gure a rhythm and size ourselves appropriately. We don't want to overinvest." Toward zero waste e Farm Stand is looking to get the most out of everything it sells, and aims for zero waste, says Fournier, who on the day Mainebiz visited had just fi nished making a batch of salsa from aging tomatoes. at also goes for currently unused parts of an animal. "We are creating foods that used to go into the compost," he says, such as sauces and ketchup. e diversity includes Slayton's salumi (cured meats) project now underway to get more value out of a pig. e stand hopes to be selling sausage and other value-added foods within the year. Slayton says his meat comes from 100% grass-fed animals, most of which are slaughtered by the L & P Bisson and Sons Meat Market & Farm in Topsham, which then ships whole carcasses to his Wales shop, where the meat is cut. All meat is from Maine. He has 24 diff erent farm partners for sourcing meat. Jordan works with 8 to 10 diff erent farms to get vegetables, plus her own farm. She also buys through Crown O' Maine and Farm Fresh Connection, which extends the network to another dozen farms. e store also buys from six cheesemakers and other pur- veyors of products it doesn't make, like pasta. Having two outlets to sell both fresh and aging produce helps, Jordan says, as she can shift extra tomatoes or broccoli from her farm to the store. "Like any small business, we need to run lean," Jordan says. "With farming, every season is a startup. [With the stand], we had to grow into working as a team and managing two businesses and product availability." Having available products requires a diff erent way of thinking about the defi nition of "local," she says. "We need to help people move beyond the 'local' term and think regionally to get a continuous supply." Lori Valigra, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached a t l v a l i g r a @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ LVa l i g r a The Farm Stand 161 Ocean St., South Portland Founded: August 2014 Co-owners: Ben Slayton, Penny Jordan, Joe Fournier Product: Locally sourced produce, meat, other foods Employees: 11 (including owners; 6 full-time staff) Revenue (est. first year): $1 million Funding: $140,000 (half from Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund, other half from three private investors and three co-owners) Contact: www.thefarmstand.me 805-1481 FOLLOW U S @M BEVENTS #OTRCamden15 For more information, or to register, visit www.mainebiz.biz/OTRCamden or call 207.761.8379 x341 Get out from behind your desk to meet and mingle with other business execs at a special reception for Mainebiz readers. Mainebiz is coming to six new regions of the state to continue facilitating face-to-face networking for the business community. admission is free complimentary hors d'oeuvres cash bar R E G I O N A L S P O N S O R P R E S E N T I N G S P O N S O R 5–7pm | High Mountain Hall Camden, Sept. 24 OTR 2015 READERS' CHOICE WINNER We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact We wanted to have an impact on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated on local foods and are dedicated to local business. We steered clear of farmers markets. We needed to be more convenient and accessible. — Ben Slayton, co-owner

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