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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 N OV E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 Innovation, value-added are key "We need to invest more in innovation and to add more value to the food we do produce," says Biemann. "And we need to move more production from com- modity to high value-added food." She cited Pineland Farms Potato Co.'s deals to sell mashed potatoes to Applebee's restaurants and others. "One key way to leverage [Maine's] potential is greater collaboration among the business com- munity and cluster support organizations — as we see in other states like Vermont and Oregon — to build an action plan that is focused on strengths, while also addressing gaps, to grow these industries and create jobs," Karen Mills, a senior fellow to the project and a former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, says in a statement when the study was released. Biemann says the Kennedy School is interested in how the public and private sectors are connecting to solve problems, which is why it looked at Maine's food cluster as well as others around the country. It has a mapping portal that it launched last summer for work- ers in economic development, the research community and practitioners. Included is information about what the school learns about how a cluster is performing. e study used cluster-analysis tools from the Harvard Business School to look at and pull together data of Maine's economic performance. It also sur- veyed food business leaders and companies and asked their perception of their industry, business environ- ment and resources. Finally, it looked at how Maine is organized to support the growth of its existing clusters. "As we grow our farms and compete region- ally and nationally, we need access to expertise and capital that sometimes is hard to fi nd here," says Lisa Webster, owner of North Star Sheep Farm and president of the Agricultural Council of Maine, when the report was released. "Several of the report's recommendations could help Maine farms connect with the resources that they need to grow to that next scale of operations and success." Gary Harris, director of sustainable agriculture and food systems at CEI, agrees. "Better infrastructure to support those farmers who wish to scale and grow is critical to the growth of Maine's food cluster overall." e Harvard report concludes by saying that while cluster analysis can highlight potential growth opportunities, ultimately Maine's food business leaders, food system advocates, investors and others need to come together and defi ne a growth plan. ree potential focus areas are scaling up food pro- cessing to add value and boost productivity; working with growth-oriented, mid-sized companies look- ing to expand sales outside of Maine; and exploring industry niches where Maine businesses can product sustainable food and beverages, as the world's demand for protein is expected to double by 2050. Biemann says another strength of Maine is that it is able to attract new farmers, who in turn add ne w jobs in some regions. And while they are try- ing to feed their local communities, Biemann says, " ey also need to expand the market so they don't cannibalize each other." 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 E S TA B L I S H E D 1 8 7 1 PT.banking.indd 1 11/19/15 10:02 AM

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