Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 5 , 2 0 1 6 18 e product, which sells for around $22 a bottle, is dis- tributed through Portland-based Crush Distributors. Partners Eric Martin and Michael Terrien, an experienced vintner who produces Terrien wines in California, just barreled their 2016 vintage, which they anticipate will be their best since they started Bluet in 2012, partly because they're tweaking the process, but also because Maine's hot dry summer created an intensely fl avored crop of berries. e fi rst vintage they bottled for commercial release, 2014, sold out 500 bottles in a month. e 2015 vintage, 2,000 bottles, also sold out within a few months. Boyhood friends in Cape Elizabeth, both part- ners now live out of state, working remotely with frequent visits. Bluet is made with only a small amount of sugar to feed the yeast. e wine's bubbles come from the natural fermentation process. It's 100% wild Maine blueberries. It has a natural acidity and the wine is similar to white wine, Terrien says. At a time when the USDA is buying up surplus Maine blueberries, "Bluet might be the highest added value product of all for Maine wild blueberries," Terrien says. "We're using three pounds per bottle." e Wild Blueberry Association of North America has embarked on a public relations eff ort to increase consumption. " ere's a huge potential market, and Bluet could become part of the Maine experience of summer — lobsters and blueberry wine," Terrien says. Terrien expects to do 4,000 bottles from this summer's crush. Bluet aims to produce 2,000 cases (12 bottles per case) by 2020, which he estimates would require $125,000 in capital to add equipment, at least one employee and more functional space. Funding to date, close to $100,000, has come from the partners' wallets. "Our costs are huge now, but they'll go down over time," Terrien says. "On a unit basis, we're profi table now, but all profi ts are going back into growing the business." ey bought used equipment from Terrien's vint- ner colleagues and his wife, Hannah Henry, a senior web designer with Old Navy, built their website and manages their marketing. For now, they're using the basement of a bed-and-breakfast in Jeff erson. "It's a low-ceilinged space with one entryway. We can't back a truck in there," he says. "We have to hand carry everything out, which is not going to work as we expand." Bluet is one of the 26 participants chosen for this coming season's "Greenlight Maine" television pro- gram, which will award a $200,000 grand prize. "We've been exploring federal, state, and local dollars, through the USDA's [Local Food Promotion Program] and we've met with CEI," Terrien says. "We've been surprised to see how much money is avail- able to help small companies get started in Maine." Maine Root shows the way Soft drink manufacturing is nothing like the descrip- tor implies — it's hard and intensely competitive, says Mark Seiler, founder of Maine Root, whose eight bottled sodas and three lemonades are distributed through fi ve warehouses around the country. Maine Root's market includes North America, Europe, Dubai and Hong Kong. Its fountain drinks, which are Wouldn't it be great if your technology actually worked when you needed it to? With BEK Inc.'s Certified Professionals and TechSentinel Managed Services — it can. Predictable, fixed IT costs Ongoing updates and virus protection One point of contact for all support needs Your Custom IT Resource 9 Industrial Parkway #1, Brunswick 207.729.7600 | www.bekinc.net » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F O C U S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E RO O T P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E RO O T Mark Seiler, co-founder of Maine Root, cites the need to form cost-effi cient relationships with distributors.

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