Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I 6 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E Maine's top 10 iconic products First, let's just acknowledge that everyone has their own take on this. But if you had to boil down the names or products you hear about the most, these would likely be on the list. The L.L.Bean Boot L.L.Bean's famous boot went through early failures before becoming a favorite of hunters, and eventually college students. Last year, retailer sold 630,000 pairs. The whoopie pie A staple sold in convenience stores and farm stands. One store in Freeport, Wicked Whoopies, tallies annual sales of $3 million. The lobster roll Sold at lobster shacks, food trucks and, famously, at Red's Eats in Wiscasset, where you may stand in line for an hour. You'll pay anywhere from $8 at McDonald's (yes, McD's sells lobster rolls in Maine) to $26 at Red's. Len Libby Chocolatier Scarborough: Known for its life- sized chocolate moose, a tourist attraction and kid favorite. B&M Baked Beans Portland. Millions of people pass the B&M plant on I-295 in Portland. Millions more enjoy the company's beans out of the distinctive jars. This year the company celebrates 150 years. Farmers' Almanac Not to be confused with the Old Farmers Almanac, the Farmers' Almanac is pub- lished by Geiger in Lewiston and has been a staple on farmers' kitchen tables since 1818, published in Maine since 1955. Quoddy Blucher mocs We've all probably owned a pair of Bean's blucher mocs at some point. But Quoddy's are custom made for the buyer and hand-stitched in Perry, on Passamaquoddy Bay, waaay Downeast. They also may be the most expensive pair of shoes you'll own, at $275. Raye's Mustard The Eastport company's own marketing copy evokes a vivid image: "Four generations of the Raye family have been grinding mustard on the rock-bound coast of Maine since 1900." And it tastes good. Thos. Moser's Harpswell Chair The Auburn manufacturer produced the Harpswell Chair to go into the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all sat in the Harpswell chair. PH OTOS / L. L. BEAN BOOTS : TOM FI S H , WI KI M EDI A C OM M ONS / LOBS TER ROLL: LEE C OU R S EY, WI KI M EDI A C OM M ONS / B&M BAKED BEANS : PU BLI C DOM AI N / PADDLE: C OU R TES Y S H AW & TENNEY / M U S TAR D: C OU R TES Y R AYE'S M U S TAR D / LENNY TH E M OOS E: AM Y M ER EDI TH , FLI C KR / FAR M ER S ' ALM ANAC : PETER VAN ALLEN / QU ODDY BLU C H ER M OC S : C OU R TES Y QU ODDY / H AR PS WELL C H AI R : C OU R TES Y TH OS. M OS ER Shaw & Tenney paddles High-quality, old fashioned canoe paddles, hand-crafted from a sawdust-covered shop in Orono. A staple sold in convenience stores and farm stands. One store in Freeport, Wicked Whoopies, A staple sold in convenience stores and farm stands. One store in Freeport, Wicked Whoopies, lished by Geiger in Lewiston and has been

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