Project
Northeast
Agriculture and Forestry
Industry Analytics and Strategy
State

Maine Food Economy Assessment and Action Plan

March 7, 2025

Wild blueberry harvest in Maine

The Challenge

FocusMaine was looking for a team to help them identify achievable actions to maintain and accelerate food sector job growth in the state. To do so, they were looking for a researcher to conduct data analysis and a facilitator to lead a series of forums to inform the action plan.

The Solution

FocusMaine retained Camoin Associates to fill both roles. In the researcher role, Camoin Associates conducted an in-depth literature review to identify gaps in Maine’s food system and highlighted partnerships and programs to leverage.

The team conducted data analysis on the food economy, food processing, cold storage real estate, the food economy workforce, access to capital, and innovation. Camoin Associates also conducted a SWOT analysis to distill this information into a digestible format and make sense of the findings.

In the facilitator role, the team led a series of five virtual forums, each with different themes and many featuring a panel of speakers from local food businesses who shared their knowledge about topics such as sustainability, capital, technology, and more.

These forums provided attendees with the opportunity for engagement, and Camoin Associates launched a survey during the project to gain additional input into the strategic plan.

The Impact

Throughout this project, the Camoin Associates and FocusMaine team engaged with stakeholders across the state in every area of the food industry. A wide range of voices were incorporated into this work, informing the strategies and actions in the resulting report.