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Food Safety System Supports Rapid Domestic Market Expansion
With the help of: Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership
About
Chow Maine is a food manufacturer in Trenton, Maine, with 15 employees. Founded in 2008, the woman-owned company has grown rapidly. A manufacturer of prepackaged Asian meals including Pad Thai, noodle salads and egg rolls, Chow Maine currently sells in 44 North Atlantic Whole Foods Markets and some independent health food stores. The company also recently expanded into the Big Y Supermarket chain and UNFI/Fresh distribution to the Northeast region.
The Challenge
As Chow Maine grew, it became evident that a food safety system would be necessary to meet the requirements of larger supermarket chains and distributors. Owner Chiaolin Korona reached out to Maine MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, to see if there was any support in developing a food safety system to prepare for a third-party audit.
With Maine MEP's exemplary guidance, Chow Maine is able to launch new products and expand our business. This special effort directly resulted in a 30% increase in our sales and enabled us to provide additional jobs to the local economy. We truly appreciate Rob Clement's expertise, patience and foresight in the completion of our comprehensive food safety plan.
MEP's Role
Maine MEP Project Manager Rob Clement engaged with Chow Maine to develop a food safety plan and help the company prepare for a third-party audit. Over the course of 2022, Rob assisted the company with developing a HARPC plan and SOPs for food safety. He also delivered training in hazard analysis.
With the food safety system in place, Chow Maine was able to secure two major contracts in addition to their existing relationships with Whole Foods. The contracts were with the Big Y supermarket chain in Massachusetts and UNFI, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of health and specialty foods. Chow Maine attributes having the food safety system in place to helping them secure both these contracts.