Here at Maine Course, we will begin to share regular blog posts featuring local producers who work with Sodexo and Maine Course here in Maine to share these companies’ incredible stories of running successful small business here in Maine. Our inaugural featured producer is Rockland, Maine-based Bixby & Company. Kate MacAleer is the founder and co-owner of this Women-Owned Company, which has been making delicious, sustainably produced, and responsibly-sourced confectioneries since 2011. Kate saw a void in the candy industry of “better-for-you, organic, non-GMO alternative” sweets, and hoped to bring a change to the candy industry. Bixby & Co now produces a wide range of sweets in their Rockland factory, which is a converted ice factory on the working waterfront, by making their own chocolate from responsibly sourced cacao, and using local ingredients like wild Maine blueberries and Maine sea salt. 

Kate says that the company has been very successful, growing significantly since 2011, and she sees a great trajectory for continued growth. Bixby & Co. products are currently sold at many small and large-scale retailers, such as Whole Foods, Hannaford, Shaw’s, and Rosemont Market. Bixby also has a unique opportunity, too, as a supplier for the US Military, through the Rockland Coast Guard Base. Additionally, the company’s products are sold through Sodexo at many Maine institutions, including the University of Maine System campuses. Kate has been working with Maine Course for about a year now and says that “the mission of Maine Course is outstanding,” and that it is important for Maine producers and consumers to “support local businesses to make Maine better and stronger.”

If you would like to learn more about Kate and Bixby & Co., check out their website bixbyco.com or find them on social media.