Niche in the market

RICHMOND -- At the former Etonic shoe factory in Richmond, live lobsters are locked inside a pressurized tube. They die instantly, a good thing as their shells are ripped from their flesh within seconds of being placed in the machine.

A form of medieval torture? Actually, it's an efficient process that makes possible the shipping of raw lobster meat.

Inside the same factory, another company is perfecting the method of making pies it hopes virtually everyone -- including those with severe allergies -- will be able to eat.

The two businesses, Shucks Maine Lobster and Naturally ME, Inc., are aiming to put Richmond on the map.

They're also helping to keep jobs in Maine, said Gov. John Baldacci, who visited the fledgling ventures on Wednesday.

Currently, Shucks has created 14 new permanent jobs, with up to 20 temporary workers, said Shucks President and CEO John Hathaway. And the company hopes to double its employee roster in 2007, he said.

The company, which is making it possible for tourists and chefs to have their lobster meat without shucking it or re-cooking it, first opened its doors last April.

"Lobster is one of Maine's most precious, sustainable resources, vital to our economy," Baldacci said. "Maine as a name sells."

For years, Baldacci said, as much as 60 percent of Maine lobster has been processed in Canada. "If you want to make money, you have to get into processing," he said.

According to Hathaway, an lawyer and former Maine senator, the way the live lobsters are processed in Richmond is not being done anywhere else in the world.

First, the live lobster goes into a large machine aptly named the "Big Mother Shucker," where the lobster is put in a tube and pressurized enough so that bacteria and other pathogens are neutralized.

The technology of pressurizing a piece of food was initially developed by the U.S. Army to make a better-tasting meal ready to eat, or MRE.

But the pressure also effectively separates the membrane surrounding the lobster meat from the lobster's shell.

After the lobsters come out of the machine, they are shucked by workers whose job it is to help the meat slide out of the shells.

"So you get a perfect claw and a perfect tail when it comes out," Hathaway said.

Before this process, Hathaway said, the only way to kill a live lobster for the meat was to cook it.

Renato Ragosta, a French seafood distributor with facilities in Spain, Italy and France, believes the process will appeal to his customers in the European Union.

Wednesday, Ragosta signed an agreement with Hathaway to distribute Shucks' products in the EU.

"I am very happy and proud to be a part of this wonderful team," Ragosta said. "This means I will try to sell as much lobster meat as I can," he said.

Naturally ME, Inc. also is hoping to expand its staff and is working on wider distribution as a specialty food product. The company currently employs three people.

Baldacci praised the town of Richmond for aiding in the company's plans for expansion.

"The town has really been critical," Baldacci said. "What was a shoe factory now services different businesses, making Maine stronger and more diversified."

Naturally ME President Doug Roberts said the pies can be eaten by people with nine different types of major food allergies and vegans.

The pies contain no: wheat or gluten, egg, dairy, corn, soy, refined sugars, artificial additives, preservatives or coloring, no genetically-modified organisms, nuts of any kind, trans fats, hydrogenated oils or cholesterol.

"To our knowledge, nobody else encompasses all of these eating demands," said Roberts, originally from Massachusetts and now a Boothbay resident.

"We knew we wanted to come to Maine, and began talking to other bakers and looking at manufacturing facilities," Roberts said. "But because we bake wheat-free and gluten-free products, it was very important to actually operate our own facility to avoid cross-contamination."

And, he said, many of the natural ingredients for the Naturally ME Natural Feast pies come from local farmers.

Currently sold in more than 20 states, the pies also can be found in the Nature's Place section at most Hannaford stores, as well as local health food stores. Roberts said the pies soon will be available at Whole Foods Supermarkets. The company is also hoping to expand its product line to include an allergy-friendly pizza crust and muffins.

The owners of Shucks and Naturally ME, Inc. thanked the Baldacci administration for its help.

Both businesses are certified as Pine Tree Zone businesses and both have obtained grants, including Community Development Block Grants, to aid in their expansions.

The Pine Tree Development Zone legislation was introduced by Baldacci in early 2003.

The initiative supports new "qualified business activity" in Maine by offering manufacturers, financial service businesses and targeted technology companies the chance to greatly reduce, or in some cases, virtually eliminate state taxes for up to ten years.

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