KITTERY, Maine By the end of this month, State Road could feature a new business, showcasing its tasty creations.
Urban Farm Fermentory, a fermented beverage producer in Portland, is expanding its small business and opening a second location in Maine’s southernmost town which owner Eli Cayer has come to love.
“Kittery is a great town and is the gateway to the state of Maine from the south,” he said, adding, “Portsmouth has always been one of my favorites.”
Specializing in craft beverages, Urban Farm Fermentory, founded by Cayer in 2010, produces kombucha, cider, beer, gruits, mead and jun. The company uses local products and ones foraged by Urban Farm Fermentory, when possible. Most of their products, Cayer said, are gluten-free.
February 10, 2021
Auspicious Brew, a women-owned small business, is the first licensed kombucha brewery in the state of New Hampshire.
While working together in a restaurant, co-owners Bri Hehir and Helen Leavitt found that they shared a mutual passion for kombucha brewing. They are both trained herbalists, seasoned gardeners, brewers, and service industry veterans with over 25 years of experience.
They shared their homemade kombucha with each other and their coworkers. Eventually, their boss encouraged them to participate in a local food and beverage event, where their kombucha received very positive feedback.
“Everybody was asking when it was available or where we were making it, where they could buy it, and so it was super encouraging,” says Leavitt. “We just decided, at that event pretty much, that we would try to figure out what it would take to sell this product. It seemed like there was a need and a want for it in our community.”