Good To-Go, the Kittery-based company that makes dehydrated meals, ranging from Indian Vegetable Korma to Chicken Gumbo, designed to give hikers and other outdoor adventurers gourmet meals on the trail, has expanded its facility and hired additional staff to prepare for what it expects will be major growth in 2019.
The company, which was founded in 2014 by husband-wife team Jennifer Scism and David Koorits, had been unable to keep up with demand within the new production facility it had built just two years ago. So, it built a 900-square-foot addition to the facility, which was recently completed. The addition contains a USDA-compliant packaging room that will allow the company to increase its packaging capacity by 300% to meet increasing consumer demand. Because it operates under USDA inspection, it also opens opportunities for more meat-based meals.
The expansion was funded in part by $150,000 the company received from the Maine Technology Institute Asset Fund 2.0, which contained the $45 million from the R&D bond Maine voters approved in 2017. The company matched the grant with another $150,000.
“We’ve received a tremendous amount of support through many organizations across the state,” said Scism, who is a chef who once, along with her team, beat Mario Batali of the Food Network’s Iron Chef program. “This MTI fund was just another example of how Maine is supporting its small businesses. Being able to increase our production means we can keep up with the growing demand from both retailers and consumers.”
Good To-Go has also added five new employees, two in the the office and three more in production, according to a news release. That brings the company’s total headcount to more than 15.
The company’s gourmet dehydrated meals are now sold in over 600 stores nationwide and in Canada.
