The vegan market is growing in Maine, from soaps to pasta sauces

Baked goods, fresh spreads and frozen treats are among the other new, locally made, plant-based foodstuffs.

Maine’s vegan and vegetarian businesses continue to be a hive of activity, as more entrepreneurs enter the space and existing ones expand their product lines.

For instance, the products produced by Midcoast Vegan, a startup producer of artisan vegan cheeses and meats, are now being distributed to grocery stores in Maine and New Hampshire. The menu at the Alto Terrace Bar + Kitchen in the new Cambria Hotel in Portland offers vegan options for every course. And all the Rosemont Market stores now carry a selection of vegan baked goods from online vegan bakery Baristas + Bites, based in Portland.

As a play on Dry January, James Beard-nominated Norimoto Bakery in Deering Center announced a number of its baked goods were going “dry” from animal-based butter. Its vegan plain and chocolate croissants sold out quickly. January is over, but Norimoto has kept a few vegan items on the menu. The following month, The Block Saloon in Thomaston took reservations for a four-course, all-vegan dinner paired with vegan cocktails.

Vegan company Healing Home Foods in Oxford is testing new products – mocha biscotti bites and seeds & such crackers – and selling limited batches on its website. And in May, Frinklepod Farm in Arundel is launching a Plant-Curious Cooking School, with a weekend-long cooking class intensive May 19-21.

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