"New commercial-scale food production lab coming to UMaine will expand markets through innovation"

"Maine’s food economy and related rural workforce are well-positioned to grow with new commercial-scale processing and production capacity that will come online soon, thanks to the University of Maine. At its regular meeting in Orono on Monday, the University of Maine System (UMS) Board of Trustees authorized UMaine to spend  $4.46 million in state and federal funds to create the UMaine Food Innovation Lab by renovating 4,800 square feet of existing space in the Keyo Building on the Orono campus and potentially adding a 1,200-square-foot addition. Construction would start this fall and the facility is expected to open by the end of 2025 and will feature three commercial food processing rooms, a walk-in cooler and freezer, various processing equipment, blast-freezing equipment, kettles, a classroom, and more." Read more here