The 40th annual New England Made Giftware & Specialty Food Show is still the only juried wholesale giftware and specialty food show featuring quality New England made products. The show is not open to the public but to qualified retail buyers only. More than 300 companies displayed their latest products at the spring show.

Among them, was Boothbay’s Mumbai to MAINE, LLC, a woman-owned simmer sauce company that won Best New Product second place, for its regional Indian simmer sauce collection. The sauces are hand-made in small batches using premium ingredients and sold in sustainable gift boxes or handcrafted wooden crates, with recipe cards, via the company’s website, nationwide.For the second consecutive year Mumbai to MAINE was showcased in the CEI Women’s Business Center, I.D.E.A. Pavilion with 3 other female diversity owned entrepreneurs.

“The NEM show was an outstanding venue to share my founder story and to position my gourmet Indian simmer sauce collection in front of highly vetted and qualified buyers in New England,” said owner Cherie Scott. “Knowing that only the buyers voted on the best product category is a game-changer. I’ve received several orders from specialty retail stores across New England, expanding my network beyond Maine. I am grateful to the SBA and the CEI Women’s Business Center for the continued support and confidence in my company: a brand that is 100% immigrant, woman-owned and Maine made,” added Scott.

Boothbay Harbor’s Coastal Maine Popcorn won Best New Product honorable mention for its Key Lime Cheesecake flavor. Co-owner, Julie Roberts shared, “It was incredible to have our Key Lime Cheesecake popcorn chosen as an honorable mention for Best New Product at the New England Made show this spring. All of our popcorn is made by hand, one batch at a time, and hand sifted. We air pop our popcorn, rather than using oil, which makes it healthier, crunchier, and provides a longer shelf life than oil popped varieties.” Another score for Coastal Maine Popcorn was its recent launch at Reny’s stores across the state. Coastal Maine Popcorn is co-owned by Julie and Paul Roberts and now entering its 16th year in business.