Maine Needham Company expands to new facility in Saco

SACO — A Maine tradition just got a little sweeter. The owners of Maine Needham Company have moved production out of their home and have opened a production facility in Saco’s industrial park.

Needhams, the uniquely Maine candy with a coconut and mashed potato base covered in chocolate, was introduced in the 1870s by John Seavey of Seavey Sweets, according to local folklore.

In 2019, Saco couple Gerard and Malaika Picard bought Maine Needham Company, a business that started in 2007 by Linda Lenberg in a small kitchen in Norway, Maine.

“It’s a great product. She laid a great foundation,” said Gerard.

Using the tried-and-true recipe, the Picards have grown the brand, expanding the reach with an online store and creating a variety of flavors like key lime, maple, espresso and blueberry.

Photo Courtesy of Malaika Picard

Business reached a point where the North Saco couple had to move the business out of the 600 square-foot space in their basement. To get a sense of how many needhams are being produced, at Christmas time Gerard was making 5,000 needhams a day, four days a week.

The Picards invited friends, family, and the local business community to celebrate with a barbecue at their new production facility at 42 Industrial Park Road on Thursday evening.  

The new facility is about four times the size of the space they used in their home, with a climate-controlled area for the potato coconut filling to cure before it gets coated in chocolate, and easier access for deliveries through a doorway in the back. There’s also office space and a foyer, where they have set up a display of historic needham memorabilia.

“We’ve taken it upon ourselves to create the first Needham museum,” said Malaika, joking with the crowd who had gathered for a tour of the facility at Thursday’s celebration.

 

Malaika Picard gives a tour of the Maine Needham Company on Thursday. SBN STAFF/Liz Gotthelf

Some of the work to make the needhams is done by hand, such as rolling out the base filling. Other work, such as dipping the confections in chocolate, is done by mechanical machines. The machines, which are estimated to be about 50 or so years old, are easy to troubleshoot and fix and were handed down by the original Maine Needham Company owner.

The Picards have about six part-time employees – some seasonal, some year-round- and with the new facility, there’s potential for growth in the future.

And the Picards now have their basement back.

“Within 24 hours we converted it back to a family room,” said Malaika.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.