Time seems frozen at the mouth of Back Cove.
Despite restless tides and the nearby rush of interstate traffic, one corner of the shore seems remarkably unchanged: the B&M Baked Beans factory.
Since 1913, the four-story building in Portland has been churning out canned food. Today, inside and out, it looks relatively unchanged – a living time capsule from the era of silent films, World War I and the early days of assembly lines.
This year, B&M celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The business began on Franklin Street in 1867, when George Burnham opened a food cannery to package meat, vegetables and fish. Soon thereafter, he was joined by Charles Morrill to form the Burnham & Morrill Co. The pair eventually developed their prized product: a gooey combination of beans, spices and condiments that has been the constant companion to hot dogs and other Saturday night fare for decades.
Nearly 50 years after its founding, the operation moved to the edge of Casco Bay – at 1 Bean Pot Circle – where it continues to pump out steam and the scent of molasses.
Take a look inside the 150-year-old B&M Beans factory in Portland
B&M Beans, a landmark in Portland, continues to make a Saturday night staple.
This year, B&M hits a major milestone: its 150-year anniversary. The Portland business began on Franklin Street in 1867 when George Burnham opened a food cannery. Soon after, he was joined by Charles Morrill to form the Burnham & Morrill Company. In 1913, the operation moved to the shore of Casco Bay in East Deering where it continues to this day. In this photo, B&M employee Kyle Corbeil uses a hoist to deliver a steel crate with than 100 cans of beans to a pressure cooker, or retort. The 104-year-old facility has 36 such retorts. Each silo-shaped, 10-feet-deep retort can simultaneously hold four crates, where cans are sterilized at a temperature about 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes to five hours, depending on the product. Staff photo by Ben McCanna
Time seems frozen at the mouth of Back Cove.
Despite restless tides and the nearby rush of interstate traffic, one corner of the shore seems remarkably unchanged: the B&M Baked Beans factory.
Since 1913, the four-story building in Portland has been churning out canned food. Today, inside and out, it looks relatively unchanged – a living time capsule from the era of silent films, World War I and the early days of assembly lines.
This year, B&M celebrates its 150th anniversary.
The business began on Franklin Street in 1867, when George Burnham opened a food cannery to package meat, vegetables and fish. Soon thereafter, he was joined by Charles Morrill to form the Burnham & Morrill Co. The pair eventually developed their prized product: a gooey combination of beans, spices and condiments that has been the constant companion to hot dogs and other Saturday night fare for decades.
Nearly 50 years after its founding, the operation moved to the edge of Casco Bay – at 1 Bean Pot Circle – where it continues to pump out steam and the scent of molasses.
Inside, the production line is gravity-fed, for the most part. On the top floor, empty 200-pound iron bean pots swing from a ceiling-mounted rail system. Hairnet-clad workers use brute force to roll the cauldron-like pots from one station to the next, filling them with beans, molasses, cane sugar and other ingredients.
After baking for several hours inside industrial ovens that are shaped like top-loading washing machines, the pots, which now weigh 900 pounds, are dumped by hand into a chute. From there, they slide down to the canning line. Eventually, each can wends its way into the facility’s 40,000-square-foot warehouse on the ground floor.
The company’s main ingredient – pea beans – is sourced from Michigan and Manitoba and arrives by truck in 2,000-pound bags. For decades, the dry beans were shipped by train, but in the fall of 2015 the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad discontinued freight service between Auburn and B&M – the railway’s southern terminus. B&M was the sole customer along the 24-mile stretch of rails and it was no longer cost-effective to maintain the tracks. Today the beans are transported by truck, and that has increased costs, according to production supervisor David Rickett.
Despite the plant’s antique appearance, a lot has changed over the years. At its peak, the facility employed more than 300 workers, Rickett said. But automation gradually took over, and today that number stands at 75.
Read more: Take a look inside the 150-year-old B&M Beans factory in Portland
