BOWDOINHAM, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Lending a hand to farmers in need is something that Rosemont Market and Bakery doesn't think twice about. Chris Cavendish is a testament to that.
He started Fishbowl Farm in Bowdoinham in 2003, harvesting salad products. Things were tough at first trying to get momentum with his business. When his daughter was born it got even tougher to balance work with home life.
"It was becoming even more challenging for us to make a living and I was working a lot and I had a new wife and a young child and my priorities in life had shifted," said Cavendish.
He decided to downsize his crops to between six and eight salad products. He found help from the owner of Rosemont Market and Bakery, John Naylor. Naylor committed to buying a large supply of Cavendish's products and the new dad was able to focus on growing and spending time with family, without worrying about money.
"We want to know who are farmers are," said Naylor. "We want to be friends with them. We want to understand how they grow their stuff. We want to be able to train our staff to understand what goes on on farms."
Rosemont's guaranteed business meant that Cavendish had to up his game, investing in GPS technology to maximize growth and inventing his own salad spinner. A recycled washing machine that now spins and cleans lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula. Innovation that was fueled by the belief that Rosemont put into Fishbowl Farm.
"Our business is definitely relationship based and as a result I definitely work really hard to strengthen those relationships," said Cavendish.
You can find Fishbowl Farm's salad greens on the shelves at all of Rosemont Market and Bakery's six store locations. They are located in Portland, Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth.