Directories

Service Category

Specialty Food Production

Business Description

At Raye’s Mustard, innovation doesn’t always look like shiny new equipment. In fact, one of our greatest innovations has been our commitment to preserving and maintaining our original Second Industrial Era machinery—still in daily use. We are the last traditional stoneground mustard mill in North America, and the only one known to still operate using belt-driven quartz grindstones. Rather than replace this historic equipment with modern industrial systems, we’ve embraced our heritage as a differentiator. That choice has required creativity, technical skill, and a deep respect for craftsmanship. We’ve become our own engineers, mechanics, and historians—learning how to maintain 19th-century machinery with 21st-century ingenuity. In doing so, we’ve preserved not just our process, but a piece of industrial food manufacturing history. Now, through the creation of the Raye’s Mustard Mill Museum, we’re turning that innovation into education—inviting the public to experience living history in action. Please see the attached Company Values graphic, which we use to guide both internal decisions and external relationships. It’s a touchstone for our team and a promise to our community. We believe in tradition, quality, community, and authenticity. One example is our commitment to using our original grindstones and handcrafted process—even though it’s slower and more labor-intensive than modern methods. That choice reflects our belief that history and quality matter. Another example is the creation of the Museum. We could have sold the business or scaled for efficiency. Instead, we chose preservation over profit, establishing the Raye’s Mustard Mill Museum so future generations can experience the craft firsthand. That decision reflects our deep commitment to heritage and community impact. See attached and reference above. Also,here is wonderful article in Edible Maine that featured Raye's Mustard.