Hello, we are Jace and Amanda. We established Heart of Maine Homestead in 2022 in the foothills of Central Maine.
We are currently raising geese, ducks, chickens, rabbits, and pigs with the intention of expanding the homestead. We plan to add a dairy cow in the future and potentially goats and sheep. We also plan to continue expanding our garden area and orchard, with a new addition of a vineyard somewhere down the line.
But how did we arrive at this point, owning our dream property?
We lived in the intercity of New Jersey and decided that enough was enough. We were born and raised in New Jersey, which is the most densely populated state in the country. We grew very tired of the hustle and bustle, the pollution, the traffic and the lack of green space. We wanted change.
In 2018 once we were both graduated from college we decided to go on a cross-country road trip, WWOOFing along the way, to find our “happy place”. We both agreed that our forever home was Maine and that it would be a wonderful place to raise a family.
It took us roughly 2 years of searching for properties, making phone calls, sending emails, and being let down, in order for us to acquire our charming spot here in Dexter, Maine. It was all worth it though and we are so very grateful to be where we are now!
Prior to our official move, we began transitioning towards the healthy lifestyle that we aspired to live. This means that we learned the skills that we could in the position that we were in at that time. We learned how to bake bread, make soap, be mindful of ingredients lists on both food and healthcare products, to grow a garden, to can foods, to cook from scratch, to hunt and forage, carpentry work, and the list goes on.
Once we honed in on many of these skills, we started planning and discussing which skills we wanted to pursue for future business endeavors. It just so happened that friends and family fell in love with our health and beauty products and with that, we knew that was the direction we wanted to head in.
With the help of Emily Dana and her creativity, ideas for a logo for Heart of Maine Homestead were established; that was the start in our journey of building a business. With a lot of planning, coordinating, and dedication we were able to develop a complete product line and have it come to fruition with the help of Sharon Bingham and her beautiful label designs. We are now proud small business owners in Dexter, Maine and it brings us joy to share our healthy, affordable product line with you!