B&M Baked Beans factory

The B&M Baked Beans factory is an historic cannery building in Portland, Maine, USA. The building was constructed in 1913 in the East Deering neighborhood by the Burnham & Morrill Company. Baked beans were produced in the building until 2021. The building is a prominent landmark highly visible from Interstate 295. It is located at 1 Beanpot Circle.

History

The Burnham and Morrill Co. began in 1867 on Franklin Street in Portland as a canning factory for vegetables, meat, and fish. The company constructed the B&M Baked Beans factory in 1913. The factory first produced canned beans in 1927. It used a traditional open-pot baking process with iron cauldrons that weighed 200 pounds attached to a ceiling-mounted rail system. The cauldrons were filled with beans, molasses, and other ingredients on the top floor of the factory and baked for hours. The cooked beans were dumped into a chute and went down to the canning line.[1]

In 2021, owner B&G Foods Inc. announced that the B&M Baked Beans factory would close. In August of that year the company removed the factory's brick smoke stack.[2]

The closure of the plant moved the production of the baked beans to the midwest. By late 2022, B&M customers were reporting that the baked beans were undercooked, crunchy, and tasted different. Customers speculated that the beans were no longer being baked. Some customers were hoarding B&M bean cans produced at the Portland plant.[3]

Roux Institute

After its closure, it was sold to Northeastern University, which plans to develop the Roux Institute on the 13.5 acre property. In 2022, it was designated a landmark by the City of Portland.[4] In 2023, the Portland City Council voted to rezone the property from industrial to mixed use and create an institutional overlay zone.[5]

References
  1. McCanna, Ben (2017-05-14). "Take a look inside the 150-year-old B&M Beans factory in Portland". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  2. McGuire, Peter (2021-08-30). "B&M Baked Beans leaving Portland after more than 150 years". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  3. Writer, Ray RouthierStaff (2022-11-06). "B&M fans say makers from away don't know beans". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  4. Stockley, Leela (19 October 2022). "Portland's B&M Bean cannery designated as historic landmark". Bangor Daily News.
  5. "Roux Institute project moves forward after councilors approve zoning change". newscentermaine.com. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-03-04.


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