Courtesy / Bub 'n Mutha’s
John Fuhrman of Bub 'n Mutha’s took first place in the second annual Downeast Business Bootcamp Pitch Off.
April 7, 2022
Downeast pitch-off prize goes to a spicy business in Winter Harbor
A Winter Harbor producer of barbecue dry rubs is planning to expand customer outreach and production space after taking home the judge’s prize for top contender in the second annual Downeast Business Bootcamp Pitch Off.
Bub 'n Mutha’s is a veteran-owned company founded by John Fuhrman. His products use natural spices and ingredients from Maine companies like Raye's Mustard, Maine Maple and Coffee Hound, and can be found in 71 stores in seven states.
The pitch-off competition was held for businesses in Washington and Hancock counties. Bub 'n Mutha’s went up against four other Downeast businesses to take home the first-place prize of $5,000.
Fuhrman said he plans to use his winnings to attend public events to expand his customer base and to cover a year's rent at the Union River Center for Innovation, a business incubator in Ellsworth.
He said the larger space will allow him to increase production, and that he plans to work with a distribution clearinghouse that places products with major chains.
Credit to Mutha
Fuhrman is a Winter Harbor native who founded Bub n’ Mutha’s in 2018 after a career in the automotive field outside of Maine, according to his LinkedIn profile.
His website bio credits his mother, or “Mutha,” for her production of “wicked good food,” including “a real food fest with smoked ribs and brisket, lobstah and some traditional fried dough for dessert.”
She also made a “special blend of spices” for meat.
“All of a sudden, it hit me like a runaway lobstah trap,” he wrote. “We can’t keep this discovery a secret. So, now you see why we had to start makin' a dry rub for BBQ right here in Wintah Habah, Maine. Bub 'n Mutha's DownEast Dinnah Dust is born.”
Eventually, he wrote, he began experimenting with different spices for rubs
He returned to Maine and set out to create a company making rubs using Maine flavors that would hire young veterans, with the goal of helping to keep Winter Harbor vibrant year-round.
Blending standard rub spices with Maine ingredients like organic blueberry powder, maple crystals and Raye’s Mustard helped create the company’s original DownEast Dinnah Dust.
Later, he added honey crystals and chipotle to the mustard and blueberry and created a “Honey ‘n HEAT” flavor.
“And I loved every minute spent creating, mixing, bottling and sharing,” he wrote.
Blessings and brews
The other competitors in the competition were:
- Blessing Hands of Maine, a locally owned non-medical, in-home care agency serving aging seniors and adults with disabilities in Washington, Hancock and Penobscot counties;
- Horn Run Brewing, a local family-owned brewery in Eastport;
- Ellsworth’s Ashes to Ashes, an enterprise of Harbor View Studio, a photography studio that creates archival quality keepsake prints of loved ones that incorporate cremated remains in the pigment; and
- Red Gypsy Bohemian, which makes custom, handmade home decor on Beals Island.
The competition was judged by Machias Savings Bank Chief Banking Officer Chris Lyford, Coastal Enterprises CEO Betsy Biemann and the Maine Community Foundation’s director of philanthropy, Maggie Drummond Bahl.
“The decision to pick a single winner was challenging, as all five businesses were very different and all the entrepreneurs delivered strong pitches,” Biemann said. “In the end, Bub’n Mutha’s had the strongest overall message about product, growth, community impact and clarity around purpose.”
Blessing Hands of Maine won the $5,000 Audience Choice award, determined by the highest number of the 58 voting audience participants during the live virtual event on Zoom.
Eastport’s Horn Run Brewing was the $3,500 second-place award by the judges.
The five businesses spent two weeks practicing their pitches and learning business skills from a team of local experts.
This year’s event was co-hosted by Coastal Enterprises Inc., Maine Small Business Development Centers, CEI Women’s Business Center, Sunrise Country Economic Council and MaineStreet Business Building.
The Bootcamp was sponsored by Machias Savings Bank and the Maine Community Foundation. In kind-services were provided to participants and winners by Maine Made, Downeast Photography Maine, Branch Pond Computers, Oncourse Business Services, Swanson Consulting & Associates and Varney Insurance.
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