Orange Bike Brewing Co., a Portland-based maker of gluten-free beer, recently debuted in 25 Hannaford stores across Maine to expand its reach in Maine.
The niche brewer, led by founder Tom Ruff, entered Hannaford in late March with two of its core beers — its award-winning flagship Pilsner and is best-selling New England Hazy IPA.
“We’re hopeful to add a third seasonal SKU [stock-keeping unit] this fall as discussions continue,” Ruff told Mainebiz this week.
Tom Ruff and his orange bike. FILE PHOTO / JIM NEUGER
Ruff launched Orange Bike in November 2023 in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood.
The name pays homage to Ruff’s orange RadWagon Cargo Bike as a tribute to his daughter “and her future aspiration for a broader community grounded in a more humane, healthy and sustainable way of life,” he told Mainebiz in a previous interview.
With Orange Bike, Ruff founded Portland’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery — one of the few in the U.S. making beer specifically for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
The Hannaford deal expands the company’s reach from southern Maine to Bangor via the state’s largest grocery chain and comes about a year after the grocery chain approached Orange Bike.
“There were multiple conversations, meetings, onboarding steps and planning sessions along the way,” Ruff explained. “Hannaford has been a terrific partner and very supportive of both our business and our broader mission around accessibility for the gluten-free/celiac community.”
March’s rollout, during Celiac Awareness Month, was “especially meaningful,” Ruff said.
Orange Bike beers are now available at 25 Hannaford stores, including this one in South Portland. PHOTO / RENEE CORDES
Ruff said he hopes the partnership with Hannaford will expand over time.
“Long term, we’d love to continue growing alongside Hannaford across its broader footprint throughout the Northeast,” he said.
Orange Bike Brewing is staffed by 21 employees.
The company completed its third brewery expansion this winter in preparation for continued growth, including adding three new 20-barrel fermentation tanks, according to Ruff.
“That expansion supports both the Hannaford rollout and our broader network of 200-plus wholesale and retail accounts across Maine,” he said.
