WINSLOW, ME — Better With Buckwheat, the artisanal buckwheat snack producer that rebranded from Maine Crisp last fall, has welcomed Joshua Wright as director of operations.
With over 12 years of food and beverage manufacturing experience, Wright will work to improve the company’s operational efficiency as it expands nationwide.
“The operation has a ton of potential, and I am excited to help lead the team through our incredible growth,” Wright said. “The products are delicious and unique — my role in building a robust manufacturing team will expand operations to make a highly profitable product that meets consumers’ needs for better-for-you snacks.”
Wright joined Better With Buckwheat in December 2023 days prior to a major flood that damaged the company’s 17,500-square-foot facility. He was instrumental in the recovery process and helped the company restart production 34 days after the incident.
“In the future, I hope the first days of our new employees aren’t met with 100-year flooding events and power losses,” said Lewis Goldstein, CEO of Better With Buckwheat. “Josh’s presence during that event was invaluable to our recovery. But regardless of the flood, as we experience exponential growth, we were excited to find someone with Josh’s experience to optimize our wonderful new facility to enable us to meet our aggressive growth targets. Josh’s background in food and beverage was a perfect fit for us, and we’re lucky to have him.”
“The products are delicious and unique — my role in building a robust manufacturing team will expand operations to make a highly profitable product that meets consumers’ needs for better-for-you snacks.” — Joshua Wright | director of operations | Better With Buckwheat
Better Than Buckwheat experienced triple-digit growth between 2022 and 2023. With new packaging equipment in place through the state’s Agricultural Infrastructure Improvement Program, the company is set to continue its growth through increased efficiency and great production capacity.
Thanks to partnerships with distributors UNFI and KeHE, the brand’s crisps and snack crackers will enter new grocers beginning in May.
