The relationship between Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm and ANCA goes way back — to 1986 when founder and owner Sandy Maine participated in ANCA’s inaugural Adirondack Buyer Days trade show. She was in the early stages of her soapmaking career, and ANCA’s annual gift show provided her with wholesaling experience and connections that would help her grow her markets and build her business. Sandy has since attended all but a handful of our 37 Adirondack Buyer Days shows.
Fast forward to 2019, when Sandy began thinking more intentionally about the future of the business she had nurtured for decades. She approached ANCA about how our Center for Businesses in Transition (CBIT) could help connect her with succession planning resources and potential buyers. Sidetracked by the pandemic, her transition plans shifted when her son Clark and daughter-in-law Yen grew more interested in taking on the family business. The couple had been living and working in Shanghai, China, not far from Yen’s home in Taiwan, and were ready to return to New York to raise a family and build their own North Country future.
Clark and Yen worked closely with Sandy and her experienced team, becoming more skilled and confident with various aspects of the family business — from product development and production to marketing and sales. With support from ANCA and CBIT partners, they officially purchased Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm in June 2023.
“This step marks an exciting expansion for us but also a deep honor, as we take the reins of this cherished institution,” Yen and Clark wrote of the milestone. “We’re eager to explore the countless opportunities for collaboration between Nature’s Storehouse and Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm, convinced that both entities will be stronger for this connection, while operating independently.”