Eastport, Maine, is the easternmost city in the continental United States, but that’s not its only superlative: it’s also home to the last traditional stone-ground mustard mill in North America.
In 1900, J.W. Raye began crafting mustard to supply the town’s thriving sardine canneries. Sardines were packed with mustard as a preservative, due to its acidic nature. Three years later, he built a mill around several quartz grindstones imported from France.
Ever since, Raye’s Mustard has used the mill for its traditional stone-ground mustards, honoring its tradition of crafting small batches of classic yellow and specialty blends of mustard. Each 500-gallon batch takes roughly a month to produce.
Today, fourth-generation owners Karen and Kevin Raye welcome thousands of visitors from all over the world to their mustard museum. Learn about the inner workings of the vintage mill and the detailed mustard-making process, plus take a look back at the condiment’s key role in Eastport’s bygone sardine industry.
