This Iconic Canned Pumpkin With Serious Maine Roots is in Everyone’s Home
It's not made in Maine, but it is distributed from West Paris, Maine.
When you see that familiar old label, you immediately think of Maine. One-Pie IS New England’s unofficial brand, used for generations! The label and ingredients haven't changed in over 50 years. The ingredients? Pumpkin. Just pumpkin, but somehow it's perfect and the only brand for all things pumpkin: pie, cookies, cheesecake (it's amazing) muffins...you get the picture. Speaking of pictures, the picture on the can reminds me of what it must have been like as a housewife back in the 50s cooking for the man of the house.
Yankee Magazine got curious about the exact origins of the delightful One-Pie. Come to find out, its origins are 100%, Maine. Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Maine used to be known for canning. At one point home to over 100 canneries. It's as much of our history as lobstering. We know why lobstering happens in Maine, but why canning? The waters and cool climate made canning and shipping ideal. Maine canned sardines, sweet corn, beans, apples, and, yes, pumpkin.
One-Pie canned pumpkin actually started at the Medomak Canning Co. in Winslows Mills, a village in Waldoboro. The day of Maine's canning has long since gone, and even though One-Pie is still distributed from West Paris, it's actually made in Illinois. But I bet you have at least 4 cans of it in your cabinet right now!