Starbucks Maine mug: Discovery Series
The Maine mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the state name in light blue over a dark green circle, with a moose, blueberries, a sailboat, a basket of shells, a gull and a house on a rocky shore.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Maine, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The fax that gave Maine's blueberries a new story
In the 1990s, a University of Maine professor faxed John Sauvé, executive director of Maine's Wild Blueberry Commission, an article from an obscure farm-research magazine [1]. Its title was "Plant Pigments Paint a Rainbow of Antioxidants," and it ranked blueberries first among twenty fruits and vegetables tested [1]. Sauvé later said he lacked a deep understanding of the findings, but he knew this: "if your product happens to come out first in something, you might want to look into it" [2]. He took the story to a trade show in Japan [1]. According to The Maine Mag, Maine had been exporting three million pounds of blueberries to Japan, and two years later the figure was 30 million [1]. A 1999 Maine Times article, as summarized by the Portland Public Library, says a growing Japanese market, where blueberries are believed to combat eyestrain, was helping sales [3]. The cluster of blueberries on the Maine mug (3) is the crop at the center of that story.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
MAINE in light blue capitals over a dark green circle.
- 2Moose
An orange moose with dark antlers stands at the upper left of the circle.
- 3Blueberries
A cluster of dark blue berries with yellow and blue leaves sits above the lettering.
- 4Sailboat
A sailboat with an orange hull and pale sails crosses blue water at the lower left, with a shaggy blue animal in front.
- 5Basket of shells
A yellow basket holds white and teal shells below the lettering, with more shells at its foot.
- 6House on a rocky shore
A white house with a dark roof sits on a rocky shore at the upper right, with rays of light behind it.
- 7Gull
A grey-and-white gull stands on the rocks beside a yellow crate.
The photo shows one side of the mug, in front of a dark box. The back and the area behind the handle are out of view.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is bright teal-blue, which shows at the rim in the photo.
- The moose, the blueberries and the sailboat are on the front; the house and the gull sit beside the handle, so a photo taken from the left misses them.
Before you buy
The photo shows one side of the mug. The house on the rocky shore (6) and the gull (7) sit beside the handle, so a photo from the left misses them. The inside is bright teal-blue. Starbucks also made a Been There mug for Maine, so check the series name before you order.
