Dolan Flavoring Celebrates 120 Years of Vanilla in Maine

A family secret, blended since 1906.

PORTLAND, ME, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Dolan Flavoring Company celebrates 120 years of family stewardship, marked by an enduring partnership with Boston College spanning three generations of Eagles.

In 1906, Harry A. Dolan created Mount Williams Original Vanilla Flavor in Portland—an economical alternative to vanilla extract. For 120 years, the company has survived wars, economic depression, and retail consolidation because customers refused to let it disappear.

Jack Dawson, now 93, kept his grandfather’s business alive for 45 years through decades when consolidation and private labels squeezed small regional brands off shelves. When Harry’s health declined in the 1970s, Jack faced a choice: close or save. His customers decided for him. Within weeks of considering closure, grocery stores heard from shoppers asking what happened to Mount Williams Vanilla. Families had been using it for generations.

In 2018, Jack’s nephew Mat stepped in to stabilize operations and build financial discipline. Greg Gonser, a longtime friend of Mat’s from the Boston College performing arts community, built the company’s entire digital presence from zero. Christina Gagné, Mat’s wife and Greg’s classmate, developed recipe content and retail relationships that brought Mount Williams back to supermarket shelves.

Results are visible. Mount Williams has returned to Hannaford throughout New England and is readily on Renys shelves. Currently, Mount Williams is expanding beyond its three Market Basket Maine stores. Beyond supermarkets, the company reaches specialty shops, ice cream makers, and farmers markets across New England. At these venues, Mat and Christina introduce customers to what 120 years of craft in a bottle tastes like. Online sales peak during the holidays, when distinctive glass bottles become go-to gifts: elegant and genuinely useful.

Marc and Charles Gagné have worked as Business Development Assistants since middle school and represent the 5th generation in the business, carrying forward 73 years of institutional relationships that shape the family enterprise.

“Family business succession isn’t replacement—it’s layering,” said Mat Gagné. “Jack protected relationships and credibility. That let me strengthen operations. My discipline gave Greg a foundation for digital presence. Greg and Christina reconnected the company with customers. Now Marc and Charles learn from all of us—not just business, but the value of long-term relationships and institutional roots. Boston College has been woven through our family’s story for decades.”

One hundred twenty years after Harry mixed his first batch in Portland, a business that survived because customers refused to let it disappear is carried forward by three generations of Boston College Eagles.

Mount Williams Vanilla is available at Market Basket, Hannaford, Shaw’s, specialty food shops, ice cream makers, farmers markets, and online at dolanflavoring.com.

About Dolan Flavoring Company
Founded in 1906 in Portland, Maine, Dolan Flavoring Company produces Mount Williams Original Vanilla Flavor, Autumn Lane Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract, and Jug-Full Vanilla Flavor Concentrate. Products are sold in glass bottles and distributed through specialty food shops, ice cream makers, farmers markets, online retailers, and regional supermarket chains.

Greg Gonser
Saltbox Marketing.com
greg@saltboxmarketing.com
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