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Updated: October 6, 2025 / 2025 40 Under 40 honorees

40 Under 40: Gina Mannarino is a food-focused entrepreneur who blends chemistry and creativity

Photo / Tim Greenway Gina Mannarino, 34: CEO, Green Gean’s LLC
Gina Mannarino, 34 CEO, Green Gean’s LLC Read all about the 40 Under 40 honorees
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Greatest achievement: I am actively building Green Gean’s, a Maine-based freeze-drying service business supporting farmers and small food businesses. As a co-packer, I help develop projects and value-added products, turning fresh local produce into shelf-stable, nutrient-dense items. After four years of work, I’ve now added milling as a post-processing step in the production line, further expanding what we can offer. My work blends chemistry and creativity to preserve the best of what farmers grow.

Passion project: This fall, I’ll be hosting interns from the University of Southern Maine. It’s mutually energizing; I get support with tasks like applying for grants and organizing the manufacturing floor, while the students gain workplace experience and explore food entrepreneurship as a potential path for their futures.

Lightbulb moment: My lightbulb moment came from a personal experience: a loved one undergoing cancer treatment struggled with altered taste buds, making food hard to enjoy. Freeze-drying offered a solution, changing textures in a way that made familiar foods simple to eat and approachable again while being nutrient dense. Everyone is healthy now, yay! I realized I could use this knowledge to help others and support small food businesses struggling with excess or unsold produce. Green Gean’s was born: a business that helps local farmers and small food businesses thrive while making food more enjoyable.

Influential book: “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” by Barbara Kingsolver

Favorite movies: “Mulan,” “Harry Potter” films, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”

Personal hero: José Andrés, because he lives his activism through food.

Favorite quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Best way to recharge: I volunteer on the Conservation Committee in Old Orchard Beach. I love getting outside, skiing, walking the beach or the woods, usually using iNaturalist to ID plants and animals. And I really love good food — going out to dinner is one of my favorite things!

Maine’s biggest challenge: Many small towns in Maine have aging infrastructure — not just the roads, but water, bridges and broadband. This affects so much: access to education and opportunities, business growth, health care and communities’ ability to plan for the future. The next one to 10 years are really essential! This is the window to build Maine into the place we all imagine: a state that works for everyone, where people want to stay, invest and contribute to their communities.

Dinner party guests: Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain and President Barack Obama

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