Maine Mineral & Gem Museum

What Maine Mineral & Gem Museum does

Maine Mineral & Gem Museum (MMGM) is a private nonprofit science museum located at 99 Main Street in Bethel, Maine, founded in 2011 and opened to the public in 2019. The museum serves general visitors, K-12 and university students, researchers, and tourists, and operates a 15,000-square-foot facility housing more than 38,000 mineral specimens (including over 15,000 from Maine and more than 300 Maine gemstones), the Emmons Pegmatite collection (240+ confirmed mineral species, the most species-rich pegmatite known), and the world's largest collection of lunar meteorites, including the largest known pieces of the Moon and Mars on Earth.

Core offerings span physical visitor experiences, retail, and research services. Admission-based experiences include general entry (Adults $15, Seniors $12, Students $10, Children 12 and under free), Stones to Stardust small-group guided tours, Sluice Days gem-mining events, and group tours for schools, bus tours, mineral clubs, and colleges with rates starting at $5/student. The William "Skip" Simmons Research Laboratory (MP2 Research Group) operates analytical instruments including an AMRAY 1830 SEM, Bruker D2 X-ray diffractometer, ICP-MS mass spectrometer with laser ablation, and micro-Raman spectroscopy, and offers paid mineral ($40/specimen) and meteorite ($100/specimen) identification services. Education programming includes MMGM In The Classroom school outreach, the Space Rocks Meteorite Education Kit, Science Fair Fridays, and the annual Maine Pegmatite Workshop.

Revenue is generated through diversified streams: admissions, a tiered membership program ($35–$1,000/year, with NARM reciprocal benefits at higher tiers), retail via The MStore e-commerce store and MMGM Jewelry (custom Maine gemstone jewelry), donations, commemorative naming opportunities ($500–$2,500 pavers), paid research services, and educational workshops ($1,800–$2,600). Distribution is anchored at the Bethel site, supplemented by The MStore and MMGM Jewelry e-commerce sites, free K-12 outreach across Western Maine, and a satellite "Fly Me to the Moon" meteorite exhibit at Portland International Jetport. Marketing is driven by the website, email newsletter, Facebook and Instagram, earned media (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, National Geographic), and community partnerships (Meteoritical Society, Capital Mineral Club, OCMGA, Smithsonian).

Name

Maine Mineral & Gem Museum

Legal name

Maine Mineral & Gem Museum

Website

https://mainemineralmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is a nonprofit science museum in Bethel, Maine that showcases minerals, gems, and the world's largest lunar meteorite collection while offering K-12 education, research, retail, and group visitor experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Mineral specimen exhibits
• Meteorite research services
• Science education programs
• Museum admission tickets
• Gem mining experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Revenue from ticket sales for museum entry. Adults $15, Seniors $12, Students $10, Children 12 and under free. Museums for All program offers $3/person for SNAP recipients.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers providing unlimited admissions and exclusive benefits. Tiers range from Individual ($35/year) to Trustee ($1,000/year), including NARM reciprocal benefits at higher levels.
3. Retail Store (The MStore): E-commerce and physical retail store selling activity kits, toys, books, MMGM merchandise, minerals, gems, and jewelry. Members receive 10% discount up to $250 purchase.
4. MMGM Jewelry: Custom jewelry e-commerce platform featuring hand-crafted pieces using Maine-sourced gemstones by artists from across the state and around the world.
5. Group Tours: Discounted group rates for schools ($5/student), bus tours ($10/person), college groups ($7/person), and private tours ($15/person). Minimum 10 people required.
6. Naming Opportunities and Pavers: Commemorative naming opportunities for galleries and spaces through capital campaign. Paver purchases range from $500-$2,500 for the Arthur M. Hussey Memorial Rock Garden.
7. Identification Services: Mineral identification at $40/specimen and meteorite identification at $100/specimen, performed by MP2 Research Laboratory staff.
8. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions supporting museum operations, education programs, research, and expansion.
9. Sluice Days Activity: Gem mining experience with sluice bags sold at $6 each or two for $10, held on weekends June through August.
10. Maine Pegmatite Workshop: Annual educational workshop with scholarship opportunities ($1,800 for US students, $2,600 for international students) for the five-day program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

MMGM operates a 15,000-square-foot nonprofit science museum in Bethel, Maine, exhibiting more than 38,000 mineral specimens, the world's largest collection of lunar meteorites, and the largest known pieces of the Moon and Mars. It sells paid admission, tiered memberships, group tours, retail merchandise and custom jewelry through its MStore and MMGM Jewelry sites, and delivers K-12 educational outreach, workshops, and paid mineral/meteorite identification services through its on-site research laboratory.

Product overview

The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum operates as a multi-faceted science museum centered on mineralogy, meteorites, and Maine's geological heritage. The museum's product portfolio consists of physical visitor experiences (general admission, guided tours like Stones to Stardust Tours, and interactive attractions like Sluice Days), retail operations (The MStore for merchandise and MMGM Jewelry for custom gemstone jewelry), a tiered membership program, educational programming (school field trips, classroom outreach via MMGM In The Classroom, the Space Rocks Meteorite Education Kit, and Science Fair Fridays), and specialized services (Mineral and Meteorite Identification through the MP2 Research Laboratory and the annual Maine Pegmatite Workshop). The Lapidary Studio offers sphere-making and stone arts instruction. These offerings work together to fulfill the museum's mission of celebrating Earth through research, education, and dynamic exhibits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The MStore: The museum's retail store offering activity kits, toys, books, merchandise, minerals, gems, and hand-crafted jewelry
• MMGM Jewelry

Products and services

• The MStore Curated retail outlet offering activity kits, toys, books for every age, MMGM merchandise, and exquisite Maine-mined minerals, gems, and jewelry. Members receive a 10% discount up to $250 purchase.
• MMGM Jewelry Custom jewelry line featuring locally-sourced Maine gemstones, designed and hand-crafted by artists from across Maine and around the world. Available through a dedicated e-commerce site.
• Membership Program Multi-tier annual membership program providing unlimited museum admission and exclusive benefits. Tiers include Individual ($35/year), Family ($75/year), Supporting ($150/year with NARM benefits), Curator ($250/year), Director ($500/year), and Trustee ($1,000/year).
• General Museum Admission Daily paid admission to the museum's exhibits: Adults $15, Seniors $12, Students $10, Children 12 and under free. Museums for All program offers $3/person for SNAP recipients ($2/students). Open every day except Tuesday with final admission at 4PM.
• Stones to Stardust Tours Small-group guided tours offered on Saturdays and Mondays before regular museum hours. In-depth look at Maine's minerals, gemstones, and the museum's meteorite collection including Moon and Mars rocks.
• Sluice Days Hands-on gem mining experience where visitors search for real gemstones and minerals through mine tailings at an outdoor sluice. Sluice bags sold at $6 each or two for $10. Held on weekends from June through August.
• Science Fair Fridays Free weekly summer series of hands-on, drop-in science activities for kids exploring earth-science themes including rock cycles, crystal growing, and mineral identification.
• Space Rocks Meteorite Education Kit Educational kit for classroom use aligned with NGSS middle school standards. Contains materials and activities enabling students to learn about and hold real meteorites. Travels from school to school upon request.
• Maine Pegmatite Workshop Annual five-day workshop focused on pegmatite geology, mineralogy, and field research. Includes classroom instruction, field exploration, private collecting opportunities, and visits to active pegmatite quarries in western Maine. Tuition $1,800 for US students and $2,600 for international students, with scholarship opportunities (Frank Perham Memorial and Alessandro Guastoni Memorial scholarships).
• Mineral and Meteorite Identification Services Professional identification services offered by the MP2 Research Laboratory using advanced analytical instruments. Mineral Identification priced at $40 per specimen; Meteorite Identification priced at $100 per specimen. Available by appointment with minimum two weeks advance notice.
• Lapidary Studio Educational studio space facilitating stone-related arts including sphere-making, gem cutting, and slab cutting. Features handmade one-of-a-kind spheres crafted by Studio Manager Martin Roberts using a lathe donated by Dr. Bob Ritchie.
• MMGM In The Classroom School outreach program where educators travel to K-12 classrooms with museum specimens and educational programming covering topics including rock cycles, plate tectonics, Maine's state fossil, the Big Bang, asteroids, and meteorites.
• Group Tours Guided and self-guided group experiences for schools, camps, bus tours, mineral clubs, and private groups. Discounted rates available for groups of 10 or more: schools $5/student, bus tours $10/person, college groups $7/person, private tours $15/person.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 visitors welcomed since 2019 opening
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oxford County Mineral and Gem Association (OCMGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMMGM partners with OCMGA for the annual Western Maine Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show, hosting a museum booth with lunar and Martian meteorites for visitors to hold.
• North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNARM membership provides reciprocal benefits for Supporting, Curator, Director, and Trustee level members, receiving free admission at over 1,000 participating institutions worldwide.
• Maine Geological SurveyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arthur M. Hussey Memorial Rock Garden is featured as part of the 'Maine Geologic Facts and Localities' series produced by the Maine Geological Survey.
• Museums for AllcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram ensuring museum experience is accessible to all; SNAP recipients pay $3/person (adults/senors) and $2/students, with up to 3 additional guests at same reduced rate.
• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Michael Wise, mineralogist in the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, collaborates with MMGM research team as part of MP2 Research Group.
• Universidad del Pais Vasco (Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Encarnación 'Encar' Roda Robles, professor of mineralogy and petrology, collaborates with MMGM research team, contributing to over 100 publications and international research efforts.
• University of New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. William 'Skip' Simmons serves as Director of MP2 Research Group at MMGM while emeritus professor taught mineralogy and petrology for 42 years at University of New Orleans.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: The preeminent U.S. natural history museum; MMGM's MP2 Research Group collaborates directly with Dr. Michael Wise of the Smithsonian's Department of Mineral Sciences, making it the closest institutional peer for research positioning even though the Smithsonian operates at vastly greater scale.
• The Field Museum: Chicago-based natural history museum with significant mineral collections and active research programs; comparable as a hybrid research/education/visitor-experience institution with a meteorite and geology focus.
• Royal Ontario Museum: Canada's largest natural history and world cultures museum with major mineral collections and active research; comparable as a combined research, education, and tourist destination anchored partly on mineralogy and geology.
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh-based natural history museum with a renowned mineral collection (Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems); directly comparable as a museum combining world-class mineralogy collections, research, and public education.
• American Museum of Natural History: One of the world's largest natural history museums with major mineral and meteorite collections; serves a comparable audience of science-curious families, K-12 school groups, and academic researchers and is a benchmark for science education programming.

Direct peers

• Perot Museum of Nature and Science: Dallas-area science museum with strong STEM education and outreach programming; comparable in combining hands-on science experiences, school group offerings, and special exhibits that draw family and tourist audiences.
• Sterling Hill Mining Museum: New Jersey museum dedicated to mining history and mineralogy, including fluorescent minerals; comparable as a specialized mineralogy-focused museum with education tours, retail, and experiential offerings like mine tours.
• Peabody Museum of Natural History: Yale's natural history museum with active mineralogy and meteoritics research; comparable in combining academic research output, K-12 outreach, and public exhibit programming in earth sciences.
• Natural History Museum of Utah (Rio Tinto Center): Utah-based natural history museum with significant mineral and meteorite displays tied to local geology; comparable as a regional science museum combining university-affiliated research, family exhibits, and K-12 education programs.

Regional players

• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: A hybrid zoo/botanical garden/geology museum in Tucson; comparable as a destination science institution combining exhibits, education programs, and retail experiences with strong regional tourism appeal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mainemineralmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/mainemineralmuseum
• Xx.com/mainemineral

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Mineral & Gem Museum