Our Story
And so the story begins. When Brett Herbst launched his first corn maze in 1996, he drew most of his knowledge and motivation from his roots. A Salmon, Idaho native who grew up on his family's ranch, and a 1995 Brigham Young University agribusiness graduate who spent two years working for the worldwide Farm Management Company, Herbst was born and bred with a knowledge and passion for agriculture.
The idea of a maze sparked by a similar venture he had read about in a farming magazine, Brett's original labyrinth in American Fork, Utah was the largest corn maze created in the western United States. It didn't take long for news of this "corny" attraction to spread and after drawing 18,000 people in only three weeks, The MAiZE was born.
Almost immediately, people around the world started contacting Herbst seeking advice and help. Now having designed more than 4,000 mazes since 1996, Herbst and his team are widely recognized as some of the world's leading corn maze designers. Building on this reputation, The MAiZE has become the largest agritourism consulting company in the world, working with more than 280 current locations .
Since its founding, the venture has captured media attention around the world, including: Paul Harvey News, CNN, USA Today, Time, National Geographic, Family Circle, and The Today Show. Along with Herbst, the company now has 10 year-round employees. In addition, Herbst's family and team manage the operation of their flagship maze in Utah: Cornbelly's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest at Thanksgiving Point