The Freaky Bean Coffee Company
Maine-based coffee roaster and retailer, defunct since 2009.
The Freaky Bean Coffee Company was an independent specialty coffee house and roaster based in Maine. Founded in 2005, it operated retail locations, a roasting division, and wholesale accounts before becoming defunct in March 2009. The company had six locations at its peak but faced closures and bankruptcy.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- October 2005 by Andrew Kessler and Jonathan Stratton
- Defunct
- March 2009
- Headquarters
- Westbrook, Maine
- Country
- U.S.
- Area served
- Southern Maine
- Key people
- Jonathan Stratton, President
- Andrew Kessler, V.P. Marketing & E-commerce
- Gary Woodworth, V.P. Logistics
- Industry
- Restaurants
- Retail Coffee and Tea
- Retail Beverages
- Entertainment
- Products
- Whole Bean Coffee
- Boxed Tea
- Made-to-order beverages
- Bottled beverages
- Baked Goods
- Merchandise
Facts from the source article.
History
Andrew Kessler and Jon Stratton, a former US Navy member, founded the company in 2005 using microfinancing from Accion USA. The first Freaky Bean shop opened in June 2006 in Scarborough. In March 2007, the company was one of 30 honored as outstanding role models of entrepreneurship by The Maine Small Business Development Center. July 2007 saw the opening of its second retail location, along with its headquarters, roasting operations hub, and distribution center on Main Street in Westbrook; this site included a public coffee cupping room.
In December 2007, the company agreed to purchase Maine Roasters Coffee Company, acquiring shops in Yarmouth and Falmouth and its wholesale business. A fifth retail location opened in May 2008 at the Scarborough Gateway shopping complex, and that same month the company was selected as the Official Coffee of The American Pavilion of the Cannes Film Festival, making Freaky Bean the only coffee available at the Pavilion. A sixth location opened in July 2008 on Broadway in South Portland.
In November 2008, the former owners of Maine Roasters took possession of those assets as partial settlement for loan defaults, reducing locations from six to four. As of December 2008, the board of directors included Jonathan Stratton, Gary Woodworth, Jon Ricci, Jim Walsh, Jim Talbot, Jim Mclaughlin, and Einar Seadler. In February 2009, three major creditors forced the company into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy, beginning forced liquidation. The Scarborough Gateway and Westbrook flagship stores closed abruptly in March 2009 amid reports of trouble paying vendors and employees; some vendors took the company to court. Later that month, the remaining two locations—South Portland and Scarborough/Route 1—also closed abruptly.
Logo
The Freaky Bean's circular emblem comes from a stone carving discovered at Mayan temples in Central America. Maine illustrator Arielle Walrath turned the statue into a drawing of a Mayan figure tossing a coffee cup, a coffee bean, and a muffin. A simpler logo for tight spaces displays the company name with a steaming coffee cup at its center. Both designs were used in stores, printed materials, and branding.
More in Coffeehouses and Cafés in the United States
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