The Freaky Bean Coffee Company
The Freaky Bean Coffee Company was an independent, Maine-based specialty coffee house and roaster, which had retail locations, a roasting division, and wholesale accounts. The company was founded in 2005, and at its peak had six locations. After a series of store closures, the remaining two stores were shut down in March 2009. History. The company was founded by Andrew Kessler and Jon Stratton, a former member of the US Navy. They started the company in 2005 using $10,000 in microfinancing from Accion USA. The original Freaky Bean shop opened in June 2006  at the Willowdale Place business complex on Route 1 in Scarborough. The company's name was whittled down from about 400 names. Other names considered included Dirigo Coffee, Sublime Coffee, and Waxing Poetic. The folk tale that has been spread about the origin of company's name states that it was created when Jon Stratton's wife had an epiphany while taking a shower. She leaned out of the shower and yelled, "Call it the Freaky Bean!" to Jon. The company experienced rapid growth in 2007 and 2008, followed by a series of store closures: Logo. The Freaky Bean's  round logo is based upon a statue found at the Mayan temples in Central America. Designed by Arielle Walrath, a local Maine designer and illustrator, the stone statue's design was illustrated to show the Mayan character juggling a coffee cup, a coffee bean, and a muffin. A second logo was created for use in smaller spaces: it consists of the company's name, with a coffee cup in the middle with steam emanating from it. Both logos were used interchangeably within the company's stores, literature and branding. Products. The Freaky Bean served a variety of coffee-based drinks  as well as hot chocolate and organic teas, along with their version of a blended iced coffee drink, the Freakazoid.