Caffeination at Coffee By Design in Portland

Here in Portland we start our mornings at the college dining hall where the students pile their plates high with the plethora of food available for them, they make their hot teas and drink their juices while the Program Leaders start to streamline caffeine. But breakfast on Tuesday was cut short – we were off to visit yet another local entrepreneur.

Mary Allen Lindemann is one of the owners of Coffee By Design (along with Alan Spear) and for the past couple of years she has welcomed the Portland Global Entrepreneurship program to her business, providing insight into starting and growing a successful business and providing samples of her product for students and staff to enjoy!

While the cold brew coffee was not to everyone’s taste (apparently Americans drink too many beverages cold and with ice), it was greatly appreciated by the Program Leaders. Much more awake we started the tour – learning about the start of the business 25 years ago, about the coffee sourcing process, and how the coffee is processed into the beans you buy in the store. While the students have been bombarded with information about starting and running a business they appreciated being able to tour the processing area and asked tens of questions about the coffee roasting process. There’s something about being on the manufacturing floor with the workers and seeing someone else’s dream come to life.

Like the other entrepreneurs who have donated their time to the Portland Global Entrepreneurs, Mary Allen has kept close ties to the state of Maine and works to make sure that her business reflects her personal values and the values of the community in which it is based. This is seen in the donations of time and money that Coffee By Design and it’s employees contribute to causes that affect them and those they do business with, it’s all part of a being a good corporate citizen and making sure that the owners and customers can sleep easy at night knowing that they’re making the world a better place, while pursuing their passions.

Hopefully this lesson of combining passion, business, and citizenship is one that the students will take with them going forward as they begin their own businesses in the future.