Cup Cafe brings gourmet coffee drinks to Houlton

HOULTON, Maine — Those longing for a hearty cup of gourmet coffee, espresso or cappuccino take note, the Cup Café in Houlton may be just the place you are looking for.
Located in the basement of the Unitarian/Universalist Church on 61 Military St., the Cup Café features warm, earthy tones on its walls. The café will celebrate a grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 13, marking the first time it will be open to the general public.
    “We’re a non-profit coffee house,” explained the Rev David Hutchinson, minister for the Unitarian/Universalist Church. “The Coffee House, for years, has been their community outreach. It was something they could offer to the public. This café is an expansion of that.”
“We will be looking at a more structured set of hours for the café,” he said.
Current plans are to be open from 4-10 p.m. Fridays and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. On Sunday mornings, a brunch will be served. Any profits the Cup Café makes will benefit the church.
Some might think that a church and café do not go hand-in-hand, but that has not deterred the Unitarian/Universalist Church from marrying the two into a successful business model.
“When I was hired as minister, half of my job description was manager of the Houlton Coffee House,’ Hutchinson said. “That’s how strongly the church feels about it.”
The Houlton Coffee House began in 1992. Historically, every “teenth” Saturday of the month, a “Coffeehouse Night” complete with a featured artist and open microphone venue for poets, musicians and visual artists, has been held. That family-oriented tradition will continue, Hutchinson said, and be augmented by the presence of the café being open during the same time.
For the grand opening, the Coffee House will feature Al Morris and the One Night Only Blues Band.
Sue Waite York will be the acting manager for the café, while Frank Sullivan will serve as the “head barista” brewing coffee, tea, cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, chai latte, Americano and Canadiano beverages. Tony Clark will also be a barista and assistant manager for the café.
In addition, the café will offer ice cream, milk shakes, Italian sodas and Maine Root sodas. For food items, consumers can sample salads, soups and chilis and one night a week, the Cup Café will feature artisan pizzas.
“We are trying to feature as many state of Maine or local products as possible,” Hutchinson said. “Our salads will be made from ingredients found at the Farmer’s Market and small local farmers.”
Wanting to keep work local, Hutchinson sought out the handiwork of Ryan Hines, who built the café’s bar and display cases with yellow birch off his woodlot. Artwork on the walls will also be by local artists and will rotate on a semi-regular basis, allowing individuals to showcase their talents.
“Part of our business plan is to be a mutual, supportive business model to involve artists, designers and carpenters in the area,” Hutchinson said.
“For people like us that really love coffee, this is a passion for us,” said Sullivan. “I have been an extreme coffee guy for the past 25 years, grinding my own beans at home. There are so many different ways to brew coffee.”
Some of Sullivan’s background as a barista comes from time spent working at a Starbucks Coffee House in his younger days.
“What we are hoping to do is expose artisan coffee to more people,” he said. “There may be some who have experienced this coffee in more metropolitan areas outside of Houlton, but they can get it here too.”
To make that experience more pleasurable, the café features a lounge area, complete with a flat screen television and free WiFi Internet.
“We wanted to create a space to create extended conversations,” Hutchinson added. “We are all about building relationships and making connections in the community. We don’t envision turning over tables quickly here. We want people to come, linger and enjoy the coffee and food.”
For more information, visit The Cup Café on Facebook or call 532-9269.