ORONO, Maine — Before they came to the University of Maine for graduate school, Rachel Nelson, Sarah Hollows and Kris Mason were friends, working in coffee shops in their hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was there they developed their love of creative community spaces, sourcing things locally and, of course, coffee.
“We just all love really good coffee, made really well [and] made carefully,” said Nelson, in her second year of the intermedia Master of Fine Arts graduate program. “It was such a bummer when we didn’t really find anything in Orono or in the greater Bangor area that offered that.”
The three friends came up with their own solution: They would open their own coffee shop on campus. They decided to source beans and other supplies locally, staff it themselves and own it themselves. The only problem? Not since The Ram’s Horn, a bar and venue, closed in the mid-1990s has there been a student-owned and operated business on campus.
A little red tape wasn’t going to stand between Nelson, Hollows and Mason and their coffee, however. After months of work, Hide and Seek Coffee opened two weeks ago in the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization lab in Stewart Commons, serving coffee roasted by Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland and cookies and scones baked by Hollows and Nelson.
“The way we went through the process of getting all this approved made it clear that this was something that wasn’t ever done,” Hollows said. “All the administrators were learning how to make something like this happen right alongside us. … Technically, we’re a student pilot project. We’re somewhat autonomous.”
For those who can’t resist the unmistakable sound of milk steaming and espresso dripping, Hide and Seek is a little oasis of coffee nerdery right in the middle of campus. The cappuccinos, macchiatos, lattes and pour-over coffee are a step above most anything else you’ll find in the greater Bangor area — Nelson, Hollows and Mason know what they are doing when it comes to java. And they have cookies and scones too — their chocolate chip cookies are at once crispy and melt-in-your-mouth soft.
The trio source nearly everything locally, from the milk and cream, courtesy of Siberia Farms in Hermon to the Skowhegan-based Maine Grains flour in the baked goods to the honey from Swan’s Honey in Albion to the Tandem coffee beans. The owners of Tandem and UMaine auxiliary services head Dan Stirrup were instrumental in helping the three business partners get their coffee bar up and running.
Hide and Seek is open from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays; 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays; 2:30-6 p.m. Thursdays’ and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays. People who do not have a UMaine parking pass can park in the lot behind the IMRC/Stewart Commons, next to the tennis courts, then a Hide and Seek staff member will validate your parking with your purchase.
“The response so far has been incredible,” Nelson said. “There’s definitely a market for craft coffee around here.”
For information, visit hideandseekcoffee.com.
