A new Aroma Joe’s coffee shop is planned for downtown Route 1 in Bucksport.
The drive-through chain offering coffee, espresso drinks, energy drinks, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, pastries and pretzels has been expanding into eastern and northern Maine in recent years.
The Route 1 site would be the brand’s second location in Hancock County, after Ellsworth. The shop would also bring another new food and beverage option to downtown Bucksport amid a wave of new openings and would abut an existing coffee chain, Dunkin’.
Bucksport’s town council on Thursday granted an easement along a portion of town-owned land next to the proposed site for pedestrian and vehicle access.
Owner Mark Breton said they had heard traffic to Dunkin’ could back up along Route 1 and thought the property would be a good opportunity.
“We’re really looking forward to opening here, and I think all the ingredients for success are right here in Bucksport, especially for that brand,” Breton told the town council.
He and Gwendolyn Hudson, both of Rockport, were at the meeting representing BHG Properties, Inc. They purchased the parcel at 80 Route 1 earlier this month, according to documents filed with the Hancock County Registry of Deeds. A residential building currently occupies the site.
Plans are still awaiting review by the Maine Department of Transportation, Breton said Thursday, calling the work “not an insignificant investment.”
Aroma Joe’s opened its first Bangor location this spring and announced plans in March to expand to Houlton. The business, headquartered in Scarborough, was formed by four cousins from Maine and now has more than 120 locations along the East Coast, according to its website.
It plans significant expansion beyond New England in recent years, Franchise Times reported earlier this year, aiming to open 500 shops by 2034.