Business Spotlight: Swift River Roasters

If you think about it, coffee connects a community in so many unique ways, linking us to each other over a cup, enlivening our taste buds and our senses, and fostering an appreciation of nature, where coffee beans are grown and harvested. Raymond’s Swift River Roasters launched in 2010 in conjunction with The Good Life Market and continues to build a solid reputation for roasting top quality green beans from around the world into delicious brews to fill local coffee cups.    

Swift River Roasters’ roasting facility is on Roosevelt Trail in Raymond with retail coffee and coffee drinks available right next door at the company’s flagship store, The Good Life Market, 1297 Roosevelt Trail, as well as at many other local locations.

“We small batch roast our coffee every week, so the product going out to our customers is super fresh,” said Linda Manchester, Swift River Roasters co-owner. “In addition to our wide range of standard offerings of single origin coffees, proprietary blends, and flavored coffees, we do private labeling for local markets, and we’ve worked with wholesale customers to develop custom blends to their unique tastes.”

Manchester said that Swift River Roasters has recently partnered with PFG Northcenter as a wholesale distributor, which allows them to serve a broader base of restaurants and retail establishments.

“In the Lakes Region, we’re available at The Good Life Market, Mills and Co., The Umbrella Factory, Windham Hannaford, Kelly’s Sebago Diner, Knight’s Cafe Naples, Chipman’s Farmstand Raymond, Standish Café, and Chutes' Cafe Casco. We ship wholesale and retail coffee directly to customers all over the country; we roast for a coffee company in Nashville, Tennessee, and for a medical software design company in Scottsdale, Arizona,” Manchester said. “PFG Northcenter distributes our coffee throughout Maine and New Hampshire, and we deliver directly to retail establishments throughout Southern Maine.”

Manchester said that the slogan for Swift River Roasters is “We’re here for you,” and that truly epitomizes the company’s basic business philosophy in every sense.  

“Swift River is top quality, delicious, no nonsense coffee that’s locally roasted, packaged and distributed, and we’re available all over the Lakes Region,” she said. “If we're not in your neighborhood, let us know and we’ll see how we can fix that. We’re responsive to our customers and to our staff. We’re dedicated to quality and consistency; we all drink our coffee every day, so we’re in constant contact with the product. We’re available locally in many different locations and we’re willing and eager to expand and grow our brand into other markets.”

According to Manchester, wholesale coffee roasting is the most significant aspect of the Swift River Roasters business.

“We’re focused on seeing our coffee represented widely in the marketplace. We roast high quality coffee, produce distinctive blends, and sell them at a great value,” she said. “We’re sized right to continue to offer our wholesale customers personalized service and support. We’re fortunate to be in a market where craft coffee roasting is established, and consumers are savvy about what they taste.  Mainers love coffee, and that means good business for all of us in the industry.”

Offering an exceptional quality product is paramount to Swift River  Roasters and that starts where the coffee beans are grown.

“We source our beans through an importer who works with different coffee growing countries,” Manchester said. “We follow the trends in the coffee world through the publications and conferences of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and through networking with others in the industry.  We strive to stay up to date, but also down to earth; just like our mindset at The Good Life Market, our goal is for our coffee to be exceptional but approachable. We’re very hands-on with the business and with our customers, making sure that our coffee is well received and a successful product for our retailers.”

“Our coffee represents a great value in the marketplace, and our pricing is quite competitive. As with any international agricultural crop, coffee pricing is affected by weather and the political landscape, but we strive to keep the cost to the customer consistent and accessible,” Manchester said.

For wholesale inquiries about Swift River Roasters, call 207-655-3243; for retail inquiries, call 207-655-1196.  They also ship directly through their website www.swiftrivercoffee.com and you can follow them on Facebook or Instagram @swiftrivercoffeeroasters <

Business Spotlight:The Good Life Market by Michelle Libby

In 2003, Linda and Walt Manchester created a market where people can go to get unique and interesting things. Today, the market at 1297 Roosevelt Trail in Raymond, has grown and evolved to meet the needs and desires of the clientele they serve. From the hundreds of sandwiches they make each day to the unique craft beers and fresh produce, The Good Life Market has become a staple in the Raymond community.

 

“We wanted something we could run ourselves that could support us and have this as a family businesses,” said Linda. The market has evolved over the years and Linda is always looking for special items that fit with their image. “It’s a combination being responsive to what the community is looking for and having nice and interesting things.” 

One of the first items they chose to serve was a selection of Boar’s Head Meat. “It’s been successful. People travel to us to purchase that,” Linda said. The best meat makes the sandwiches the best they can be, she added. Linda is always looking to be unique and create new sandwiches with bold flavors. Many of the sandwiches are allergy and sensitivity friendly, with foods that are low carb, low fat or gluten free. 

“It changes all the time and we have to stay on the cutting edge of the what people are looking for,” Linda added. 

The Manchesters pride themselves on providing local products like Caldwell Farm poultry and Stonewall Kitchen products. They stock a robust cheese selection and unique snack foods. Linda travels to food shows to find new items and new recipes and she creates her own rendition of the things she tries. The most popular sandwich is The Good Life Club, a double decker sandwich filled with turkey and ham, Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo on toasted sourdough bread.

“I’m inspired by what I see out in the world,” Linda said. Some recipes are personal favorites from when she and Walt were first married. Many times, the name of the sandwich will pop into her head before the recipe is developed. She encourages people to have fun when cooking and eating food.

Coffee is a popular item and The Good Life Market stocks its own roasted coffee under the name Swift River Coffee, from seasonal specialties to blond or dark roast, there is a great variety of coffee to choose from. 

The Good Life Market is an Agency Liquor Store, offering locally produced upscale wine and beer. The craft beer selection is extensive. As the demand has increased, they have added to their assortment. Since there is not a large selection of specialty beers in the marketplace, The Good Life is a convenient place to purchase them. 

“Periodically we do wine tastings at special times of the year,” said Linda. People will come to see what they like and then stock up for the holidays or for summer.

“We are fortunate we have a lot of customers. Seasonal people are from places where they are used to places like our market. We also have young families and local families,” she said. Family and community best describes the market. When many Raymond families lost power this fall, The Good Life Market put a post on their Facebook page inviting their customers to bring perishable items down to put in their freezer. 

“It’s going better than it ever could have. We have increased the employee base and that’s really gratifying,” Linda said. With 40 summer employees and 30 in the off season, The Good Life Market is a major employer in Raymond. 

The employees serve line crews, landscapers, retired people, and high school kids who stop in for coffee and to hang out on the porch. Mom’s meet up with their friends and eat in the dining room while their children play. Professionals and school employees stop by to bring things home for dinner after work. 

“Everyone is our customer. Everyone feels really comfortable to come in and find something they enjoy,” Linda said. 

For the first-timer, she recommends trying a sandwich, coffee or look for a new wine. Then stroll through the market and see what strikes their fancy. Maybe it will be the local popcorn or tea. A local beer or spirit. Try the Beast Feast, a selection of barbeque sauces. 

Food specials run Monday through Sunday on the website.

For more information, visit www.TheGoodLifeMarket.com or find them on Facebook. Order ahead at 207-655-1196.