When a coffee cart was listed for sale, a long-time summer resident went for it. “The idea of that community gathering space not being here was really not something I wanted to entertain.”
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During a recent heat wave, iced beverages were flying out the window at Bettie’s Not Cooking, the second iteration of a coffee truck that Amy Bamford Hopkins now owns on Swan's Island, an unbridged island in Hancock County served by a year-round ferry from Bass Harbor.
In the first week of operation, the truck attracted scores of customers in search of coffee and tea beverages and baked goods like lemon poppyseed shortbread. Parked at the local library at 451 Atlantic Road, the self-financed venture was a turn for Bamford Hopkins and her husband, Patrick. Mainebiz caught up with the owner to find out more about the business.
Mainebiz: What’s your connection to Swan’s Island?
Amy Bamford Hopkins: I’ve been coming to Swan’s Island since I was 5. My grandparents were the ones who started coming up here, then my parents, so it’s come down through the generations. We split our time between Swan’s and Lancaster.
MB: How did you come to be running a coffee cart?
ABH: Last summer, Coffee Love — an iteration of this truck prior to Bettie’s — announced they were for sale. That was a father-daughter business [owned by Gary and Meri Rainford] for many years. The daughter was starting college, so they put the truck on the market. It didn’t seem like anyone was biting. So I decided to have a conversation with Gary and see what the possibilities might be. The idea of that community gathering space not being here was really not something I wanted to entertain.
MB: Were they parked at the library, too?
ABH: They had Coffee Love on their own little plot of land, not the library. The plot of land wasn’t available for use, so I needed to find another location.
MB: Any advantages to the library location?
Patrick Hopkins: One of the benefits is proximity to the ferry. Quite a few people come over, sometimes just for the day. We’re about a mile from the ferry terminal, so it’s an easy and nice walk.
MB: What did you do to get going?
ABH: On an island in Maine, you better have something blueberry. I’m hoping to do both sweet and savory. I worked for a caterer many years ago, so I have cooking experience. But I’ve never done coffee or barista work before. So over the past winter, I took classes in Lancaster and apprenticed at [community venue] West Art in Lancaster in preparation for doing this.
MB: What does the name mean?
ABH: Bettie Bamford was my mother. She loved it here. She also famously hated to cook. Hence the name.
MB: What’s your season?
ABH: We’ll certainly be open through August, and then see how far into September we want to go.
MB: How do you like your new career?
ABH: This is my idea of a good time. This is how I love to spend my time.
