Black Thunder

Coffee By Design was founded in 1994 by Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear on Congress Street in Portland, Maine, at a time when downtown vacancy rates hovered around 40 percent. Now 100 percent woman owned, the roastery operates from a 21,000 square foot facility on Diamond Street, where two Loring roasters eliminate the need for afterburners and cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent. All coffee is roasted to order, with full traceability back to the farmer or community on every batch, and only specialty grade beans scoring 80 or above make the cut. The company earned Roast Magazine's 2020 Large Roaster of the Year award and holds B Corporation certification. Lindemann was named a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard Award in Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Coffee By Design's beans appear on tables at Portland institutions like Fore Street and Standard Baking Co.