TOPSHAM

Experimenting with a naturally processed Kenyan coffee, Bob Garver measured and weighed coffee and water — to the gram — as he prepared a cup of coffee recently at his coffee roasting facility in Brunswick.

The small kitchen area in the Water Street building is where Wicked Joe Coffee Roasting Co. staff do all their cupping, constantly tasting their coffee and those they are considering purchasing, to ensure it is of the quality they demand. They rank and rate coffees to international standards, slurping coffee off a spoon, tasting for attributes: Sweetness, acidity, body, uniformity, flavors, clarity of the coffee and a whole host of other criteria.

Soon there will be a separate cupping area when Wicked Joe moves to its new location just over the river in Topsham in coming months. Busting out of the seams at the current location, the new space offers 25,000 square feet — 20,000 of which will be for roasting.

Garver and his wife, Carmen, started Wicked Joe on Water Street in 2004 and are hard-core coffee lovers. They weigh and measure precisely because by allowing variables to change, they can’t make informed decisions about their product.

“We really wanted to make coffee that was delicious and that we were proud of,” Garver said.

A labor of love, they wanted their children, staff and community to be proud as well. It was about making great coffee and being the best they could be while making decisions along the way while growing at a sustainable pace.

Most recently after scouring the town of Brunswick and beyond for the right building, the Garvers have decided to move their operation into the Commissary building at Topsham Commerce Park — formerly part of the Navy annex and part of the base redevelopment efforts since Brunswick Naval Air Station closed as a military installation in 2011.

The Garvers say they are only moving over the Androscoggin River to Topsham, linked to Brunswick by a bridge, so they see no division between the two; it is one community.

JHR Development has purchased the Commissary building, which Wicked Joe will occupy, while Maine Harvest Co. is looking to occupy a smaller building behind the Commissary for a local food processing hub.

Both companies are trying for a second time to secure community development block grants through the state’s Economic Development Program. Seeking the same level of funding as it did last year, Maine Harvest is requesting $240,000 and would commit to creating eight jobs; and Wicked Joe Coffee is seeking $270,000 to create nine jobs, adding more as it grows. Topsham voters Wednesday night will again consider authorizing selectmen to submit the applications on behalf of both companies.

At the new facility, Wicked Joe hopes to make better coffee and improve the experience for the customers and staff, Garver said. The new space will be designed for customers to come participate and taste new coffees.

“We believe if we do all those things, if we have happy employees,” Garver said, “then that ultimately contributes to a better project and, in the end, that’s what it’s all about.”

Wicked Joe is working with Wally J. Staples Builders of Brunswick on the project.

“It was important to us that we work with local people,” Garver said. “There are obviously a lot of quality contractors and builders in this area, so it’s a very tough choice.”

Having worked with Staples on a number of projects and based on the quality of his company’s work, he said, “we’re really excited that he’s the guy that’s managing things.”

Staples hires local carpenters and local subcontractors. There have been water, sewer and natural gas upgrades to the building, and Harry C. Crooker and Sons of Topsham will repave the parking lot. The Garvers wanted to stay in Brunswick and are committed to this area, Staples said, “and I think it’s good for all of us.”

From LED lighting to water heat pump systems in the building, “we’re really trying to focus on energy efficiency here,” Staples said, adding he hopes construction will be done in early to mid-June.

“We’re also are very fortunate to be partnered with JHR in the building,” Garver said, noting it is working with Wright-Ryan Construction on the exterior and preparing the interior for construction.

Happy to be able to recycle this building like the last, Garver said, “we’re taking what’s old and making it new again,” not only through the quality of construction, but making an older building as efficient and sustainable as possible.

“We’re going to be putting in solar heat, solar electric,” he said. “We’re going to have solar car charging stations.”

Wicked Joe was the first company of its kind and size designated by the state as an environmental leader; and it is tackling the new building the same way. That means state-of-the-art roasting equipment and technology.

“We put out 80 percent less emissions than a normal coffee roaster and we use 80 percent less energy than a normal coffee roasting operation,” Garver said.

“We feel blessed to be doing something we love so much,” Garver said. “Coffee has never been so delicious than it is right now and it continues to move that way. This is an exciting time to be involved in coffee.”

JHR DEVELOPMENT has purchased the Commissary building in Topsham, which Wicked Joe will occupy, while Maine Harvest Co. is looking to occupy a smaller building behind the Commissary for a local food processing hub.