Learning their lessons from their time as Starbucks employees, the owners of a new coffee shop on Route 1 in Scarborough have built their business based on good old-fashioned ideals.

With a spot at 360 Willowdale Place on Route 1 and a sign large enough to read from the far lane, the Freaky Bean Coffee Company is off to a good start. Co-owners and best friends Andy Kessler and Jon Stratton are encouraged about the potential for their three-week old business venture.

The idea for the Freaky Bean got its start at Starbucks. Stratton and Kessler bonded as Starbucks baristas while blending up Frappuccinos and double grande lattes for caffeine fiends there.

Now, they’ve taken what they learned about coffee and business and started their own business. The model they use is based on Stratton and Kessler’s socially conscious ideals about reducing waste, supporting the local economy and catering to the customer.

The co-owners say they buy local whenever possible using the Two Fat Cats bakery in Portland for their fresh baked pastries and the Portland Rosemont Market, which provides their sandwiches. The “freaky beans” used at this coffee house are certified fair trade, said Stratton, which means the employees were paid a livable wage.

Though their coffee isn’t Maine roasted, as they originally intended, they’re not apologizing, because what it lacks in local flavor it makes up in actual flavor. “The coffee is just awesome…creamy and nutty,” said Stratton, a self proclaimed lover of great coffee.

With funky dA?©cor, hanging lights and many hangout spots, Stratton and Kessler are hoping to create a European like cafA?© environment where “everybody knows everybody,” said Stratton, or better yet, where strangers can have impromptu conversations.

Customers Mark and Tricia Bezanson called local coffee houses like what Kessler and Stratton have opened a “dying breed.”

After walking into the Freaky Bean for the first time last week, the Bezansons said they thought Stratton and Kessler might have rescued a slice of the disappearing lifestyle.

Mark Bezanson said he spent much time relaxing and enjoying life in similar cafes while in Europe, and he feels the Freaky Bean has the kind of welcoming atmosphere that could foster a space for hanging out and philosophizing, rather than just grabbing a coffee and running. “I associate a cafA?© with a creative mind, reading, writing and good conversation,” said Bezanson. The Freaky Bean, he said, certainly has potential to encourage all of those things.

Summer dwellers from New Jersey, the Bezansons vacation in Pine Point yearly. Regular coffee drinkers, they try to avoid chain coffee joints, because they prefer to support local business. With Route 1 being dominated by chain establishments, the Bezansons say the Freaky Bean is a refreshing presence. “It’s nice for the Route 1 strip to have something besides chains,” said Mark Bezanson.

It wasn’t always a sure bet that the cafA?© would reside in Scarborough. Valiant researchers, Stratton and Kessler discovered through informal polling, aka standing outside of their corporate competition and asking people, they realized that Scarborough residents were most likely to support their venture.

Though Scarborough was the strongest contender, Stratton and Kessler were considering Portland and Westbrook as homes for their coffee house.

“Portland was saturated,” said Kessler. “Westbrook didn’t have the traffic,” added Stratton. In the end, the pair decided Scarborough was the best choice for their business. “Scarborough was dying for a specialty coffee shop,” Kessler finished.

And they secured their spot just in the nick of time too. Starbucks was originally vying for the exact locale the Freaky Bean now occupies, said Kessler and Stratton. Beating their former employer to the punch was satisfying they said.

Faced with the knowledge that Starbucks has honed in on the Scarborough market, Kessler and Stratton aren’t worried about the possible competition. “Bring it on,” said Stratton, “We have better coffee, better service and a better ‘Freakazoid’.”

The “Freakazoid” is their signature drink, and they liken it to a coffee milkshake, similar to the Starbucks Frappuccino, except better because it’s made with real espresso rather than the powdered espresso used by the corporate giant. “It tastes 10 times better,” said Stratton.

As for the name “Freaky Bean,” there was no magic potion or funny story to dictate the store’s identity – only a stroke of inspiration while showering.

“It happened by accident,” said Stratton, “My wife stuck her head out of the shower one day and yelled out ‘Freaky Bean, that’s the name.'”

And so it was.

Jon Stratton, right mixes up a freakazoid at the Freaky Bean Coffee Company on Route One in Scarborough last Thursday. Andy Kessler, left and Stratton are co-owners of the three-week old local coffee shop.