FREEPORT – A well-known Maine coffee roaster is looking to move into a long-vacant building on Lower Main Street in Freeport.

At a Freeport Project Review Board meeting on Dec. 12, the board unanimously approved an application from Wicked Joe, now located in Brunswick, for a change of use of the vacant building next to Chilton Furniture on Lower Main Street from retail/storage to light manufacturing/processing.

At the same meeting, the board approved an expansion plan for Maine Distilleries.

Keith McBride, the executive director of the Maine Economic Development Corp., said the arrival of Wicked Joe and the expansion of Maine Distilleries – along with the recent announcement that Maine Beer Co. would be moving its brewery operation from Portland to Freeport – is great news for the town.

“The expansion of these two businesses (along with that of Maine Beer Co.) shows that Freeport is developing an identity as a specialty foods producer,” McBride said.

Representatives from both Wicked Joe and Maine Distilleries did not respond to messages seeking comment about their plans prior to the Tri-Town Weekly’s deadline Monday.

Donna Larson, Freeport’s planner, said the building that Wicked Joe is eyeing for its Freeport operation is owned by Bill Martins, who is also the owner of Chilton Furniture. Martins did not return a call seeking comment.

According to a memo to the Project Review Board from Larson, there are no major changes planned for the building, and the eight to 10 employees of Wicked Joe will generate most of the traffic at the site. While there will be some retail sales, Larson said, there are no plans to sell brewed coffee by the cup there.

One physical change to the building involves a reduction in entrances. Larson told the board that there are four entry doors on the front and side of the building. She said the company plans to keep only the central entry door and replace the other three with windows that match the ones already in place. Additionally, Wicked Joe is also proposing to install foam replicas of coffee plants on the three peaks of the building.

It is not known when the coffee facility plans its move to Freeport. The company has all the necessary town approvals to begin work on the building, but no visible work had begun on the building early this week.

Wicked Joe is a wholesale coffee roasting company that got its start in 2003. Its roasting facility in Brunswick is certified organic, and the company is committed to sustainable business and environmental protection.

The company’s coffees, which are certified both organic and fair trade, are available at a wide range of retail outlets, including Hannaford, as well as smaller retailers, and it is also sold online at the company’s website, www.wickedjoe.com.

The review board, which is charged with reviewing development proposals and designs, also approved an expansion plan of a little more than 1,300 square feet to Maine Distilleries’ existing building. The company makes, among other spirits, Cold River Vodka.

Larson said the majority of the expansion will be in the form of a new, 840-square-foot warehouse being added to the back corner of the building. Maine Distilleries is also adding a covered walkway along the front to allow customers who are taking the distillery’s tour sheltered access to the building.

“The addition of the covered walkway will provide safer pedestrian access to the building in inclement weather,” Larson told the board.

Representatives from Maine Distilleries did not return messages seeking comment for this story.

Maine Distilleries opened in Freeport in 2005. Its vodka, made from Maine potatoes, has won several national awards, including a spot on Wine Enthusiast’s list of top 50 spirits. The vodka is available in 26 states, Washington, D.C., western Canada and even overseas in London. The company began distilling Cold River Gin in 2010, and it is also made from Maine potatoes.

In the case of a business like Wicked Joe coming to Freeport, McBride said, his organization has partnered with the company to ensure that the transition is a smooth one.

“The Freeport Economic Development Corp. has worked closely with the owners of Wicked Joe,” McBride said. “There’s still some work to be done before they finalize their expansion, so we will continue to assist in any way we can. Our mission is to pursue the community’s economic development goals, and to help put the resources and assets in place necessary to achieve those goals. It’s hard to find any metric that measures how we’re doing, but the success of this project would provide some clear positive feedback, for sure.”

In addition, McBride said, the fact that companies like Maine Beer Co. and Wicked Joe are moving to town and one existing company, Maine Distilleries, is looking at a significant expansion is a very positive sign.

“They also bring the light manufacturing and light industrial jobs that will help diversify the town’s economic base,” he said. “Seeing new private investment is also an indication that the toughest economic times are behind us. These are all signs of great things to come for Freeport. It’s exciting.”

This long-vacant building on Lower Main Street in Freeport is likely to be the new home of the Brunswick-based coffee roaster Wicked Joe.