PORTLAND — Coffee By Design founders Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear, who are celebrating 20 years in business this July, have been named Maine’s Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to a news release.

Seth Goodall, regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, along with Androscoggin Bank President Paul Andersen, joined Lindemann and Spear to recognize the award at a recent press conference and roastery tour held at Coffee By Design’s 1 Diamond St. location.

“This is a huge honor for us, to be selected out of so many small business owners across the state that are doing incredible things,” said Lindemann. “We couldn’t be happier to have chosen Maine as the place we decided to grow Coffee By Design.”

Nominations for the honor are evaluated based on factors, including a business’s staying power, innovation, growth in sales and number of employees, and contributions to community-oriented projects.

Since opening Coffee By Design, Spear and Lindemann have launched Portland Buy Local and were founding members of the First Friday Artwalk. The company regularly gives back to the community by donating proceeds from various featured coffees to local organizations, and $1 from every pound of Rebel Blend sold goes into a grant fund that is awarded to an artist or arts organization each year.

Coffee By Design was nominated for the award by Paul Collins, vice president of Androscoggin Bank, who provided the loan to open the company’s new roastery and company headquarters at 1 Diamond St.

At the end of National Small Business Week (May 12-16), Spear and Lindemann will join nominees from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam in Washington, D.C., where the 2014 National Small Business Person of the Year will be named.

Coffee By Design and the other category award winners from Maine will be recognized at a luncheon on June 17 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport.

COFFEE BY DESIGN, a Maine owned and operated coffee company since 1994, is dedicated to changing the world, one cup of coffee at a time. With five coffeehouses and a micro roastery, Coffee By Design provides customers with sustainably sourced, traceable coffee. In addition to serving some of the world’s finest coffee, Coffee By Design is committed to running a sustainable business dedicated to the arts, the environment, and the community. With more than 450 select restaurants, cafes and gourmet stores and online retail sales, their coffee is enjoyed nationwide. For information, go to www.coffeebydesign.com.