MADAWASKA, Maine – Jason and Amy Baldock were living in California when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. The lockdown prevented them from visiting their favorite local coffee shops, so they started learning how to make their own artisan coffee at home.
Now, just a few years later, Jason, Amy, and their son Benjamin are living in Madawaska and running Gotta Coffee – an artisanal coffee delivery business.
The Baldocks moved to Madawaska from Fresno about three years ago. Jason, who was working as a probation officer at the time, said the pandemic led to a number of life changes, so they decided to start traveling the country in an RV. After visiting several other states and almost buying a house in Minnesota, they settled on Madawaska, Maine’s northernmost town.
They worked at the school as teachers. Amy later worked as the town’s rec director, and now works as an online teacher. Jason later worked at the fire department, and is now a counselor with Aroostook Mental Health Services.
For their 10-year wedding anniversary, they originally planned to save up for a vacation, but later decided to use that money to purchase a coffee truck and go into business together.
“We wanted a side hustle that we would enjoy,” Jason said, “and to be able to have a Starbucks in our driveway.”
Gotta Coffee officially opened in January, and people can now place same-day orders on the website at gottacoffeeme.com. They deliver from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. All deliveries are free.
“We can only deliver within Madawaska,” said Jason. “That way, all of our drinks get to you fresh. We deliver to the school, the mill, and to the border of town.”
Amy said they will also meet customers at a parking lot or another designated location if they do not live in town, but still want to get a coffee.
The Baldocks said they figured out the perfect blend of premium ingredients when they were in California and unable to visit their favorite coffee shops. Their coffees include ingredients from brands such as Ghirardelli, Torani, and Nespresso.
“COVID hit and we were like, we’ve got to figure out a way to keep coffee in our lives,” Amy said. “We started sharing it with a couple of our friends, and they said, ‘This is really good. You guys should do something with this.’ So we did.”
Their menu includes a myriad of macchiatos, lattes, cold brews, and even a sweet iced tea.
Amy said the caramel macchiato is currently a customer favorite, and that she and Jason both enjoy the pumpkin spice cold brew.
Another decision that ended up inspiring the business’s name was to find a way to avoid doing dishes or making messes in the truck.
“[Amy] ended up finding a boba sealer machine, which seals the cup,” Jason said. “So we make our drinks in the plastic cup and seal it immediately. You could actually knock it over and it won’t spill.”
Many of the drinks are layered, so a little space is left on top for the drink to be shaken. This led to the slogan, “Gotta leave a little room to shake it,” which then led to the name “Gotta Coffee.”
With the business only being open a few months, Jason said they don’t have a large customer base yet, but they get a lot of repeat business from the customers they do have.
Looking ahead, they said they hope to make a presence at local events.
“That’s what our business model really started with,” she said, “going to Music in the Park and to the farmer’s market. We’re really excited to go to those types of things in town.”
“We’re here for our community,” Jason said. “We are really excited to be able to bring these things to the community and to be a part of it.”
