Drive around Ocean Point too fast and you may miss one of the charming spots on the peninsula. Tucked between two homes on Van Horn Road is a small family-run coffee shop and roastery. Inside, the cozy cottage brims with the same light character as the joe they sell.  

Color Field Coffee Co. takes its name from the color field art movement: abstract paintings characterized by large areas of solid color placed with bold brush strokes. It’s a fitting name for a company run by father-son duo Brad and Sam Betts, both artists. Sam Betts said the style is a way to minimize a message on canvas so a viewer can interpret the art in emotions. A similar idea resonates in their vibrant coffee bags.  

“How can we design a bag that can communicate flavor notes without having to express it directly,” Sam Betts said. “So you can look at the bag and kind of get that reading of the artwork and say, ‘OK, this is the vibe of the cup that you're going to brew.’" 

The duo described their signature roast, Wakened Birds, as having caramel chocolatey notes with a smooth flavor. They said the blend is a combination of three fair trade beans, Mexican, Guatemalan and Sumatran, roasted at different levels, then mixed at the end for a “spectrum of flavor.”   

The pair said roasters are in a new coffee era where people are creating light roasts that bring out a bean's notes and aromas more than a standard dark roast, where the features might get lost.   

"We love a dark roast, but when we meet a lot of good coffee experts that come through here, we're finding that a lot of people want to try the lighter just so they get to know the bean a little bit more,” Sam Betts said. “You really do get to experience the flavor of the bean when it's a little lighter, and every bean from every origin is different.” 

Sam Betts, who grew up locally, said a lot of his inspiration came from away. After graduating Bowdoin College in Brunswick, he moved to Santa Barbara, California to be nearer his brother. There, he said he was struck by the culture, aesthetic and ambiance of the coffee scene. He also lived in Brooklyn, New York but eventually returned to Maine. “(I) tried the city life, but then realized that nature is kind of a requirement for life, you know? And Maine has that.” 

His father Brad Betts fell in love with Boothbay long before. He came to the area with a group of fellow artists. Within a month, he had bought property on Ocean Point, where he and wife Danielle raised their family. Now, he and Sam run the roasting company on the family land, where they also live. 

Starting off using a popcorn maker, Brad Betts said he began roasting just for fun. He eventually bought dedicated equipment and then, after 10 years, decided to share the flavors as a business. They opened last November and are hosting a one-year celebration Sept. 20.  

“This is our first summer, so we're taking it easy,” Sam Betts said. “We're not distributing anywhere. We've refined our Waking Birds blend, and we have some single origins that we've started releasing. Just things that we really like, that we love ourselves.” 

“We drink this coffee every day,” Brad Betts added. “And we're always kind of obsessed with the flavor and how could it be better. What's the next thing?” 

In addition to flavors, they said feedback from customers is largely about the carefully curated, one-room space.  Paintings brimming with color adorn the walls, music pours out of a small record player, and comfortable furniture invites patrons to make their own cup of coffee, sit and enjoy it all. The bookshelves are even filled with a novel treasure, what a small, handwritten sign says is the largest short story collection on Ocean Point. 

“We want (guests) to have an experience more than anything. Just to come in and have a moment alone, or maybe when someone else is here, have a conversation they might not have had, and just come in and relax and enjoy a cup of coffee,” Brad Betts said. "Just have an experience that makes you stop for a moment and realize how awesome Maine is. Something that just makes you stop for a moment and enjoy.”