Orono’s ‘Golden Bean Bakery’ Celebrates Black Bear Sports With Huge Baked Goods!

Those who grew up in the Orono area may remember a time when Degrasse Jewelers took up the space at 5 Mill Street, just next to the iconic Pat's Pizza. While a couple of other businesses have tried their hand in that spot since Degresse's owner, Michael Ambrose, closed their shop and retired in 2019 ( a barber shop once operated out of the space, and also Black Bear Nutrition, a nutritional tea shop) the most recent tenant hopes to stay a little longer than the rest.

Most recently, the space has been renovated and is operating as The Golden Bean Bakery and Cafe.

Owner Tammy Fields says it wasn't necessarily her intention to open a bakery in Orono. She has a long career in human resources and finance, working for many school systems across the state, and even as the finance director for a local town.

When she opened a home daycare and started baking daily, she found she really liked it, and an idea started to take shape.

"I used to bake at home as a young kid, and it was something I just thoroughly enjoy doing.  I started baking for the local nutrition tea stores about 4 years ago, and my business just built up to the point where I was licensed at home, and I just couldn't handle both jobs, so I quit my full-time job to do the baking so I could spend more time with my grandkids."

Fields says that at one point, she was approached about opening a business in Bangor, but the process to find the right space took two years, so she decided to find her own spot.

Fields, who lives in Glenburn but spends a lot of time in Orono, as an avid hockey fan, was contacted by the folks who own Pat's Pizza (and the building) about taking over both spaces at 5 Mill Street, and she decided to go for it.

In June 2024, she quietly opened up one side of the cafe and just offered coffee and drinks so the staff could work out the kinks of making them.

In November of 2024, she held grand opening of the entire space, offering the baked goods, and started working with the University of Maine, donating 10% of the grand opening proceeds to benefit the scholarship fund of former UMaine hockey player and coach Guy Perron, who passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2023.

"My husband and I are very big hockey fans."

Fields says she has two members of the women's hockey team who used to be customers, but now they've come to work for her.

Every month or so, she says the cafe hosts events where Maine hockey players will stop into the bakery and participate in signings.

"The connection we've had with the University has been amazing."

Fields says she has NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts with a few of the Black Bear athletes;  one with David Breazeale, former Black Bear Hockey Captain, UMaine Black Bear forward, Charlie Russell, and Black Bear Basketball Forward, John Shea.

"Our main focus is the school. We do 10% off for students...Everything we do here is big. I feel like people really need to get their money's worth. I'm also very big on keeping our price points down. A lot of people think that because it's a college town, the kids have a lot of money, and it's the complete opposite. We have a lot of people who come in here who are so grateful that we keep the price point down. And we're going to keep it that way, as much as we can."

She offers hand-picked coffees and nutritional teas.

"We focus on Lotus drinks, which come from 100% natural ingredients. It comes from 7 different plants and it gives you mental clarity, stress relief, probiotics, and caffeine."

Fields also says there are decaffeinated and sugar-free tea options, with the choice to carbonate the teas, as well.

For coffee, she chose a New England-based producer.

"I decided to pair up with Red Barn out of Massachusetts. They've got amazing coffee."

"We really tried to create niches up here that nobody else has, and one of the things with Red Barn is that when all their coffees go through the roasting process, they're all flavored then. Most places you go to will use syrups to flavor their coffee. We don't. Our coffees are all flavored that way. It's a much better, healthier coffee for you because it has less sugar. We also make our own cold cream here."

Fields says all of the baking is done right in-house, with the help of another well-known local baker.

"I brought on the former owner and baker of Wicked Brew Cafe when they closed. So Carrie Holt, who did bagels and a lot of their baking, is up here with me. So she does her bagels here. We bake everything fresh."

Fields says they just started offering smoothie bowls and breakfast sandwiches, and will roll out ready-to-make sandwiches in the fall.

She hopes to stay in the Orono area and grow the business, and eventually turn it over to her daughter.

"My goal was to build a business and turn it over to her, and be here part-time and fly the coop whenever I feel like it."

The Golden Bean Bakery Cafe is open Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 4 PM, and 8-4 PM on weekends.

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