44 North Coffee - Deer Isle Café
The coffee shop on the island. Whether you're a lobsterman grabbing a cup before dawn or a summer visitor wandering Main Street, you end up at 44 North. Two cafés, a roastery, and a wholesale operation — all from a small island at the 44th parallel.
Megan Wood and Melissa Rafferty started 44 North in 2010 out of the old Seamark building in Deer Isle. The idea was simple: roast great coffee, source it responsibly. They joined Coop Coffees, a green coffee importing cooperative that builds direct relationships with small-scale farming families internationally. Every bean is organic, fair-trade, and roasted on-island.
What started as a small roastery has grown into something more. The Deer Isle café on Main Street is open year-round — it's where locals go, where meetings happen, where you'll overhear town news. The Stonington location opens Memorial Day through Indigenous Peoples' Day and has a different energy — gallery exhibitions, a view of the harbor, tourists mixing with fishermen at 6:30 in the morning.
44 North also provides a platform for independent bakers. You'll find pastries and bread from Tinder Hearth and other local bakers in the case every morning. The shop sells more than coffee — tea, baked goods, snacks, gear, and their beans by the bag. You can get 44 North beans in most local stores and many shops across the region.
They're women-owned, MOFGA-connected, and deeply embedded in the community. It's more than a coffee shop. It's a town square.
Locations
Deer Isle Café (year-round)
Stonington Café (seasonal)
Roastery (not open to public)
Local Tips
- The Stonington location opens at 6:30am — one of the earliest spots on the island. Good pre-ferry coffee.
- Get there before 8am on weekends if you want the best pastry selection.
- Their beans are available at most general stores on the peninsula if you can't make it to a café.
- Wholesale and custom blends available for events — contact coffee@44northcoffee.com.
Connected To
- Tinder Hearth — supplies bread and pastries to the cafés
- Coop Coffees — their green coffee importing cooperative
- MOFGA — Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association certified