WARREN—With the monster success of Maine Brew Bus tours in Portland and Boston, it was only a matter of time that all-inclusive minivan tours to Midcoast breweries, distilleries and wineries would materialize.

Larry and Rose Bull, of Warren, have envisioned a new service for locals and tourists to capitalize on the Maine Wine, Beer and Spirit Trails by doing all of the driving.

Bull On The Run Tours, a play on their last name, is set to start operating in May 12, Mother’s Day, with a 12-passenger mini van Wednesday to Sunday hitting popular spots in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties.

Planning to rendezvous at the Rock Harbor Tasting Room at 5 Payne Avenue in Rockland, the white van with the logo an will leave from Rockland as its starting point for each tour.

“Two of the days we’ll do winery tours; two of the days will be brewery tours and then we’ll have a wild card day, that might encompass both, plus distilleries,” said Bull. “If enough people want to do a special trip, we can customize to what they want as well.”

Bull, a retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer, has been in law enforcement and the military for the last 30 years. His wife, Rose, born and raised in Waldoboro, has worked for 36 years for Hannaford Supermarkets.  Combining their skill sets with business and customer service, the couple began thinking of what they wanted to do when they retired.

“Rose and I knew each other 20 years ago when I first lived in Maine,” said Bull. “When I left in 1988, there was one winery and one brewery here.  I left the military and came back and she and I reconnected again. We both have an interest in the area’s wineries and breweries here and having seen a lot of wineries and breweries on the west coast where I spent time in California, we thought the time was right to start an all-inclusive tours.”

Currently in the process of finishing up getting their insurance and licenses, the Bulls are looking forward to the new venture.

“We’ll go south part of the week and north the next part,” he said. “People who haven’t visited this area before might find it a little intimidating to try and locate some of these out of the way rural places on their own, so we’ll provide an easy way to see everything without having to worry about driving. And, if a group of people wanting to take a tour are all located at one place, such as a hotel, or Airbnb, we’ll even drive to you and pick you up.”

Bull estimates that each trip will take about four to five hours with bathroom breaks along the way and will be around $60 per person.

For more info: Bull On The Run Tours

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com