Hello from Rochester, NY!

[nicksergeant]

Howdy howdy, I'm a new guy from Rochester, NY. I've been into home-grinding and AeroPressing for a while and am now getting into roasting and flavoring my own beans.

I'm interested in the business side of roasting and selling beans, so if anyone has some pointers, I'd love to hear it! I'm mostly interested in finding a way to start selling small batches of roasted & flavored beans out of my house to friends and family (legally, cheaply, and easily).

 

[btreath9082]

Hello Howdy !
Welcome to the forum.
Nice to see you here, You will get lots of information related to your business.
:star:

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

 

[nicksergeant]

Thanks all! Surprisingly enough, I simply tweeted about my latest batch of Christmas roast, and sold three lbs to some followers... awesome

Now I'm wondering what the best way to ship the beans is - I'm thinking the USPS Flat-Rate Small box *should* be able to hold the bags I got (1lb brown bags from "WebstaurantStore"). The dimensions of the box are a tad smaller than the bags but I don't think the bags will reach the full dimensions with coffee in it.

Anyone else frequently shipping 1lb bags of roasted beans in the US via USPS?

 

[eldub]

This is a current problem of ours. I just tried putting 1 lb. of roasted coffee in the smallest flat rate box from the USPS and it wouldn't quite fit. (prolly depends on the roast level a bit as well.)

 

[nicksergeant]

This is a current problem of ours. I just tried putting 1 lb. of roasted coffee in the smallest flat rate box from the USPS and it wouldn't quite fit. (prolly depends on the roast level a bit as well.)

Ah, that's a bummer. I just prepaid for a label for my first order to go out Monday. Luckily it's a friend so if I have to shave off some beans in order to get it to fit, he probably won't hold it against me

 

[nicksergeant]

FWIW, I did end up getting about 1lb forced into the small box - it was very, very tight. It's bulging a bit so I used tape to keep it shut - hopefully USPS doesn't reject it.

 

[CanadianBrian]

The key to these is to pack them right after roasting so that the beans are smaller before degassing..............

 

[nicksergeant]

The key to these is to pack them right after roasting so that the beans are smaller before degassing..............

Yeah, I just don't think that would allow for proper degassing - a closed paper bag inside of a tightly packed box.

Have you done this before? Have you (or the receiver of the beans) noticed flavor degradation?

 

[btreath9082]

Yeah, I just don't think that would allow for proper degassing - a closed paper bag inside of a tightly packed box.

Have you done this before? Have you (or the receiver of the beans) noticed flavor degradation?

I personally haven't done this before and never heard of it either. So I think that it is not a very good idea to do so.
I do think that the flavor would drastically change by doing so.

 

[CJevens]

What about using bags with one way valves?

As to starting business, you will need a business license and then a certified kitchen since you are packing a food product. If you are doing this as a hobby and only charging friends and family "shipping", wink wink, you might be able to get away with it. Once you step out into the public realm (twitter followers), you might consider legitimizing your operation and jumping through the necessary hoops and red tape.

Best of luck.

 

[nicksergeant]

What about using bags with one way valves?

As to starting business, you will need a business license and then a certified kitchen since you are packing a food product. If you are doing this as a hobby and only charging friends and family "shipping", wink wink, you might be able to get away with it. Once you step out into the public realm (twitter followers), you might consider legitimizing your operation and jumping through the necessary hoops and red tape.

Best of luck.

That's probably not a bad idea (the bags with valves), but I think I'm actually going to sell 12 oz bags instead of 1lb. This will let me use the 1lb bag and ship in the flat-rate small boxes.

I'm thinking of getting a 5lb BBQ drum roaster from CRC so I can do more than 2/3rd-cup batches in my popcorn popper. The BBQ drum seems to be the most cost effective way to roast larger batches (albeit probably with a larger learning curve). I've already got some interest based on a few bags I sent out.

 

[CJevens]

There are a few companies that offer bags with and w/o valves. That will be an easy find. I'd also suggest that you consider a fluid bed roaster. They are a bit spendy but well worth it with consistent roasts.

Consider contacting Kenneth Sheppard. He makes a really nice air roaster. email him: KenSheppard at roadrunner dot com.

 

[nicksergeant]

There are a few companies that offer bags with and w/o valves. That will be an easy find. I'd also suggest that you consider a fluid bed roaster. They are a bit spendy but well worth it with consistent roasts.

Consider contacting Kenneth Sheppard. He makes a really nice air roaster. email him: KenSheppard at roadrunner dot com.

Great, will do - thanks!