How to Pick a Roaster

[HillofBeans]

Hi,
I'm new to this but want to jump into the roasting business.- Farmers markets and hopefully grow from there. All i got is my arrogance about the taste of coffee. I am looking for a roaster 5Kg to 12Kg so I could grow into it and not have to trade up for a couple of years. I figure used so if I go beely up quick I could resell the roaster close to my buying price. That's why I'm not affraid to start with a bigger unit. I figure i would just loose the price of shipping, installation at home and the coffee i burn.
But every brand has 10 people who swear by it and 10 who swear at it. And really a lot of people just know their own. But they couldnt all be equal- The prices really differ (why)and the only good roaster couldn't just be ancient Probats - which is out of my price range even if I found one -So the question is what to look for - what to look out for -what is the sign of the bad machine i like automation because I love consistency
Thoughts please- Thanks

 

[Dan]

HilofBeans,
First and foremost - best of luck!
Your last sentence caught my eye - "I like automation because I love consistency".
you're more than welcome to contact me about our automatic shop roaster - it's smaller than you write but can work 24/7 and can handle 600 lbs a month and more. And... it's very affordable.
You can see more about it at this link.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "HillofBeans"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website!

You will find a lot of information about coffee roasters here. We have quite a number of members who have coffee roasting experience and who know a great deal about the equipment that you'll need.

Are you planning to install a roaster that's large enough to roast 10-26 lbs of coffee in your house, or do you have a garage or other area where you plan to set up your roasting equipment?

Good luck with your endeavor.

Rose

 

[eldub]

Keep in mind if you get a smaller roaster you will probably need to spend a lot more time roasting beans than with a bigger unit. 600 lbs a month is nothing, imo. You will likely be roasting full time just to keep up with demand. You may need need to hire someone to work that machine 24/7 if there is a demand for your product.

A 5kg can do up to 4000 lbs/month but can still roast a couple of pounds at a time. That would be the smallest i'd consider, if'n I was you. On the other hand, I don't know how involved you want to get in this venture. Smaller might be better for you.

PS: Don't forget the hoops the gubmint will jump you through to get licensed to even sell at farmer's markets. Due diligence now will save you problems down the road.

scott

 

[HillofBeans]

Hi thank you for the welcome. I dont have any accounts yet. I am going to start up with something like a 5kg in the garage like a local roaster here was successful doing I hope to find a market in the next year at farmers markets and expand to supermarkets. and then to a storefront.I dont know if i have to spend $6000. or $2600. for the roaster.

 

[RusticRailsCafeandRoaster]

First off, I would look into Coffee Roasting Training. My husband and I just finished taking the course in Portland, OR. American Barista Coffee School. I would suggest taking the business part as well. The Joper is the new kid on the block as far as roasters go. They have a very rare sale at Coffeetec. Ask for Jay..super guy. We are new to the business and about to open our place. I can not imagine doing it without the info they taught us.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "RusticRailsCafeandRoaster"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website!

I took a quick peek at the American Barista Coffee School, and it looks like a fantastic experience. I appreciated seeing the photo of one of the training rooms, where there are a lot of espresso machine setups...I'm guessing each student had his or her own machine to practice with. Years ago, I was trained in a small cafe with a bunch of college students who kept hopping in front of me to get at the machine. It was a very unpleasant experience, but I got through it. I would love to have a "do-over" in a real school....plus I'd want to add the roasting training too!

Again, welcome! We hope you'll visit often and share some of your new-found knowledge with us!

Rose

 

[MoffeeCoff]

Nice discussion are going on. I got some great suggestions here. I hope more discussions will further help me. Thanks!

 

[expat]

I recently got into the world of roasting. I have a 10kg machine. I figured it wasn't too big, and it wasn't too small. I think I made the right size decision but I do wish, maybe, I'd started smaller.

See, about a 5-6kg roast is the smallest I'll attempt right now. Maybe I could roast smaller if I had more experience but (1) I don't trust myself and (2) I don't have deep enough pockets (actually no pockets right now) to roast and throw away my mistakes. If I make any money the first thing I'm buying is a .5 or 1kg sample roaster.

So do the math. If you got a 3kg roaster and roasted 4 batches a day that's about 10kg of coffee a day (after shrinkage). You can do it after work and keep your day job. Farmer's Markets are held on or near the weekend -- Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun. Surely between Monday and Wednesday you could roast enough to satisfy sales at the FM don't you think? If things take off then lose some sleep and keep roasting Monday thru Wednesday. And then buy a big roaster that is more "right sized" to your needs.