Renting Time on Coffee Roaster OR Installing Coffee Roaster in Coffee Shop

[vazzurri]

Hi all!

New here...so thank you in advance for reading and responding to my thread.

My wife and I are thinking about opening up a roasting operation in the San Diego area. We want to explore a couple of ways to get going quickly (or more quickly) while at the same time containing start-up costs.

Here are a couple of ideas we are exploring – if you in the SD area and are roaster / coffee shop owner or know someone that is and might be interested in discussing further, please let me know.

Option 1: Renting time from an established coffee roaster:

• Pretty straight forward – looking for a roaster who has extra capacity and is interested in renting out his equipment during set slots during the week. We’d need space to store a few bags of green as well as space to package roasted coffee

Option 2: Install a roaster in an established coffee shop:

• The coffee shop would need to be able to have a roaster installed (thinking 5-15 kilos) – space wise as well as zoning. We’d also need space to store a few bags of green as well as space to package roasted coffee – we’ve seen this type of partnership done well elsewhere – could be a big draw for the shop and an overall win/win

Look forward to the responses…happy new year!

 

[John P]

A couple of important questions that should be answered first.

How long have you been roasting?

Have you roasted professionally or on professional equipment?

If both of these aren't a fair number of hours (hundreds) or years, then you are putting the cart way in front of the horse... you might not even be able to see the horse.

There's no way to answer the options without knowing what your level of expertise is.

 

[vazzurri]

Thanks for the response John.

My wife does have some roasting experience (about 6 months or so a few years back on a Probat 12 kilo). Also, I have been around green coffee (Brazil Specialty) for the last 10 years or so. We are currently in Brazil until end of April and we plan to roast while here using my wife's mother's roaster (Attila 5 Kilo - Brazilian roaster). So to answer your question, roasting novices but plugged in. We are not planning to have a huge / intricate lineup, so we think that we can do the R&D while here and then spent time fine tuning it on the roaster we end up using longer term.

Thanks again! Also, since you are a roaster...let me know if you are interested to test out some Brazilian specialty beans.

Happy New Year.

A couple of important questions that should be answered first.

How long have you been roasting?

Have you roasted professionally or on professional equipment?

If both of these aren't a fair number of hours (hundreds) or years, then you are putting the cart way in front of the horse... you might not even be able to see the horse.

There's no way to answer the options without knowing what your level of expertise is.

 

[topher]

I wish you luck. I am pretty sure that your only option is buying your own roaster. I can't imagine anyone using my equipment. Too many things that could go wrong. Even with 6 months experience. Let us know what you end up doing

 

[vazzurri]

Hey topher - thanks for the response. I know it's a tall order, but did find someone locally that rents out his equipment... Might be a good option, but might keep exploring option 2.

Question for you: in the market for Brazil beans (specialty)? We store some in Jacksonville , which is not too far from you (NOLA would be better ).

Again, appreciate your time.

I wish you luck. I am pretty sure that your only option is buying your own roaster. I can't imagine anyone using my equipment. Too many things that could go wrong. Even with 6 months experience. Let us know what you end up doing

 

[topher]

I sent you a PM.

 

[Jayzoll]

there are mixed opinions with roasters in the cafe. most of what ive heard are it is loud, can be dusty/dirty, and usually doesnt help sales. there are a few stories of sales increasing after the roaster was removed. too many variables for me to say one way or the other.

but think of this - some are super interested and others are not. i would try my best to think about a way to isolate the roaster but still have it visible - wall/separate room with a glass window so customers can look in if they choose and those uninterested are not 'bothered'. all the best with your new venture!


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[vazzurri]

Hi there Jayzoll -

Great points - appreciate the feedback. Will definitely take these points under consideration should we move forward with the roaster in the shop concept.

there are mixed opinions with roasters in the cafe. most of what ive heard are it is loud, can be dusty/dirty, and usually doesnt help sales. there are a few stories of sales increasing after the roaster was removed. too many variables for me to say one way or the other.

but think of this - some are super interested and others are not. i would try my best to think about a way to isolate the roaster but still have it visible - wall/separate room with a glass window so customers can look in if they choose and those uninterested are not 'bothered'. all the best with your new venture!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Miracle]

Coffee roasting has been around for a while in our culture. Long ago people realized that you could "make" coffee by mixing roasted beans and water. Then somebody got the idea of roasting coffee so it was even better.