Should I go Semi-Pro?

[southernroaster]

Every time i hear the phrase "semi-pro" I think of that movie with Will Ferrel and Woody Harrelson. hahaha Anyways, Ive been roasting in a Whirly-pop going on 6 months now. I roast about 2 1/2 lbs per weeks which is a lot due to the fact that a whirly pop only roasts in 1/2 lb batches. I absolutely love it. I love the smoke and the smells and the skill that roasting beans requires. I love the methodology of making the perfect cup that makes all of the friends say "wow". I basically have the fever. I'm ready to upgrade. However, I don't know of I should purchase another home-roast type device like a hottop or huky500. Or If I should continue to save for something like and Ambex Ym-2. I've done a lot of research on that company and believe that their machines would best suit me if I ever decided to expand. But should I take it slower? My goal is to eventually open a coffee shop in our humble town of 9800. My mom owned a few successful shops and still has 2 Nuova Simonelli 2 port esspresso machines that she said she would gladly give me. (Too good to be true right?) But for now my goal is to build a customer base by simply selling my beans. Maybe a year or 2 down the road a coffee shop will be more applicable.

My Stats: I roast 2 1/2 to 3 lbs per week. Keeping one for myself and giving out samples and selling the rest in 1/2 lb bags.
I have more demand for my beans then I am currently able to roast. And roast in good quality. With the whirly pop quality can greatly vary so I sometimes end up pitching a batch that got scorched or a little too dark for my customers tastes. Any advice from semi pros or profitable hobbyists?

 

[chast]

If you have the free cash available jump into the YM-2. Your batch sizes will increase and so will your sales

 

[southernroaster]

That's what I'm thinking as well. Any one ever delt with and Ambex ym-2? The reason I like them is first of all, I could pick it up from Clearwater which would take away shipping costs. And second , they seem to be a good starter roaster to learn the trade on. I'm sure this forum gets a lot of folks who roast a few times on a whirly pop and are ready to take on Starbucks and and intelligentsia but I really want to take time to learn the craft. Coffee is my blood both sentimentally and literally being that I drank a few cups of Guatmala Antigua this morning. Haha

 

[chast]

Topher would be a great person to contact about Ambex.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

That's what I'm thinking as well. Any one ever delt with and Ambex ym-2? The reason I like them is first of all, I could pick it up from Clearwater which would take away shipping costs. And second , they seem to be a good starter roaster to learn the trade on. I'm sure this forum gets a lot of folks who roast a few times on a whirly pop and are ready to take on Starbucks and and intelligentsia but I really want to take time to learn the craft. Coffee is my blood both sentimentally and literally being that I drank a few cups of Guatmala Antigua this morning. Haha

Welcome to the coffee roasting world..... . I would agree with Chast. I would not spend money on home roasting machine if your goal is to be able to sell the beans and open a shop in the future. If you are serious about the roasting, i would suggest you to go right into Ambex, US roaster, or even better machines. Great things about smaller roasters is the demand for the used one. You will sure be able to move them if you want to upgrade in the future or could use them as sample roaster or small batch roaster. Ambex is good company and talking to manufactures directly will give you more info. Don't feel intimidated calling them directly. They will talk to you and direct you the right direction.

Good Luck

 

[southernroaster]

I appreciate all of the help! I was leaning towards just saving for more of a commercial roaster so you have definitely tipped the scales. Looks like it'll be another 8 or so more months pulling double shifts on the whirly pop so I can save. Does anyone know of a good used roaster dealer that may have an Ambex? One thing I've realized is that people like to hold on to them so there is not an abundance of used ones.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I do search on craigslist. I do see them time to time but also I would contact Ambex if he knows of any used one. He have sold many of the units and if should know some roaster who would like to upgrade.

 

[chast]

Check with Dan at US Roaster Corp. He takes all models in trade

 

[peterjschmidt]

In the mean time, consider this idea... for a long time, I was selling 50-70 lbs. per month, but didn't want to invest in a commercial roaster, thinking it would take years to offset the price. What I used that whole time was two Stir Crazy/Turbo Ovens (SC/TO, https://sites.google.com/site/peter4jc/ ). It was easy to do 4lbs/hour, these roasters can follow any profile you want, and the output was very well-roasted coffees. I'd start one, get the roast half way through, and start the other one. I still use them for samples - Saturday, I did 11 samples in under 2 hours. After putting 1,000's of pounds of coffee through these two roasters, I wish I would've made the jump to an Ambex YM-2K sooner, but they are sturdy little champions. With all new parts, you can build one for under $100.