Start a Coffee Roasting Business

Hi, my name is Tim. Some people know me as TC.

I'm looking to start a coffee roasting business, and you can help!

First, a little about how I got here. I have been passionate about brewing a good cup of coffee for over 12 years. The folks who I brewed for laughed (or cried) at the amount of precision and care I took in measuring the coffee and water down to the gram. But I care deeply about the coffee I share with people and want to do my best for them. And to pursue the best cup of coffee possible, it was clear I needed to have more influence on the coffee itself. So in 2014, I started with a stainless steel bowl, a Wagner heat gun, a wooden spoon, and several pounds of direct trade specialty coffee and started roasting in my garage. I really enjoyed the process of turning green coffee into a finished, roasted product that I enjoyed and others seemed to enjoy as well. My interest continued growing, and although the coffee I was roasting was good, the method required about three batches to yield a pound of roasted coffee.

I knew I needed an actual roaster to go into any sort of production. So I set about researching my options.

I knew I needed an actual roaster to go into any sort of production. So I set about researching my options. There were affordable, commercially available machines that could reliably roast a half pound at a time, but that would still require two batches—24 minutes per pound. So I looked to see if any roasters could produce one pound at a time. Unfortunately, the big-name commercial one-pound roasters were anywhere from $7,000 to $12,000, and that was not going to be feasible.

Until one day, I came across a one-pound capacity, hand-made roaster produced by Kuanho Li in Taiwan: the Huky 500.

The prices started out at around $1300 and by the time everything was included—including thermocouples for temperature monitoring via computer—it came in about $1800. But it was affordable enough that I could start saving and working towards a goal. It took about six months of saving and a gift from my in-laws to get me there, but I could finally purchase my new roaster and wait for it to be manufactured and sent.

In August 2015 it arrived, and I was in love. (still am)

It took a while but I got used to the process and started producing some really good coffee. Family and friends encouraged me to start an Etsy shop, and in late 2018 I figured out a brand and opened the shop.

You can see the products I currently offer at Etsy.

Looking to produce better airflow in the roaster and eliminate the need to empty the chaff after each roast, I began fabricating a cyclone. The first attempt was ok but a bit of a miss. But the next attempt in March 2019 was a success! Still the same roaster but packing a lot more airflow and the ability to roast numerous times without having to clean up. It made production much more efficient.

And then the world changed.

It meant a lot more time at home, but it also meant a lot more people ordering coffee. So I went from ordering 20-pound bags of green beans to ordering 50-pound bags. Now in the present, I'm still roasting responsibly sourced direct trade specialty coffee and still learning to roast better. I've streamlined production, but I'm still roasting one pound at a time. I've modified the Huky to meet my needs, but I feel I've reached the limit of what it's able to do.

So to expand my roasting business, I need a more capable roaster. That's where I could really use your help.

The money I raise will be used to purchase a commercial coffee roaster that can produce 6-10 pounds of roasted coffee per batch. A brand new roaster that size costs anywhere from $20,000 to $35,000, but I'm hoping to find a used roaster in good condition for between $15,000 and $20,000. The additional funding will be used to set up a dedicated commercial space to meet local health department requirements so I can sell commercially.

Your donation, however small or large, will be used to work towards the purchase of a used coffee roaster and help me share the care and attention I put into this passion with even more people.

Even if you can't help financially though, sharing this campaign will help get the word out. Anything helps. Truly.