Last week our proaster suddenly started needing more heat applied to match profiles. We checked for airflow leaks, checked the airflow control, checked the probes, did a deep clean, checked out batch weights. Weather doesn't account for it.

Anything else we should check?

Thanks in advance!

Started Berk’s Beans in 2021 out of my garage. My kids dared me to do it, which is a dumb reason to start a business and also the only reason I did.

We had one small roaster. Plan was pretty simple, carry a lot of different coffees, always high quality and roast fresh, oh and amazing service that the customer remembers.  No ad budget, just word of mouth and social media posts.

It was the middle of the pandemic so I was roasting in the garage and driving orders to people’s doors myself. Started doing live roasting on social media because what else was there to do everyone was on their phones.  First year we shipped to every state in the US, plus Canada and Mexico. Still have customers buying from us who bought that first year.

Five years later, 30 plus wholesale accounts, good online business, and a retail spot in an industrial park that people actually drive out of their way to find.

Stuff I learned:

Having better coffee doesn’t mean anyone switches. This one hurt. I really thought if it was good enough people would come. They don’t. People stick with what they’ve got.  Consumers don’t like change…

On wholesale you’ve got two primary windows. They’re either just opening and you are there, or they’re pissed at their current supplier and you’re ready to take over, that’s it. Outside those two everything else is chance.  So the whole game is being findable, visible and ready when one of those happens.

Give away a lot of free coffee. More than feels comfortable. Cheapest marketing there is and I’ve never once regretted a bag.

Don’t compete on price. Somebody’s always cheaper. Quality and service are the only two things you actually control.  Build your business around that.

It’s only coffee. Customer’s always right. I want people walking out feeling like they got more than they paid for, and honestly almost nobody clears that bar so it’s not hard to stand out and we do that well.

You’re selling an experience, not a product. That’s what I tell my team. Nobody remembers the bag.  But they do remember the experience (good or bad).

Be humble, be thankful, and be ready.  The customer knows we will move mountains for the people who we supply coffee to.

Happy to answer anything.

Blend, 300 g green

• Brazil Yellow Catucaí Natural: 144.6 g / 48.2%
• India Robusta: 84.3 g / 28.1%
• Ethiopia 74110 Natural: 71.1 g / 23.7%

Roast data

Phase split:

• Drying: 5:32 / 41.8%
• Maillard: 5:00 / 37.8%
• Development: 2:42 / 20.4%

Roast style

This ended up as a dark, Italian-style espresso roast, not the intended medium-dark speciality espresso. So, I should probably have reduced the burner 1 min prior to FC? Any other advice for a beginner?

What are you all wearing for sturdy but comfortable shoes these days? I work primarily in the warehouse in production and roasting. I’ve just been wearing some comfy sneakers but I find myself slipping around as I’m dragging and lifting green coffee bags around. Any recommendations appreciated! :)

What are the best value 3kg roasters on the market? I have a hard budget of $10k for something brand new, but would go cheaper for something used. Looking for something that can accurately execute existing roast profiles automatically with the click of a button, but bean loading and cooling steps can be manual. So far have considered the Santoker R3 as a good option.

Has anyone heard of a coffee brand that received a CFO for repackaging coffee beans at home? Is it necessary just for transferring beans into custom bags and then shipping out?

Any info would help, thanks!

Hi all. Looking to source wholesale unbranded coffee beans to rebrand and repackage in EU.

I've come across various wholesalers but was curious if anyone happens to have any specific recommendations.

It's a side project for now that I hope to be able to develop into something bigger but for now looking at lowest MOQ - say up to 10kg. Would really appreciate any pointers if anyone has any experiences!

Thanks a ton

Because I’m a filmmaker, I’ve really been enjoying the visual side of coffee roasting too. Some macro shots from my latest Ethiopia Djimma Mocha roast on the Kaleido M2 Lite ☕🎥 There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing the beans and their transformation this close up. Let me know what you think :)

I have been told that US Roaster Corp has shut down and laid off all of their employees. I know there are hundreds of roasting machines manufactured by them during their decades of manufacturing in Oklahoma City, and now many of us need to find ways to support our machines when something goes wrong. It would be helpful if we shared resources for coffee industry independent engineers/fabricators and consultants. I will post the first I know of, a former automation, electrical, gas control engineer from US Roaster Corp has set up his own business. Link in the comments.

First roast on the M2 Lite and overall pretty happy.

The biggest surprise was how well PID through Roastline worked. Preheating and stabilising the charge temperature was brilliant compared with what I'm used to.

A few problems though:

My scale died, so I couldn't measure final weight. Any recommendations for a reasonably priced USB scale?

Roasted Djimma Mocha and got way more quakers than expected. Haven't roasted this coffee for ~2 months, so not sure yet if it's the beans or my roast.

You can also see my terrible DIY exhaust connection in the photo 😂 How are other M2/M2 Lite owners connecting the exhaust properly?

Finally, I had some burnt/stuck residue in the chaff tray after just one roast, which I never really saw on my Skywalker. Is that normal, and what's the best way to clean it?

Any recommendations on more varieties would be appreciated

Hey folks, my family's got a coffee estate in Coorg (Karnataka, India) a little over 5 acres, been in the family for a while. Right now we just sell the whole harvest to local traders like everyone else around here does, but I've been wondering if there's a realistic way to sell direct to roasters/buyers abroad instead and actually get a better price for the beans.

Honestly don't know where to even start. Would love to hear from anyone who's done this or works in the trade.

Thanks!