Pair Cupworks Roaster Q&A, Part 1, Becoming a Coffee Roaster
Your roast, you cup, you evaluate. And then repeat. Forever. And Ever. And Ever.
Corrin looking over Madi’s shoulder as a we open the shop and her path begins.
1.5 years later, Madi and I are practicing with competing latte arts
Clarissa said she wanted to work on machines
Madi and I roasting for Muchacha
Latte art competition at our shop a year ago. A Great place to meet other coffee professionals and introduce yourself.
Quick note, this question didn’t end up getting ask at the panel, even though I really thought it would. I still get asked this all the time so will leave it here for any aspiring coffee roasters out there. -R
Pair Cupworks Roaster Q & A :
You learn to roast by roasting. Your roast, you cup, you evaluate. And then repeat. Forever. And Ever. And Ever. - Me, Randy
Getting into Roasting
Structural issues in the retail industry
The fact so many baristas want to get into roasting is a problem that reflects systemic issues in the coffee retail industry as a whole. For every 100 barista there may only be 1 single roaster, or less.
Upward momentum in the coffee industry is very limited. There are not many paths for barista’s that want a career in coffee. As a grown adult, being a barista just doesn't pay the bills adequately, not everyone wants to be a manager, not everyone wants to be a coffee shop owner, roaster and machine tech positions are very limited. ,
The retail side of coffee can be very exhausting long term and (almost all of the time) doesn't pay extra for earned professionalism and dedication to the craft.
When people tell me they want to be a roaster, I usually assume that 95+% of them are just sick of dealing with people but still really love coffee. Which is fine but maybe it doesn't necessarily mean your place is in roasting coffee.
Roasting is not the answer to all these problems
Ask any roaster that's been doing it for over a year. The learning of the craft is fun and fulfilling, developing profiles can be challenging and very rewarding. However, on the production side, roasting the same coffee the exact same way 30 times in a row gets to be a bit… robotic and repetitive. Putting together a 200 bag order for retail can be… robotic and repetitive.
A lot of the time you're alone and just doing the same thing over and over and over. There are parts of roasting that are fun and rewarding, just keep in mind 80% (the real meat and potatoes of it ) is going to be just like any other job you’ve ever done. It is repetitive, lonely, even boring for long stretches of time.
To summarize, I’m all about people learning how to roast, I think it’s good for the coffee community, I think it’s good for your career, if you want a career in coffee. I think it is fulfilling and personally rewarding, however it is also a job just like any other. If you think you’re going to be a scientist mixing different vials in a lab, this is not it. To excel and master roasting as a skill, you have to be exacting and disciplined, being able to repeat a roast 30 times in a row perfectly, if that is what is needed, which it often is.
2 Paths to Roasting
1) Go it Alone
Save up some money, buy a roaster, buy some beans, and dive in..
100% assured you will get to roast, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this path. I’m sure it works for a lot of people but without substantial access to funding, the path will be long, arduis, and the success rate is pretty low.
Please keep in mind that this is entirely based on my own path in roasting.. I just had such a difficult time doing it this way, it’s very difficult for me to recommend it. For me to say you should try this, I have to tell you to take your family, friends, personal health ( there was a point where I hadn't seen a dentist for over 15 years, not had any type of health insurance for that same period), hobbies, and many other things and throw them all on the back burner just to pursue just a career in roasting coffee, and I just can't do that.
If you are set on doing this there are some ways to make it easier for yourself. Before you ever, ever dive into roasting, you must understand who your target customer is. Long before you ever drop your first bean in the roaster to begin the process, you need to know who is going to be buying your products. (This presentation/blog is meant to be a summary, not a complete dissertation so I’m not going to get into every single avenue of creating a business. But just know, there are tons of things you need to know and be able to do when starting a business and knowing who is going to buy your product should be the very first thing you figure out and implement a plan to execute on)
Starting or joining a co-op may be another avenue for getting started. Buying a roaster and renting/maintaining a facility to roast is extremely expensive, so finding like minded individuals and pooling resources or joining an already existing co-op would be a great introduction to the coffee roasting industry as you get started. You still need to know who you’re going to sell your product to though, just jumping in and roasting without having anyone lined up to buy it is not going to get you very far.
Also, it just so happens we do have a shared roasting program that allows novice roasters to start their own projects while being shadowed by experienced roasters.
2) Finding a Roaster Apprentice Position
Much less chance of success but 100% better for your health and personal well being, in my opinion, anyways.
As a small business owner I don’t need many coffee roasters. Actually, I only need one. But if and when I am ready to hire, I usually do it in-house and will offer the position to anyone who has demonstrated interest and willingness to take steps on their own to learn about the craft of roasting.
Example:
What not to do :
You , ‘Hey Randy, I want to be a coffee roaster, are you hiring any?’
Me, ;’Uh, sorry we are not’
What to do :
You, ‘Hey Randy, I read Scott Roa and Rob Hoos’s books on roasting (there's only 2! Cmon now), bought a popcorn popper at goodwill for $9 and some green coffee from Sweet Marias. I roasted up a few batches last week, want to try it and give me some feedback? ‘
Me, ‘ Yes. Hell yes.’
See the difference ? I hope so.
Side note: I have an entire blog post dedicated to free and near-free information about roasting, and since I wrote that about 3 years ago there has to be a lot more out there now. So the resources are out there for those looking.
In conclusion, If you’re dead set on becoming a roaster I would recommend continuing your career path as a barista, while at the same time starting your education on your own with the information and tools already out there for becoming a coffee roaster. Then put yourself out there. Go to coffee events, talk to shop and roastery owners, practice on your own and then get your product in the hands of said shop and roastery owners.