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A Place
to
Grow
Shared Production Facilities
Ease Entry for New Roasters
by Howard Bryman
F
or all the new brands of roasted coffee appearing
over the past few years, it’s a wonder more
cities aren’t awash in the grassy, bready, popcorny
aromas of Maillard reactions progressing around every
corner. With more coffee shops bringing roasting
in-house as well, one has to question how so many
small businesses can be making the massive capital
investments necessary to enter the roasting game.
They’re not. Not all of them, anyway.
continued on page 22
Portland’s Buckman Coffee Factory hosts public cuppings every week. | Photo courtesy of Buckman Coffee Factory
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
(continued)
Dozens of new operations are circumventing the longstanding
barriers to entry—the capital expense of equipment and space, the
permitting rigmarole, gaining access to exceptional green coffee—
thanks to the inspiring and steadily expanding phenomenon of
shared roasting facilities. Ventures such as the Pulley Collective in
Brooklyn, the Buckman Coffee Factory in Portland, Oregon, and Bay
Area CoRoasters (CoRo) in Berkeley, California, serve as incubator-like
hubs that provide all the tools and resources necessary to break into
roasting at a much more manageable cost.
These new ventures go well beyond private label, toll roasting and
traditional roaster-rental relationships, providing a comprehensive
slate of services to nurture new roasting businesses. Access to
machinery is only the beginning, though in many cases, the gear
alone is indeed a huge draw. CoRo’s expansive arsenal of production
and quality control equipment, for example, reads like a greedy
Jim Osborn, director of coffee for City of Saints in Brooklyn, drops a batch
from the cooling tray. | Photo by Lanny Huang
kid’s letter to Coffee Klaus, with a Probat P5, a Loring S15 Falcon and
S35 Kestrel, three sample roasters, Cropster integration, a cupping
lab, weigh-and-fill equipment, heat sealers, shipping and receiving
docks, plenty of pallet shelving for green coffee storage, a La Marzocco
GB5, Mahlkönig grinders and more.
“We’re really trying to be a place for someone who is interested
in growing their coffee business or starting from scratch,” says CoRo
co-founder Floy Andrews, “a place where they can just come in, join
our membership and do it all here.”
Progressive Capitalism
While some shared roasting facilities call themselves “collectives,”
these entrepreneurial springboards are actually for-profit businesses,
privately owned and guided by their founders and directors. RoasterThe 2,500-square-foot roasting area at Buckman Coffee Factory in
Portland, Oregon, includes two Proaster roasting machines and a Joper
sample roaster. | Photo courtesy of Buckman Coffee Factory
share members pay for the services they receive, providing the
revenue that keeps the drums turning. Facilities generally offer access
by the hour or by regularly scheduled half- or full-day sessions. A
monthly membership that includes one regularly scheduled six-hour
roasting shift per week varies from about $1,000 to $3,500, depending
on the location, equipment and additional services offered.
Still, not all roaster-shares are cut from the same cloth or
organized the same way. CoRo is the only one with a board of
directors, for example. So while all provide similar services, what sets
each apart—in addition to rates and specific equipment offerings—are
the circumstances of its founding and the ancillary positions of its
owners.
• The Neutral Party
Steve Mierisch, founder of Brooklyn’s Pulley Collective, which opened
in July 2013, considers neutrality to be an important aspect of the
roaster-share model.
“One of my big goals is to be neutral,” says Mierisch, who does
not operate his own commercial roasting operation, “so when
somebody wants to come roast, they don’t see me as a competitor.”
Another of Mierisch’s goals is to make roasting at Pulley at least
Gabriel Boscana of Bellwether Coffee shows participants how to use the
Probat BRZ at Bay Area CoRoasters during a defect coffee cupping class.
Photo by Dani Goot
22
roast
as cost-effective as running one’s own roastery, if not more so. He
continued on page 24
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
(continued)
figures the cost could break down to as little as 55 cents
per pound for Pulley members.
“It’s allowed us to start our own coffee roasting
company without the large cash outlay it would take
to build our own roasting facility,” says Ed Kaufmann,
director of coffee for Joe Coffee Company, Pulley’s
biggest and oldest client. Originally serving coffee
roasted by Intelligentsia Coffee, in 2012 Joe started
renting time on another company’s equipment to roast
Pulley’s brick-lined, chandelier-illuminated Red Hook waterfront
industrial space started off centered on a Diedrich IR-12. It has since
upgraded to include a 35-kilo Loring Kestrel, a Probat UG-22, and
other production, packaging and quality control equipment. The
original Diedrich has been shipped to Oakland, California, where—
in an industry first—it will anchor a second Pulley location just a few
miles from CoRo.
• The Progeny
about 10 percent of the coffee served in the 11 retail
locations it operated at the time. Since joining Pulley in
2013, the company has brought all its roasting in-house
and has opened two more locations.
“We’re going to reach a certain size where it doesn’t
make sense, financially, for us to stay at Pulley,” notes
Kaufmann, “but it’s going to be a little while.”
For Mierisch, whose family runs coffee farms in
Nicaragua, benefiting producers also is central to the
co-roasting philosophy. By lowering the overhead
costs of commercial coffee roasting and reducing the
financial risks associated with entering the industry,
he’s confident he’s creating a larger market for higherJim Osborn, director of coffee for City of Saints, mid-roast. | Photo by Lanny Huang
24
roast
priced, higher-quality microlot coffees.
Not long ago, City of Saints Coffee Roasters was a member of
the Pulley Collective. Now a freestanding roastery with a 70-kilo
Loring S70 Peregrine and a spacious, conveniently located Flatbush
warehouse of its own, the company also has entered the co-roasting
game as it grows into its new space and equipment. The City of
Saints co-roasting program, which constitutes only a small portion
of the company’s overall revenues, includes training, consulting,
green buying assistance, and trucking and warehousing services.
Unlike Pulley, which offers group classes as a prerequisite to
hands-on, one-on-one supervised roasting, City of Saints shies away
from training absolute neophytes. Instead, owner Joe Palozzi offers
continued on page 26
Jim Osborn preps for a roast at City of Saints in Brooklyn. | Photo by Lanny Huang
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
(continued)
toll roasting services, allowing novices to learn by observing their
coffee being roasted. Palozzi reports that the roasters on his staff are
currently training for the Q exam, and will be certified by Loring as
soon as the manufacturer finalizes its certification requirements.
• Homespun Heroes
Having first granted public access to its Probat L-12 about four and a
half years ago, the Aspect Coffee Collective in Portland, Oregon, is
the longest-running shared roasting facility currently operating. The
project started in 2011 at Mr. Green Beans home-roasting supply store,
which acquired the L-12 to support hobbyists who wanted greater
volume and a more industrial-style learning experience. Word spread,
and in 2015 Aspect officially became a separate business.
While not as equipment-heavy as its Bay Area or northeastern
counterparts, Aspect’s offerings cover the fundamentals and then
some, with green coffee storage, light packaging equipment, and
opportunities to cup and buy coffees presented by importers or
growers.
One of the first companies to take advantage of Aspect’s services,
while it was still under the Mr. Green Beans umbrella, was Coco
Donuts, where co-owner Ian Christopher had long desired to bring
roasting in-house. Coco Donuts had two locations at the time and has
since opened two more. Christopher also roasts at Aspect for the chic
Judy Krasnick and Jorge Garcia of San Francisco’s Nomadic Ground roast on the
Loring Falcon at Bay Area CoRoasters in Berkeley, California.
Photo by Dani Goot
Portland coffee/cocktail bar Americano, a co-venture he opened in
spring 2016.
He believes the services Aspect delivers help him produce better
coffee.
“It can be a little daunting trying to work directly with farmers
because of language barriers, distance, what have you,” he says.
“There are a number of farmers that have come through because of
that network. It’s really opened up some great opportunities for all of
us.”
He also appreciates the convenience of Aspect’s service model.
“The simplicity of being able to sign up for whatever hours you
need, go in, do your roasting, clean up, bag and pack up all your coffee
and out the door you go, it makes for a very simplistic way to roast,”
he says. “You don’t have to worry about overseeing the roastery, the
maintenance program, all the details that go with the operation of it.”
• California Roastin’
The seed for Bay Area CoRoasters (CoRo) was planted when a roasting
company acquired a 35-kilo Loring Kestrel, but ended up needing it
only one day per week. After research and analysis indicated a coroasting facility might not only be a successful enterprise but also a
valued contribution to the industry, the owners ceased commercial
roasting and reinvented their business as a shared roasting hub. CoRo
opened in September 2015 and gained its first five members within a
month.
Among those first members was the Alchemy Collective, a workerowned coffee company based in Berkeley, California. Prior to joining
CoRo, Alchemy was renting time on equipment owned by another
local roasting company. After making the switch, Alchemy saw
improvements in product consistency and overall efficiency, according
OurCoffees, based in Walnut Creek, California, hosts a community cupping at
Bay Area CoRoasters. | Photo by Dani Goot
26
roast
to co-founder James Parrish.
continued on page 28
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
“They’ve really helped our quality
control department,” he says. “They’ve given
(continued)
a little bit, and it was super reasonable.”
CoRo operates with all required licenses
importers and growers’ representatives
people who also roast commercially, they
period,” Palozzi says. “If roasted inventory
up to going solo, the financial pressure
can leave samples for members to roast
nevertheless consider the Factory to be as
is needed between roast periods, you would
of paying extra for additional time on the
and cup on their own.
neutral a space as possible.
have no way of fulfilling it.” Holidays
roaster, along with limitations on green
can create scheduling challenges, too, he
coffee storage, could be an impediment
us free, consistent access to a good cupping
and permits, carries insurance, and requires
lab and an espresso machine and other ways
all of its members to carry their own
we can take our post-roasted coffee and put it
insurance. To support one member that’s
hosted at CoRo, the frequency of tours and
8,000-square-foot space is devoted to
adds, and the ergonomics of the roastery
to experimentation, adds Pete Licata,
through a gauntlet.”
certified organic, CoRo implemented organic
information sessions, and the enthusiasm
the roasting room, which houses two
are not necessarily adaptable to personal
founder of Licata Coffee Consulting and
preferences.
the consumer-facing roasted coffee rating
Based on strong attendance at events
One-quarter of Buckman’s
cleaning and operational procedures. The
with which the coffee and food
Proasters (a 1.5-kilo and a 10-kilo) and
were really helpful. They found a rate that
organization also maintains a commission-
communities have embraced the venture,
a four-barrel Joper sample roaster.
could work for us until we grew our business
free green coffee sample station, where
co-owner Andrews thinks the market
Another quarter houses the cupping and
is ripe for more roaster-shares, and she
demonstration lab, and the remaining
welcomes the growth of the sector.
half is occupied by lockable green coffee
As far as the cost, Parrish adds, “They
“As more co-roasting spaces open
While shared roasting facilities can be
an ideal stepping stone in the financial run-
system Roast Ratings.
continued on page 30
storage. The facility is licensed by the
up, they will each create their own
Oregon Department of Agriculture for the
personality, their own culture, and their
manufacturing and production of coffee,
own target in the marketplace,” she says.
and the company is insured for all of its
“I think there’s going to be plenty of room
equipment and all green coffee stored in
for everyone.”
its warehouse.
• The Coffee
Community Center
to attend a two-hour, one-on-one safety
Prospective members are required
While the Brooklyn facilities cater almost
entirely to coffee shops bringing roasting
in-house, the Portland roaster-share
scene is more of a split between cafes and
aspiring wholesalers. Buckman Coffee
Factory, which went live in January 2016,
has attracted mostly whole-bean retail
and wholesale startups, which doesn’t
surprise co-founder Joey Gleason.
“It’s a big time-sink,” says Gleason of
roasting in-house for a cafe. “Somebody
has to be really into roasting to make that
work for them.”
Gleason co-owns Buckman Coffee
Factory with her sister, Cassy. The two
also have owned a small-batch Portland
roastery and cafe called Marigold Coffee
and equipment overview that includes a
supervised roasting session, to make sure
they’re comfortable with the equipment,
and ongoing one-on-one training by
experienced roasters is available. In
addition, a Buckman staffer is always
onsite to assist new roasters—a precaution
practiced by all co-roasting facilities.
Buckman also hosts frequent
cuppings, both educational and
professional, and occasional presentations
for its members and the larger coffee
community. Gleason hopes Buckman’s
all-inclusiveness will make it not just a
place of business, but a coffee community
center, providing space and opportunities
for networking and camaraderie.
Not For Everyone
for the past six years. Now all their
roasting efforts fall under the purview of
As flexible and multifaceted as these
Buckman.
organizations strive to be, the shared
“The idea is that Marigold is a client of
its limitations. For one thing, there are
as the test case.”
constraints on both ends of the growth
Marigold began roasting in the
Saints, with its lone 70-kilo Loring—don’t
a guinea pig to put the equipment and
offer equipment suitable for roasting
infrastructure through its paces before
small amounts, which can be an obstacle
inviting others in with the new year.
for new roasters. Conversely, while
Now Buckman, as an entity unto itself,
machine size generally isn’t an issue
strives to support as many roasters as
for larger roasting companies, time
possible, with enough square footage to
constraints may be.
Buckman, like City of Saints, is helmed by
roast
chart. Some facilities—such as City of
new facility in August 2015, serving as
accommodate future expansion. So while
28
roasting phenomenon is not without
Buckman,” says Gleason. “I use Marigold
“You have a slot in which to roast all
the coffee you need for whatever time
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
(continued)
Shared Resources,
Deferred Risk
In business, risk is not necessarily a
bad thing. By reducing a significant
portion of the financial risk involved
in starting a roasting business, shared
roasting operations could be inviting
complications by expediting access to the
market for roasters who might be less
than 100 percent invested in their own
success.
“Roasting is a big endeavor that you
must be dedicated to in order to find your
returns,” says Licata.
Should a scenario play out in which
the shared roastery trend explodes
nationwide and leads to a bubble of
micro-roasting upstarts, Licata adds, it
The four-barrel Joper sample roaster at Portland’s Buckman Coffee Factory. | Photo courtesy of Buckman Coffee
Factory
also could put strains on the spot coffee
market—coffees stocked by importers in
U.S. warehouses for immediate delivery
to roasters—resulting in lower-quality offerings throughout.
“Importers will fill more spot offerings, but there are only so
many truly high-quality offerings in this market, and with more
people raising the demand, there will be more and more average
coffees being sold as high-end products,” he says.
“Roasting is a craft,” Licata notes. “It takes time, patience, intuition
and experience to not only roast great coffee, but do it consistently.
By increasing the number of small, part-time roasters, there is a good
chance of creating a trend of associating ‘specialty coffee’ with poorly
roasted coffee.”
Safety First
It’s important to note that roasting companies using shared roasting
facilities are responsible for their own product insurance as they approach
commercial volume, and for complying with all applicable Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) regulations. And while the convenience provided
by these shared facilities might be characterized as a shortcut, when it
comes to food safety, shortcuts should be avoided at all costs.
“There are all kinds of potential issues,” says Mike Ebert, founder
of Firedancer Coffee Consultants and a Specialty Coffee Association of
America subject matter expert in the field of coffee business.
Ebert notes that while existing standards set forth in the Food Safety
Modernization Act might be easy to follow when it comes to coffee
roasting, a new round of “food defense” rules are currently being written
to address the dangers of intentional adulteration of food, and these
rules could make compliance more complicated, particularly in a shared
facility.
“Maybe while you’re there, you have procedures that you follow and
you have your own food safety plan,” he says, “[but] how do you know if
the roaster that uses it after you has not?”
Similarly, concerns over equipment maintenance could affect
the long-term viability of a shared roastery. Given the propensity of
non-owners to be less vigilant about proper equipment operation and
maintenance than the owners would be, Ebert questions whether even a
The 10-kilo Proaster available for rent at Buckman Coffee Factory.
Photo courtesy of Buckman Coffee Factory
30
roast
rigorous maintenance program can keep up with the wear.
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A PLACE TO GROW | Shared Production Facilities Ease Entry for New Roasters
(continued)
Collaboration
Over Competition
It’s clear there are pros and cons related to participating
in a shared roasting program, but the greatest advantage
could be the opportunity to collaborate with a larger
roasting community. People new to the industry benefit
hugely from the support of their peers and the wisdom
of more experienced colleagues, while old pros are better
able to address new challenges by sharing perspectives.
“It’s much more open and friendly than I had
originally thought,” says Trevin Miller, owner and cofounder of the Aspect Coffee Collective, of how quickly the
community spirit radiated throughout the organization.
“What we quickly found was that everybody was more
than willing to collaborate, help each other out, talk,
At Buckman Coffee Factory in Portland, Oregon, members can rent a cupping room for
meetings, trainings, events and, of course, cuppings. | Photo courtesy of Buckman Coffee
Factory
communicate.”
Still, roasters and shop owners are busy people. Once a production
routine is established, a company’s most experienced roasters may
In an interesting show of regional differences, while West
never come in to roast at all, which is where cuppings and events
Coasters are most eager to celebrate opportunities for collaboration
become almost as important as the equipment and other resources
and togetherness, the New Yorkers are just as quick to emphasize
these businesses provide.
their sensitivity to members’ preferences for privacy and discretion. In
“We don’t have meetings or anything like that,” says Dani Goot,
director of operations for CoRo and a member of the Roasters Guild
Executive Council, “but when we have events, that’s when people get
together and network and learn.”
fact, Mierisch considers privacy and autonomy to be central to Pulley’s
services.
“My goal was for whoever becomes a member of my facility to feel
like they own the facility when they’re here,” he says. “Collaboration
“I would say 80 percent of our members are totally open to a lot
is as much as you would like for it to be. If you don’t want to talk to
of collaboration,” adds Andrews. “Also, I understand that maybe 20
anybody, that’s fine. You have that option, but people are friendly.”
percent of our members are not, and I totally get that. That’s why
Pulley has staff members on hand to coach newer roasters, which
each member gets to make a decision about how much they want to
to some extent diminishes the need for outreach between companies,
disclose to all the other members.”
although that’s not to say it never happens, even among the biggest
As an example, Andrews cites CoRo’s Cropster account, which
is available for all members to record and share roasting profiles.
and most experienced.
“Every now and then I’ll cup a coffee that was roasted by another
Those who prefer not to be so open are welcome to purchase private
roaster on the same machine that we’re using, and there will be
accounts.
something that I really like about it,” says Kaufmann. “I’ll text them
and say, ‘Hey, dude, how’d you get the body out of that coffee? It’s
exquisite!’”
Currently, there are at least seven shared roasting facilities in the
United States: two in New York, two in Oregon, two in California (with
a third in California opening soon), and one—The Lab Tampa—that
opened in Florida in May. Internationally, roaster-shares in Tokyo,
Moscow, Melbourne and Paris are helping to expand the specialty
coffee community.
“The coffee industry can be very intimidating,” says Goot, “and
these spaces give you the opportunity to learn at your pace and be
supported in that process.”
HOWARD BRYMAN is a freelance journalist who focuses on the specialty
coffee industry. He currently serves as associate editor at dailycoffeenews.com.
Two Proaster roasting machines—a 10-kilo and a 1.5-kilo model— are
available for rent at Buckman Coffee Factory in Portland, Oregon. | Photo
courtesy of Buckman Coffee Factory
32
roast
With experience as a barista, trainer, manager, roaster’s apprentice, origin tourist and
equipment tinkerer, Bryman relishes the opportunity to scrutinize coffee almost as much
as he enjoys drinking it.
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