predict the outcome for a newbie...

[Redswing]

so here is my situation: i'm the standard coffee lover who started roasting at home 3 years ago, then began roasting for friends and family. got the itch about 6 months ago to start a side business roasting. been reading everything i can find on the subject, and just pushed in my chips by making a deposit on a sanfranciscan 6 pound roaster, ready the end of july (i can't stop thinking about it, i'm such a loser). for now, i plan to roast out of the garage (i know, i know) until i understand the roaster pretty well. i already have one account at 15 lbs weekly with a local bakery. i plan on taking the online version of willem boots coffee roasting school, plus gleening wisdom from a friend nearby who is willing to show me the ropes, as well as scouring the forum. as soon as i feel confident in the roasted coffee i can offer, i hope to go legit and get the business license and find a commercial space to rent.

so here is my question, as i feel many newbies are in a very similar situation: what do you more seasoned coffee roasters predict will happen to a guy like me? sink or swim? what about a timeline? i think this would be good info for all of us newbies to hear, if you're willing to share. thanks!

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Depends on your passion. I think this could be really good opportunity to get into coffee business but you will need tons of help from your family and friends. You need low cost advertizing. You have to let people know you are there. You need to find the farmers market to advertize your business.
Most of the poeple I have met have failed in couple of years because this was not their passion but hubby. They had attitude like, if this break even, I would be happy. Well, if you have that type of attitude, this will fail and you will be looking to sell your roaster within couple of years or less. But if you want to explore the up side this business, this could be very lukitive. I have local roaster who started roasting business just like you. He hated paying 20 dollars per pound for decent coffee so he started roasting his own. When he found used 20 pound roaster, he purchased because it was cheap and available. After the purchase, he did soul searching. Now he sells over 500 pounds coffee a week.

 

[Redswing]

i appreciate your thoughts, coffeejunky. i definately feel intimidated by the whole process of breaking into the roasting world. in the book "a good hard kick in the a$$" by rob adams, he makes the statement that great ideas are common, but great implementation is rare. reading up every word on this forum has been enlightening, and i feel much more prepared to consider many of the obstacles i know i'll run up against.
i plan to keep digging this thread back up in order to post my progress. one of my favorite threads of a similar vein was by lachris, which i tried to link at the bottom here.



http://www.coffeeforums.com/forum/coffee-roasters/6058-i-want-roast-sell-home-why-not.html

 

[HRC]

I think CJ brought up a great point about your willingness to commit to success. Success, of course, can only be defined by yourself. There will only be more competition in the future. Are you willing to meet that competition head-on or will you prefer to "keep it afloat?" "Love" can be squashed to hell and back if you let it.

 

[Hankua]

Red, although I'm not a pro I like your initial plan of starting small part time. I've got access to the Boot online classes but would rather not critique them here. I would advise getting the full coffeepro package instead of one segment at a time. The SF machines have all the control points Boot recomends in a drum roaster. Are you getting any training from the SF factory?

The reasons I like the SF6 choice are the ability to develop your profiles and blends without burning thru bags of coffee; resale is another. If things go well your going to need a big machine and that would be a good problem, right? Then the 3k could stay in the mix for roasting small amounts.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Another point on coffee. All the pro. know how difficult it is to get very sophisticated coffee roasted out of their roaster. It takes great deal of thinking, preparing and execute to bring out the best of the best but most of the coffee drinkers will say "cool". " Do you have chocolate flavored coffee?" I think it is very important to master your roaster but it is more important to actually go out and get the business. That is the reason I brought out the help from your family and friends. I would start giving them samples and let them try if they already have not. Let them find out what the huge difference between good and great. Let them come and see your operation. Let them get as excited as you. This will bring about 5 percent of your business or less
I know of one coffee company called "Bear Claw Coffee" here in Michigan. They are known to have great coffee but I recently found out they don't even roast their own coffee. They buy from the local roaster. They are just marketing company.

 

[Redswing]

"I would advise getting the full coffeepro package instead of one segment at a time. "
I was wondering about that, Hankua, and maybe would enjoy a couple pm's back and forth about the topic. Sounds like you've been through it?

"Are you getting any training from the SF factory?"
I am forunate enough to live about 4 hours from the SF factory, which was one of the reasons I wanted to buy from them. I definately plan to take advantage of Bills offer to pick it up along with "5 or 6" roasts with him there.

 

[Hankua]

Sure, no problem I've been thru most of It. The media guy who produced the series has a roasting business in Europe, Valerian Hrala. The way they split up the programs /pricing the only way to go is the full package. Let me just comment on the blending sections done by Jodi Weiser which are simplified/usable for both drip and espresso. I would feel comfortable tackling creating my own espresso blend using her methods. You are going to create some blends, right? And there's a lot of educational info also which is good to know just in case one of your customers asks "what's honey processing?"

 

[Bardo]

What's Honey Processing?

 

[PinkRose]

Hi Bardo,

I found a web page that may help. Scroll down and read some of the comments, where they explain honey processing:

Honey process coffee - Barista Exchange

Rose

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Redswing,

If you are lucky enough to live near by the factory, I would do the same.
But then again this thread is asking about the business out come.
I hope you to have firm idea of how you are planning on marketing your new venture. That will be the key to your success. And I wish you the best.

CJ

 

[Redswing]

Here's my marketing ideas as of now:

1-I'm in contact with a web designer about getting a website going, along with logo design. Pouring over other roasters sites, paying attention to what I like and don't like.
2-I've made a list of about 20 friends and family who I am pretty sure would be willing to purchase around a pound a month. I'm going to encourage them to spread the word if they like their experience.
3-I'm getting things in order to sell and even roast at the local farmers market.
4-My working business name is "Red Swing Coffee Roasting". I like it in part because of the marketing potential. Thinking about hanging simple wooden red swings around town (in approved locations) with a cool woodburned stamp on them that would have my logo and website.

What do you all think?

(my roaster needs about another week till i can pick it up...it's getting more and more real. i'm jazzed!)

 

[PinkRose]

Hi Redswing,

When I read the part of your last message that said, "Thinking about hanging simple wooden red swings around town (in approved locations) with a cool woodburned stamp on them that would have my logo and website" . . . I just had to ask . . .

Are you thinking of hanging real red swings for people to swing on, or will they be miniature replicas?

Rose

 

[Redswing]

I'm thinking red swings you can actually use, hung in people's yards I know. People who have a good location that people will easily see. Maybe even be able to sit on and swing. Think, a 20" long 1x6 painted bright red with two holes drilled in each side to loop a climbing rope through that is tied over a tree limb or the like. I know, you're probably thinking liability issue, right?

 

[PinkRose]

I thought of the expense first, but the liability issue is also a factor.

If the red swings are hung in people's yards, how will other people know that it's advertising your business? Will you attach a huge sign to the top of the rope?