any knowledge here

[daneja72]

Does anyone have any knowledge about coffee roasters from Shandong Light M&E Co?

 

[daneja72]

Has anyone even heard of them?

 

[John P]

I think they are pretty reputable, but you will need to have the ability to service things yourself. You can contact Grace Bian @ 86-531-88911881 or you can email through Alibaba.

They are a massive company. And you will be taken care of better if you can speak Chinese.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Company Overview - Shandong Light M&E Co., Ltd.

found them on alibaba.com.

Check them out ....

 

[Yoi]

I can speak Chinese, if you need help

 

[CoffeeJunky]

i might need some help with Chinese manufacture. They are pretty good roaster maker but can't communicate with them well..

 

[daneja72]

I have another question...does anyone think it's possible to get into roasting as a business without any prior roasting experience?

 

[eldub]

Sure its possible. When we were setting up our roasting business we had a business partner who was an experienced roaster. However, the day we put money down on our new roaster, things went sideways with her and rather than give up the project, I decided to keep going forward on my own.

I read as much as I could on the subject and then had 8 hours of training on the roaster by the manufacturer. I then practiced roasting for a couple of months before opening the shop, giving away sample batches to friends and family while developing roast profiles and blends.

It helps to have a cooking background and discerning palate. After about 6 months of roasting 6-12 batches per week, I'm feeling pretty confidant with my roasting skills and technique.

 

[Bradleysteenkamp]

We started a roasting business over here in the UK with the aim to supply a few local shops and our own market stall. We started with a small roaster that has allowed us to roast a lot of batches. It took a few months to get the hang of things and to learn the craft and we are still learning! However, it isn't as hard as many people might suggest! You need to know your coffee's though, do lots of tasting and experimenting and reading. It's all about the practice though!

 

[daneja72]

I've kinda been thinking along those lines. The newer roasters seem to be pretty operator friendly. There is a roasting package for sale on ebay that I've been watching, which is why I was asking if anyone knew anything about the roaster I mentioned previously. It is a 3k roaster and was debating but have been thinking a 5k or 10k roaster might be better. What size of roaster do you guys use? Also like one of you mention, with a new roaster purchase I would get some training with the purchase.

 

[eldub]

We initially ordered a 5kg roaster but upgraded to 12 kg before they had even started building the 5. I can roast small batches on the 12 kg but also have capacity to grow into. For instance, I roasted a ton of 5 lb. batches for the first few months but tomorrow I'll be roasting 12-15 lb. batches to get a few new wholesale orders out.

You should get training on a new roaster but I'm not sure if that's possible when purchasing something from China. (I drove to OK City and had a day of training before hauling the roaster back home.)

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I started roasting my beans at home.. I learned very quick what not to do or what I have done was good. I drank tons of coffee and tasted ton of different coffee.... Now I am roasting little bigger batches at home with my home made roaster which is capable of roasting about 5 pounds. I feel pretty confident about roasting in different stages and different beans.... I own a coffee shop but I will not roast for my shop until I get my 10k Roaster....

I agree with Eldub.... I would recommend you to buy bigger roaster if you are planning on really getting into the roasting business. The smaller machine is nice but you will be end up getting bigger machine as soon as you get your business going...... Good luck with your business.....

 

[thuynguyen]

Over here in Vietnam, for commercial, we step up with roaster from 5kgs- 10kgs - 30kgs - 50kgs - 100kgs depending on the quantity you need to roast everyday and your roasting experience bigger machine need more attention and skills to handle.

@Eldub: when I started roasting for the first time, my house was full of smoke :-D, I did many times with 0,3kg each, I really got a lot of experiences after each time roasting. It's so interesting that made me think to do coffee business