Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Hill Country Cup: Michelle Bussemey and Tosca Cesaretti and Springtown Roasters
Partners Michelle “Misha” Bussemey and Tosca Cesaretti co-own Springtown Roasters, a company based in San Marcos, Texas. They roast out of a small private building on their property built expressly for the roasting operation, where Tosca, head roaster, spends four to five days a week in the space to meet demands. Setting the Scene In… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Sweet, Beautiful Coffees: Keith Lilja and Tala Coffee Roasters
Keith Lilja roasts for Tala Coffee Roasters in Libertyville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He uses an MCR-10, 10 kilogram roaster to supply his company, which includes a production space, a cafe, and two more cafes slated to open in the next year. Setting the Scene After graduating from Northern Michigan University with a degree… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Indiana Family Blends: Justin Earl and Humble Joe’s Coffee Company
Justin Earl roasts for Humble Joe’s Coffee Company on an MCR-2, 2 kilogram roaster on his home property in Seymour, Indiana. Lauren Earl, co-founder, works behind-the-scenes in packaging, social media, and other general support. The company started as a side project for the Earls, something to focus on in the evenings and weekends when the… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
Roaster’s Winter Workshop: Education for Experienced Roasters
New to our educational offerings, the Roasters’ Winter Workshop offers advanced, higher-level training to experienced roasters and returning students. Roaster training and education have always been at the core of what we do at Mill City Roasters. We want to see our customers operating successful roasteries all across the country. That starts with the right… Read More
Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News
Cheap Chinese Steel & Other Myths
A funny thing happened on the way to our becoming the best selling roaster manufacturer in US history. Suddenly we’re accused of building with “cheap chinese steel.” After spending close to 40 years manufacturing stuff for a living, this is the dumbest sh-t I’ve ever heard. Like the 6000+ people earning a living with our… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Neighborhood Space: Mike Ouano and Bean Here Coffee Shop & Roastery
Mike Ouano is the sole roaster for Bean Here Coffee Shop and Bean Here Lab & Studios in Sienna and Arcola, two suburbs south of Houston, Texas. The Coffee Lab is where he spends most of his time, roasting on his MCR-10, 10 kilogram roaster to supply both locations with high-quality coffee. Setting the Scene… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roasting & Education, Start, Scale, Sustain
What’s In A Roastery: Part 5
This is the fourth in an ongoing series on what tools we keep in the Mill City roastery for efficiency, quality control, and more. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or Part 4. Our list of roastery supplies seems endless. There are many miscellaneous items we keep around the roastery that might… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Flying These Beans: Kyle Willingham and Naomi Joe Coffee
Naomi Joe founder Kyle Willingham roasts on an MCR-1, 1 kilogram roaster in a small commercial roasting facility in Tacoma, Washington. Originally his life plan was a piloting career, but after attending flight school in 2017 and finding nothing but minimum-wage contract gigs, he decided to switch to the food and beverage industry. The pivot… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roasting & Education, Start, Scale, Sustain
Green Blending Basics
The mystery of blending In a recent post about creating a great Holiday Blend, I mentioned a few strategies for blending greens. Blending helps roasters create something greater than the sum of its parts. Roasters often have questions about blending, and it’s a topic that we spend a lot of time discussing during our roasting… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Virginia Handcrafted: Erik and Sean Kopack and KOBROS COFFEE
Erik and Sean Kopack are identical twins co-running KOBROS COFFEE, a coffee shop in Norfolk, Virginia. They roast in a warehouse space a few blocks down from the cafe, using their MCR-3, 3 kilogram roaster to support their cafe and keep their restaurant partners in good coffee. Setting the Scene Both the Kopack brothers served… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roast with Us, Roasting & Education
Complex Cup: Tanzania Mahenje AB
Boasting a complex cup from hot to cold, the Tanzania Mahenje AB offering from Cafe Imports always has us reaching for more. Great at all roast levels, this green provides a layered drinking experience serving as a beautiful single-origin to offer customers. In the cup, we’re getting notes of rooibos tea, lychee, and blood orange… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Cabin Coffee: Charlie, Keith, and Teresa Sawatsky and Barking Irons Coffee Roastery
Charlie is the youngest Sawatsky son. Instead of taking up the baton of his father’s landscaping business, he followed him into specialty coffee. Now, he does the bulk of the roasting for Barking Irons Coffee Roastery. The company is a family affair. Charlie’s dad Keith is the salesman, and mom Teresa is the floater; she… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Kasson’s Next Cafe: Crystal and Jim Whitmarsh and Trail Creek Coffee Roasters
For Jim Whitmarsh, Mondays and Tuesdays are espresso roasting days. He heads into the Trail Creek Coffee roastery in Kasson, Minnesota, and roasts everything else per order. The commercial space, which is under construction, is hectic now, but will soon be optimized for a much bigger production of coffee. Both Jim and Crystal are looking… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
The Coffee Cart Gateway: Levy Moroshan and Industrial Coffee Company
Industrial Coffee Company was founded by Levy Moroshan in Portland, Oregon, and recently relocated to Nampa, Idaho. The team includes Levy’s wife Christina, in charge of coffee cart operations and supply; Liz Mangeac, who assists Levy with local deliveries; and Dave Mangeac, who’s a full-time support in the roastery as well as at popup events.… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Pennsylvania Medium: Shane Kilpatrick and Hill Road Coffee Roasters
Shane Kilpatrick roasts for Hill Road Coffee Roasters on a MCR-3D in a commercial roastery in Reading, Pennsylvania. The roastery is open to the public, offering a coffee bar and a to-go experience curated for the area’s walking distri Setting the Scene After being exposed to craft coffee by his girlfriend in the mid-2010s, Shane… Read More
Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News
Commercial Coffee Roasters: Used, Refurbished, & Trade-Ins.
Most of you know that, beyond the occasional swapped out demo machine, we do not normally deal in used or refurbished coffee roasters. Our machines are proven to hold their value. For us however, reselling used coffee roasting machines sight unseen and then arranging local crating and transportation require steeply discounted prices to cover these… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Managing Organic Growth: Earl Thompson and Galena Roasters
Earl Thompson, head roaster for Galena Roasters in Galena, Illinois, roasts on an MCR-10 in a converted apartment building. The space is adjacent to his wife Kimberly’s artisan cooking store, The Grateful Gourmet. In the roastery, he cups on a huge table built by a friend from a lightning-struck Sycamore tree, the centerpiece of the… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
The Obstacle Is the Way: Carlos Sims and Happy Home Coffee Roasters
Carlos Sims Jr and Kaitlyn Sims run Happy Home Coffee Roasters together in Des Moines, Iowa. They work in a detached garage on their home property, using both an MCR-3 and the MCR-500 that they started the company with several years ago. Setting the Scene Carlos Sims Jr came to specialty coffee from the hospitality… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Start, Scale, Sustain
Building the Best Holiday Blend
Blending Basics Blending coffees is a topic we cover every time we teach our roasting classes. We share some of the best practices, methodology, and recommend greens that “play well together”. Blending is a great way to manage costs and build your brand identity by offering a great coffee that’s available year-round. After discussing the… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Start, Scale, Sustain
What’s In A Roastery: Part 4
This is the fourth in an ongoing series on what tools we keep in the Mill City roastery for efficiency, quality control, and more. Click here for Part 1, Part 2 , or Part 3. In our last roastery supply post, we covered high-ticket items in our space that help support us in our daily… Read More