Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News
What To Look For In A Used Coffee Roaster
For everything there is a season… For most of us, starting a new business means finding ways to do things. Not finding ways to not do things. In my experience, most people don’t start their first new commercial coffee roasting business because they are totally professionally and financially fulfilled. They’ve usually got more imagination and… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
Mill City Roasters vs Probat at CoffeeFest New York.
The new Probat sales guys attended our classes at Coffeefest New York last weekend. The free classes at least. Probat is a legacy brand and the world’s most famous coffee roaster manufacture. For that reason, I thought I’d share a tiny bit of what I know about the company and their roasters. Probat is a… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roast with Us, Roasting & Education, Start, Scale, Sustain
What is a soak?
What does soak mean? We get asked quite often – what is a soak? When we refer to a soak in our Roasting 101 class, we’re generally talking about an initial period of time at the start of the roast where the burners are intentionally turned off to manage heat transfer. So before charging your… Read More
Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
Drum Roasters vs Fluid Bed
Most people don’t know that I started out my coffee roaster career building fluid bed roasters of various sizes including one that recirculated heat. Despite my best efforts all were failures and I never achieved the professional roast quality I was interested in. In hindsight, I’d estimate that exactly half of my failure was directly… Read More
Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Designing for Coffee, Start, Scale, Sustain
Hello, new capability…
Many of you know that we do a big chunk of our engineering here in Minneapolis. Over the years, we have grown to be the most skilled, most professional, most experienced, and most capable manufacturer in this industry. We know how to build machines that reliably make money and we know exactly how to keep… Read More
Coffee Roastery Equipment, Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
New Roaster Color (Experiment?)
As a design aesthetic, our roasters have always been a bit more Bauhaus where form very closely follows function. They are classically abstract, angular, and geometric, with little ornamentation. I choose this new color scheme mostly because, after thousands of utilitarian black bodied roasters, I simply wanted to experiment with a new set of contrasting… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roast with Us, Roasting & Education, Start, Scale, Sustain
Winter Workshop Recap
If you want to increase sales this year, we’ll be handing out the equivalent of free money at the Winter Workshop here in Minneapolis on February 23rd and 24th. Free money? How does that work? In the last class, we helped people figure out how to roast more challenging coffees to a better end result.… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Design District Coffee: Will Chilton and Frame Coffee Company
Will Chilton’s background is in sales and logistics. His career in the coffee industry started when he came to Frame Coffee Company in 2021. Now, he works in the Frame Coffee Co roastery in the design district of Dallas, Texas, alongside founder and roaster Jake Smith, who works on the company’s MCR-15, 15 kilogram roaster… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
The official Roasting Education Sponsor: Coffee Fest 2023
Grow your knowledge, resources and network at Coffee Fest 2023! Since 1992, Coffee Fest remains the industry’s top performing trade show for the specialty coffee community. Gain new insights, discover products and immerse yourself in a thriving community of local and national industry professionals. Our team at Mill City Roasters is proud to be the official… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
New Orleans Sustainability: Alyssa Johnson and Undergrowth Coffee
In New Orleans, Louisiana, owner and general manager Alyssa Johnson roasts for the cafe-roastery Undergrowth Coffee on an MCR-2, 2 kilogram roaster. The roaster lives in a renovated pottery studio, fed by a gas line that used to fire the kiln. Photo credit – Undergrowth Coffee Setting the Scene Alyssa’s coffee career started at Finger… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
NSF Commercial Coffee Roasters
Another MCR first: NSF Commercial Coffee Roasters! In case you haven’t noticed, things are seldom quiet here. A couple of years ago, the State of California decided that coffee roasters installed in locations that serve retail coffee and other consumables must be NSF sanitation certified. Sadly, that wasn’t nearly as easy as you might think.… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Springboard Coffees: Alex Behrens and Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters
Alex Behrens of Roselle, Illinois roasts for Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters on an MCR-6, 6 kilogram roaster in a commercial building in a strip mall in town. He built it out himself, turning a relatively blank space into a roastery that feeds a town that’s in what he calls a “coffee desert.” Like a craft… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Gametime Coffee Cocktails: Rob Arnold and Pregame Coffee
Rob Arnold roasts on the Pregame Coffee MCR-2, 2 kilogram roaster a machine which lives in the company’s cafe in Louisville, Kentucky. He specializes in coffee cocktails, and crafting a shop atmosphere that’s equal parts cocktail bar and coffee bar. Setting the Scene Rob came to the coffee sector from health and wellness. He also… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roast with Us, Roasting & Education
Sweet With Complex Acidity: Sumatra Natural
We’re excited to share this beautiful coffee from Cafe Imports, the Sumatra Natural from the Aceh region. This coffee works well between a lighter-medium to dark roast with deep sweetness and complex acidity throughout. We utilize this coffee in our holiday blend, Hibernate, and appreciate it’s structured fruit-forward character and big velvety body. Region The… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Steady as They Go: Nathan Hamood and Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Nathan Hamood, President and Director of Coffee for Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters, roasts on an MCR-3, 3 kilogram roaster in a commercial production facility in Rochester, Michigan. He is one of five on the roasting team, supplying three locations with over eight hundred pounds of coffee weekly. Setting the Scene Dessert Oasis started as a… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Blue Ridge Blend: Adrian Maldonado and Hatchet Coffee Roasters
Head Roaster Adrian Maldonado roasts for Hatchet Coffee Roasters on an MCR-20, 20 kilogram roaster in a commercial space next door to the Hatchet Cafe in Boone, North Carolina. The space is open to the public, and often invites in cafe customers looking for a backstage pass into the coffee shop world. Adrian loves giving… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Chattanooga Work Juice: Luke Pigott and New Wave Coffee Roasters
Luke Pigott of New Wave Coffee Roasters roasts on an MCR-20, 20 kilogram roaster in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The roastery is a small production space nestled in partner company Be Caffeinated’s cafe kitchen, where the New Wave team focuses on business-to-business wholesale. Setting the Scene Before founding New Wave, Luke Pigott spent the better part of… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Dead Rise: Jared Trimbo and Full Keel Coffee
Jared Trimbo, founder of Full Keel Coffee, roasts on an MCR-20, 20 kilogram roaster in Washburn, Wisconsin. His company shares a building with his wife, Amy Trimbo, owner of AdventureUs sewing studio. Every week, he dedicates one full day to roasting and one full day to packaging and shipping. Setting the Scene A longtime coffee… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Customer Stories
Balancing Act: Dave Smithman and Yellow Dog Coffee Roasters
Dave Smithman roasts for Yellow Dog Coffee Roasters on his home property in Manahawkin, New Jersey. Oakley, the Yellow Dog namesake, accompanies Dave to the roastery on production days when he’s not focused on his other job–watching the chickens. Setting the Scene Dave came to coffee after he started working nights in the late 2010s.… Read More
Commercial Coffee Roaster News, Roaster News
New on Youtube: MC-60 Roaster Rundown
We rarely have a roaster sit long enough at the warehouse, so we took the opportunity to shoot a video featuring the MC-60. Watch Lauren and Steve as they give an in depth look at the Mill City 60kg production roaster. Watch the full video here! Read More