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New roaster for scalable small business
ameatpopcicle
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Posted on 01/05/2022 6:59 AM
Greetings all, first of all I'm glad I finally found this forum space.

For the past couple of months I have been extensively researching the art of roasting so I can make an informed decision when purchasing my first roaster. Like many others I eventually plan to start giving away my earlier batches, to selling to family and friends and the local farmers market under my state's (IN) cottage food law.
Then I would ultimately like rent a small >1000 sqft and launch an online brand.

As you all know theres more roasters out there than I have fingers and toes, and I'm glad I've taken time to hit the forums, read reviews, and watch youtube to give me a better understanding of what would make me more successful in my endeavors.
I've considered several beginner roasters from the behmor, hottop, bullet, huky, and kaldi fortis. Ultimately if I would start out I would go with the Huky, as its quality and transferability are that of most commerical drum roasters. However only being able to roast 1 lb at a time seems daunting if I were to start selling. I know the Huky is considered to most as a good profile roaster, but would waiting to get a 2kg machine be a more wise decision, and could you learn the ropes well enough?

I found a gentleman selling an Ambex ym-2 within a few hours of me, and as long as it fits my budget when he decides on a price, would it better fit me to go that route?

I'm very mechanically inclined. And I understand the fundamentals of it all..

I hope I get some input, every other forum space in regards to roasting has been a bust, but you all seem promising.

Thank you for your time.
 
allenb
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Posted on 01/06/2022 8:34 AM
Welcome to Homeroasters!

If the goal is to eventually sell commercially, then you'll need to utilize something larger than the Huky and one equipped with at least the typical burner and control setup found on commercial roasters which the Ambex would do for you. Yes, one can learn the basics of roasting on smaller, domestic use drum roasters but these will never give you the means of learning how to control a real commercial roaster with their larger thermal mass and industrial control schemes.
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
ameatpopcicle
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Posted on 01/06/2022 8:48 PM

Quote

allenb wrote:

Welcome to Homeroasters!

If the goal is to eventually sell commercially, then you'll need to utilize something larger than the Huky and one equipped with at least the typical burner and control setup found on commercial roasters which the Ambex would do for you. Yes, one can learn the basics of roasting on smaller, domestic use drum roasters but these will never give you the means of learning how to control a real commercial roaster with their larger thermal mass and industrial control schemes.


Thanks Allen, this was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I like the idea of the huky to learn on and for profiling, however it makes sense to me to try and snag that Ambex 2kg especially if I can get it for a reasonable price.

Someone mentioned I should just start on a bullet, but from what I've read, the controls of the bullet are nothing similar to commercial gas drum roasters. In that case the Huky would be the better option I'm assuming?

Is it a wise decision to start off learning on a 2kg machine?
Should I start out with smaller batches let's say 300grams or so or larger batches?
 
allenb
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Posted on 01/07/2022 6:10 AM
That has always been the snag when one wants to learn how to use even a "small" commercial machine. The issue of loss of greens during the learning curve and associated cost. Many have overcome this by buying discards from bean sellers just to nail down how to make the roaster move through the desired profiles but not worry about cup quality. This would be less expensive than the cost of buying a "smaller" domestic roaster for trying to get the basics down especially since the thermodynamics will be so much different in the commercial machine. My vote is to go for the one you will be married to for a while and jump in with both feet.

Yes, the bullet will not get you what you want for learning to use a commercial machine.
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
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