“You are good to go” – Part 1

We are actually in business. Now what?

That was the question I asked my wife after the Pa Department of Agriculture inspector said, “You are good to go.” Maybe that was foolish for me to ask after all the time, money, and effort it took to get to that point. The enormity of it all hit me right then. There I was, 40 years old, a new baby at home, sour economy, and we are starting a coffee roasting business? What was I thinking?

This journey all started because a friend gave me a small hobby coffee roaster. It was a Melitta Aromaroast made in the 80’s. As far as coffee roasters go, it was a little primitive. I searched the web for “Aromaroast” looking for some clues on how to operate it. As enormous as the internet is, Sweet Maria’s was the only web site I could find that gave me any information about my little roaster. I quickly learned that this roaster was notorious for being faulty out of the box. Some weren’t capable of getting hot enough to roast the coffee beans but rather baked them instead. There was no mechanism for measuring time and temperature, only a sliding switch that controlled the airflow, and you couldn’t see the beans change color as the roast progressed. Those components weren’t necessary, but without them, roasting coffee could be tricky. I soon bought some green coffee beans and started to experiment. I kept good notes for every batch, recording the time and position of the airflow switch while roasting. It wasn’t long before I had the confidence to share my coffee with friends.

It didn’t take long before I felt the need to hot-rod my roaster. I found online forums containing discussions on how to add things like thermocouples and PIDs to your roaster. Hobbyists even developed software to track the time and temperature of the beans as they were roasting. Some guys even used their ingenuity to build there own roasters! They looked just like the ones the big boys used and I was developing roaster envy.

Around the same time, I learned that my church was planning on opening a coffee house/bookstore in downtown Harrisburg Pennsylvania. The idea was to offer something different than the usual bars and restaurants that lined downtown. They were after a laid back atmosphere that invited discussion on such topics as philosophy, history, and spirituality; all while enjoying a good fresh cup of coffee. The inspiration came from the Agia Sophia Coffee Shop in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Using the same name, Agia Sohpia Harrisburg was underway.

“Hmmm… Wouldn’t it be cool if I could roast coffee for the coffee shop.” My wheels were spinning. I knew immediately that my little roaster was not going to cut it. I needed a big boy roaster. Was I serious; did I really want to take this hobby to the next level?

Over the next few weeks, my thoughts kept returning to this crazy idea. I knew that my wife would talk some sense into me once she learned of my fantasy. A few more days went by until I gathered the courage to approach the subject. I nervously asked, “Hey honey, er, do you think this idea is crazy?” To my surprise, she liked it! Ha! We were both crazy! At least I wasn’t alone.

Soon thereafter we started to come up with some really good ideas about the business. A name, web site, potential customers, equipment, and the costs were all discussed. I was researching commercial coffee roasters as well. I couldn’t decide on buying a new roaster or used. The roaster’s batch size was also a concern. I feared buying too small of a roaster only to later regret not buying the bigger one outright. The inner nerd in me wanted one with all the bells and whistles. The wallet didn’t. Everyday I searched eBay and Craigslist looking for that one roaster that spoke to me. I also talked with a manufacturer from Kentucky about his roasters and emailed another manufacturer from Florida about theirs. I kept going back and forth on new or used and size.

One day while looking through Craigslist; I saw it; my roaster. A four your old Diedrich IR-12 coffee roaster was calling out to me from Chicago. The pictures revealed a cherry red beauty that looked brand new. This was the one! I immediately called the number to inquire about the roaster. I just knew that I was going to be too late; the roaster would be sold. A man with a British accent answered and assured me that the roaster had not been sold. He told me about his family, and their coffee history, and why he was selling the roaster. We discussed the details of the roaster and I learned that it had the bells and whistles. Sweet! My new friend invited us to Chicago to see the roaster, spend some time with him, and do some roasting. I was so excited! It was time for a road-trip.

Featured image courtesy of Melody Campbell.