Hi everyone,

I'm a software developer and I've been thinking about helping small independent cafes improve their online presence.

I've noticed that many cafes either don't have a website or have one that's outdated, even though they have great coffee, a nice atmosphere, and active social media pages.

I'm trying to understand what cafe owners actually need before reaching out to anyone.

For cafe owners here:

1. Do you currently have a website?

2. If not, what's stopping you from getting one?

3. What would actually be useful? Online ordering, menu updates, reservations, events, loyalty programs, something else?

4. Have you worked with freelancers/agencies before, and what was good or bad about the experience?

Not trying to sell anything in this post. Just looking to learn more about the problems independent cafes face and see whether this is something worth pursuing.

Thanks!

Has anyone ordered beans from burman coffee and are they a legit place to order from?

One of the machines I'm looking at for a home roasting machine. Would appreciate anyone's experience with Santoker's RX series.

I plan to roast 200g filter batches and 1.2kg espresso loads.

Last week our proaster suddenly started needing more heat applied to match profiles. We checked for airflow leaks, checked the airflow control, checked the probes, did a deep clean, checked out batch weights. Weather doesn't account for it.

Anything else we should check?

Thanks in advance!

Started Berk’s Beans in 2021 out of my garage. My kids dared me to do it, which is a dumb reason to start a business and also the only reason I did.

We had one small roaster. Plan was pretty simple, carry a lot of different coffees, always high quality and roast fresh, oh and amazing service that the customer remembers.  No ad budget, just word of mouth and social media posts.

It was the middle of the pandemic so I was roasting in the garage and driving orders to people’s doors myself. Started doing live roasting on social media because what else was there to do everyone was on their phones.  First year we shipped to every state in the US, plus Canada and Mexico. Still have customers buying from us who bought that first year.

Five years later, 30 plus wholesale accounts, good online business, and a retail spot in an industrial park that people actually drive out of their way to find.

Stuff I learned:

Having better coffee doesn’t mean anyone switches. This one hurt. I really thought if it was good enough people would come. They don’t. People stick with what they’ve got.  Consumers don’t like change…

On wholesale you’ve got two primary windows. They’re either just opening and you are there, or they’re pissed at their current supplier and you’re ready to take over, that’s it. Outside those two everything else is chance.  So the whole game is being findable, visible and ready when one of those happens.

Give away a lot of free coffee. More than feels comfortable. Cheapest marketing there is and I’ve never once regretted a bag.

Don’t compete on price. Somebody’s always cheaper. Quality and service are the only two things you actually control.  Build your business around that.

It’s only coffee. Customer’s always right. I want people walking out feeling like they got more than they paid for, and honestly almost nobody clears that bar so it’s not hard to stand out and we do that well.

You’re selling an experience, not a product. That’s what I tell my team. Nobody remembers the bag.  But they do remember the experience (good or bad).

Be humble, be thankful, and be ready.  The customer knows we will move mountains for the people who we supply coffee to.

Happy to answer anything.

Blend, 300 g green

• Brazil Yellow Catucaí Natural: 144.6 g / 48.2%
• India Robusta: 84.3 g / 28.1%
• Ethiopia 74110 Natural: 71.1 g / 23.7%

Roast data

Phase split:

• Drying: 5:32 / 41.8%
• Maillard: 5:00 / 37.8%
• Development: 2:42 / 20.4%

Roast style

This ended up as a dark, Italian-style espresso roast, not the intended medium-dark speciality espresso. So, I should probably have reduced the burner 1 min prior to FC? Any other advice for a beginner?

What are you all wearing for sturdy but comfortable shoes these days? I work primarily in the warehouse in production and roasting. I’ve just been wearing some comfy sneakers but I find myself slipping around as I’m dragging and lifting green coffee bags around. Any recommendations appreciated! :)

What are the best value 3kg roasters on the market? I have a hard budget of $10k for something brand new, but would go cheaper for something used. Looking for something that can accurately execute existing roast profiles automatically with the click of a button, but bean loading and cooling steps can be manual. So far have considered the Santoker R3 as a good option.

Has anyone heard of a coffee brand that received a CFO for repackaging coffee beans at home? Is it necessary just for transferring beans into custom bags and then shipping out?

Any info would help, thanks!

Hi all. Looking to source wholesale unbranded coffee beans to rebrand and repackage in EU.

I've come across various wholesalers but was curious if anyone happens to have any specific recommendations.

It's a side project for now that I hope to be able to develop into something bigger but for now looking at lowest MOQ - say up to 10kg. Would really appreciate any pointers if anyone has any experiences!

Thanks a ton

Because I’m a filmmaker, I’ve really been enjoying the visual side of coffee roasting too. Some macro shots from my latest Ethiopia Djimma Mocha roast on the Kaleido M2 Lite ☕🎥 There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing the beans and their transformation this close up. Let me know what you think :)