Coffee roaster

Coffee roasters control gas fired roasters to dry coffee beans. They dump coffee beans into roasting ovens and once roasted, they compare colour of roasting beans against specifications. They perform cooling of the beans by operating mechanical blowers.

A coffee roaster typically does the following:

• Routinely maintain and clean all coffee roasting equipment, and track all inventory by weighing and portioning accurately.
• Collaborate with the team and brainstorm names and summaries for new coffee blends or single origin coffees.
• Ensure that all products are in line with the good manufacturing practices guidelines, Organic Certifications and safety standards.
• Closely monitor the creation of each coffee roast by adjusting roaster settings as required.
• Set up coffee events with the team and testers for sensory evaluations regarding all offerings.

Corporate coffee chains and big coffee brands make up the majority of employers in the coffee business, for individuals working as coffee roasters. There are also boutique coffee companies that specialise in unique and interesting blends for niche customers like high-end restaurants, hotels, and private clients.

Much of the days of coffee roasters are spent working in solitude, amidst the heat and loud noises of the roasting equipment. In addition, the position involves standing and walking for long time periods, climbing and bending, and lifting of heavy loads (up to 50 pounds) on a regular basis. Due to the heat of coffee roasting equipment, they may need to work in elevated temperatures and use personal protective gear for their safety.

The following job titles also refer to coffee roaster:

coffee bean roasting specialist
coffee bean roasting expert
coffee bean roaster

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a coffee roaster.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Coffee roaster is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to coffee roaster.

cacao bean roaster
kettle tender
distillery worker
coffee grinder
yeast distiller

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of coffee roaster. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of coffee roaster with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

green coffee coordinator
animal feed supervisor
malt house supervisor
dairy processing technician
green coffee buyer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of coffee roaster.

• Temperature scales: Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.

These skills are necessary for the role of coffee roaster.

• Tolerate strong smells: Tolerate strong smells expelled by the goods being processed during the production of goods.
• Operate a heat treatment process: Apply heat treatment aimed at preparing and preserving half-finished or finished food products.
• Apply different roasting methods: Employ different methods to roast cocoa beans, such as oven roasting, air roasting, drum roasting, coffee roaster, and hot air gun. Use the different methods according to the production requirements, type of cocoa beans, and desired chocolate product.
• Check processing parameters: Check processing parameters to keep under control the technological processes.
• Collect samples for analysis: Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.
• Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• Operate industrial ovens: Observe temperature and heat oven to the specified temperature. Operate roasting pans and facilitate the roasting process with instruments that prevent grain from sticking to the pans.
• Lift heavy weights: Lift heavy weights and apply ergonomic lifting techniques to avoid damaging the body.
• Monitor roasting: Monitor the roasting of coffee beans and grains for proper degree of roasting to produce the desired flavours and colours.
• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages: Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.
• Apply GMP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Monitor temperature in manufacturing process of food and beverages: Monitor and control required temperatures in the different phases of production until the product reaches suitable properties according to specifications.
• Operate weighing machine: Work with a weighing machine to measure raw, half-finished and finished products.
• Manage kiln ventilation: Managing a product specific and energy efficient kiln ventilation.
• Maintain industrial ovens: Maintaining industrial ovens in order to ensure effective and correct operation.
• Manage flammable substances: Managing flammable substances to roasting operations and ensuring that safety measures are in place.
• Stand high temperatures: Stand high temperatures while keeping concentration and efficiency under demanding circumstances.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of coffee roaster. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Chemical aspects of sugar: Chemical aspects and constitution of sugar to alter recipes and provide customers with experiences of pleasure.
• Food dehydration processes: The processes by which fruit and vegetables are dehydrated including techniques such as sun drying, indoor drying, and industrial applications for drying food. The dehydration process goes from selection of the fruit and vegetables according to their size, washing the fruit, classifying according to the product, storage, and mixing with ingredients resulting in a final product.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of coffee roaster. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Act reliably: Proceed in a way that one can be relied on or depended on.
• Mark differences in colours: Identify differences between colours, such as shades of colour.
• Work independently in service of a food production process: Work individually as an important element in service of a food production process. This function is executed individually with little or no supervision or collaboration with colleagues.
• Perform cleaning duties: Perform cleaning duties such as waste removal, vacuuming, emptying bins, and general cleaning of the working area. Cleaning activities should follow health and safety regulations if required.
• Perform chemical experiments: Perform chemical experiments with the aim of testing various products and substances in order to draw conclusions in terms of product viability and replicability.
• Liaise with colleagues: Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.
• Follow hygienic procedures during food processing: Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
• Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
• Exert quality control to processing food: Ensure the quality of all factors involved in a food production process.
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production: Make sure to comply with environmental legislation in food production. Understand the legislation related to environmental matters in food manufacturing and apply it in practice.
• Label samples: Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.

8160 – Food and related products machine operators

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References

1. Coffee roaster – ESCO
2. Coffee Roaster – Salary, Hot to Become, Job Description & Best Schools – Online Degree
3. Featured image: Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA from Pexels: