Slot roasting in specialty coffee: A question of accessibility?

Many coffee professionals aspire to open their own roasteries, but the process isn’t always straightforward. On top of navigating supply chain issues and managing rising costs, purchasing all the necessary equipment requires serious upfront investment.

Naturally, this presents a huge barrier to entry which deters many from turning their aspirations into reality. But to bypass these logistical hurdles and kickstart a new career endeavour, in recent years, a growing number of budding roasters have started to use co-roasting spaces.

People can pay by the hour or day to roast coffee – a system known as slot (or toll) roasting. This provides those interested in launching their own roastery with much more accessible options to enter the market. And in a time when coffee businesses are grappling with increasingly tight profit margins, having these opportunities has never been so important.

Craig Simon, director at Criteria Coffee, and Phillip Reichel, COO at Communal Coffee, provide their insight.

You may also like our article on whether co-roasting spaces will become more popular in specialty coffee.

Why making roasting more accessible is important

One of the biggest criticisms of specialty coffee is that it’s inherently exclusive. Specialty-grade coffees are marketed as superior products, which can make them feel less approachable to more “traditional” coffee drinkers.

But the issue of inaccessibility also applies to prospective coffee business owners who may struggle to enter an increasingly competitive market. Over the last four years, the Covid-19 pandemic, wars in Gaza and Ukraine, rising inflation rates, and price volatility have all piled pressure onto coffee shops and roasters.

In early July 2024, arabica prices edged over a two-year high – largely the result of growing supply shortages in Vietnam and Indonesia. Two months prior, robusta prices also reached a 45-year record high, driven by rising demand, unfavourable weather conditions in Brazil and Vietnam, and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

While coffee shops certainly have to deal with these issues, the impact on roasters has been the most noticeable, especially smaller-sized and newer companies. On top of dealing with these issues, investing in essential equipment and machinery (including roasters, ventilation systems, and storage silos) is a huge expense – and these have only become more expensive in recent years, too.

How slot roasting can be a solution

To overcome these barriers to entry, more and more coffee professionals have turned to slot roasting as a viable alternative to opening their own roastery.

Three-time Australian Barista Champion and Q-grader Craig Simon is the director at Criteria Coffee – a co-roastery in Melbourne, Australia that also offers training services.

“Slot roasting (or toll roasting or co-roasting) is when people hire a machine or space to roast their own coffee,” he tells me. “Usage can range from daily to weekly to ad hoc.

“There are a few different versions of this model that vary from ‘dark kitchen’ style – where people come and go on their own terms and clean the equipment themselves – to fully serviced options where you are guided through the entire process.” 

Essentially, slot roasting services eliminate the need to purchase costly equipment and rent large spaces. In turn, roasting coffees on a commercial level becomes more accessible.

Phillip Reichel is the COO of Communal Coffee in Berlin, Germany, which is the country’s biggest co-roasting facility. He explains some of the services that are available for slot roasting.

“Customers can become members, which gives them the opportunity to operate a small roastery investing in equipment and facilities,” he says. “People can also book specific dates and times to roast, cup, and package their coffee in our facilities, or use private label roasting services where we do everything for them.

“As it’s a shared space, there are rules and regulations that apply to everyone who uses co-roasting facilities, including cleaning and maintenance,” he adds.

But is slot roasting always a viable option?

For new and prospective roasters, as well as smaller-sized operations, who may have less capital, co-roasting spaces are one of the most efficient ways to grow their business.

“Facility staff must carry out regular maintenance of the space and the machines, and provide all the necessary tools needed to run a roastery,” Phillip says. “This includes quality control equipment, green coffee storage space, and packaging materials, as well as packing machines and scales.”

In addition to significantly lowering upfront costs for roasters, co-roasting spaces can also encourage a more collaborative approach – even between competing brands.

“Slot roasting helps to demystify the whole process of roasting and sharing knowledge and skills,” Craig tells me. “It minimises the risk associated with having to learn about production planning, creating blends, roast profile development, and storage on your own.”

Moreover, shared expenses such as delivery and shipping can be distributed between members and clients, which further helps to reduce costs. Network building and developing good working relationships is also easier in these environments.

That’s not to say, however, that slot roasting is always the best option for new coffee businesses. As members don’t own the equipment or facility, there are limitations attached to this. If a roaster wanted to scale their brand and include a showroom for visitors and customers, for example, they would need to rent their own space or unit.

Roasting schedules are inevitably less flexible when multiple companies use the same facility and equipment, which could be an issue in terms of maintaining coffee quality and freshness. A collaborative environment could also turn competitive if several roasters target similar demographics.

“You need to be open minded, which requires commitment,” Phillip says.

A chance to improve business opportunities

Beyond kickstarting or scaling a coffee company, slot roasting offers roasters the chance to build their brand and focus on other areas of their business, such as marketing, product development, and training.

But interest in co-roasting spaces is largely dependent on the needs of local and regional markets, as Craig and Phillip both explain.

“There are currently only a few businesses that brand themselves as slot roasters in Australia,” Craig tells me. “From conversations I’ve had, it seems some smaller roasters also rent out their equipment for others to use when they’re not busy, so perhaps demand is growing.”

Meanwhile, Phillip explains that interest is rising in European countries.

“With costs rising rapidly, small to medium-sized roasteries are facing many challenges and, in turn, they have to pivot their business models,” he says. “Shared roasting spaces are a viable solution, especially as more roasters look for private label services.”

He adds that there are some key considerations to account for when using slot roasting facilities.

“Many of these spaces have high food safety and hygiene standards, so members need to comply,” he tells me. “Even though we encourage a sense of community, co-roasting spaces aren’t social places – especially considering many don’t serve coffee to the public. You need to be fully committed to sign up.”

As the coffee industry continues to deal with supply chain challenges and rising costs, accessible services like slot roasting will become even more important to overcome barriers to entry.

However, these spaces don’t pose a straightforward solution for all coffee businesses. In some cases, roasters who have the funds and resources may want to invest in their own equipment and facilities.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how to start a career in coffee roasting.

Photo credits: Criteria Coffee

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