Has anyone here successfully used shared roasting/rented roaster time before opening their own space?
Former Barista trying to get into roasting and I’m looking for realistic pathways into it without immediately taking on the cost of a full roasting facility.
I keep hearing about shared roasting. As in, renting time on someone else’s roaster, using a co-roasting space, or partnering with an existing roaster while building a brand/customer base.
I’d love to hear from people who have actually done this (either as the person renting time or the person offering it).
Is shared roasting legitimately common/viable, or is it more rare than people online make it seem? Have you seen businesses successfully grow this way before eventually opening their own roasting operation? If you rent out time on your roaster, what does that arrangement usually look like? Are most roasters open to this, or protective of their production time/customers?
I’m not necessarily looking to be the next heavy hitting coffee roaster in my city (Philly), but I’d like to roast for the fun of it and make enough slinging beans at markets to support the hobby.
Would really appreciate any insight, warnings, or success stories. Thank you!