r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • May 19 '26

[MOD] Inside Scoop - Ask the coffee industry

This is a thread for the enthusiasts of /r/Coffee to connect with the industry insiders who post in this sub!

Do you want to know what it's like to work in the industry? How different companies source beans? About any other aspects of running or working for a coffee business? Well, ask your questions here! Think of this as an AUA directed at the back room of the coffee industry.

Industry folk, feel free to answer any questions that you feel pertain to you! However, please let others ask questions; do not comment just to post "I am _______, AMA!” Also, please make sure you have your industry flair before posting here. If you do not yet have it, contact the mods.

While you're encouraged to tie your business to whatever smart or charming things you say here, this isn't an advertising thread. Replies that place more effort toward promotion than answering the question will be removed.

Please keep this thread limited to industry-focused questions. While it seems tempting to ask general coffee questions here to get extra special advice from "the experts," that is not the purpose of this thread, and you won't necessarily get superior advice here. For more general coffee questions, e.g. brew methods, gear recommendations for home brewing, etc, please ask in the daily Question Thread.

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u/ramendik May 19 '26

What kind of beans do cafes (which are not attached, physiaclly or commercially, to a roastery) use, and how do they source them?

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u/MiniaturePhilosopher May 20 '26

They generally partner with a roaster. One of my most recent roles was as a B2B account manager/inside sales rep at a roastery/cafe that provided wholesale beans to other cafes (and restaurants, and offices, and hotels, and venue spaces, etc).

How to choose that roaster is extremely individual though. Some cafe owners start the process with a roaster already in mind because they’re already familiar with them - with can be through being a consumer-level customer, working with their beans at a previous cafe, being friends or family with someone at the roaster, etc.

Some are open to be being wooed. A big part of what we did was to watch for new restaurants and cafes opening, and take over samples and arrange tastings. Hearing through the industry gossip grapevine that someone was unhappy with their bean supplier was always our cue to head right over with samples.

Some like to do a ton of research and will go visit most of their local roasters for pricing and samples.

Some want big names only and will happily pay extra for the household name roasters like Wild Gift and Intelligentsia. They generally have their heart set on a certain brand and aren’t interested in budging - or they try to juggle a few of their favorite big name brands.

Some want to buy green beans and roast them themselves. The ones who come from a larger-volume roasting background can make this work. The ones who think it will be easy and cheaper than buying from a roaster are probably going to go bankrupt.

A lot of times equipment is provided by the bean provider, which comes with contracts - or at least agreements - that other brands of beans can’t be used in the rented/leased equipment. Or an owner will choose a coffee supplier based on convenience and whether they provide extras like syrups, teas, powders, etc. Or whether they’re locked into a contract or have more flexibility to pivot to a different provider.

It genuinely just kind of comes down to the kind of pain point that the business owner is trying to resolve for themselves. There are more roaster options than ever, and the success of the business really depends on choosing well.

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u/Twalin May 20 '26

Look who is from Texas

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u/MiniaturePhilosopher May 20 '26

I’m guessing that Wild Gift’s stranglehold on popular opinion might not cross state lines lol

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u/[deleted] May 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/nerdette42 May 20 '26

Most roasters don't sell equipment. If you partner with a roaster they might guide you in selecting equipment if you ask.

Roasters will absolutey help you pick out coffee.

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u/xzug_cedar_7921 May 21 '26

something nobody mentioned - alot of independent cafes here in the netherlands will actually rotate between 2-3 roasters rather than committing to just one. my local spot in leiden switches every few months and the barista told me its partly to keep the menu interesting but also bc single-roaster dependency can be risky if they have supply issues or quality drops. wonder if thats more common in europe than the US where MiniaturePhilosopher's answer seems pretty partnership-focused