Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491356
STiR tea & coffee industry international 29 Roaster-owners rarely start with enough capital to build a state-of-the-art high vol- ume facility. Some remain relatively small by choice, concentrating on small-batch spe- cialty grade products. Others like F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc., grow large enough to design and build massive roasting facilities from the ground up. Whichever course a roaster's business follows, most begin with a drum roaster and find it difficult to switch. Many share the opinion of Brian Meyers who manages the Olympia, Wash. roastery for Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters. "By changing a significant piece of equipment like a roaster, you're changing your product. What you produce is a part of your personality, it is your mark. An older ma- chine can influence the roast in ways that newer machines cannot, in my opinion. It is a tricky decision that could cost you customers in the end," said Meyers. Change does happen, though. Both Dillano's and Gaviña invested in new equip- ment as the companies grew. Dillano's uses the L25 model from Probat-Burns and two larger capacity machines from Diedrich. When Gaviña moved into its new facility, the company kept much of its existing equipment and added more. According to Frank Gaviña Jr., Gaviña's two new Probat-Burns Therma Two machines were the most advanced available at the time. They were chosen primarily for two reasons: energy efficiency and throughput capacity. Smoke Scrubbers Dillano's, Batdorf & Bronson and Gaviña use afterburners to control emissions be- cause they are all situated in urban air quality control districts. Many others who oper- ate in the United States or the European Union must comply with an evolving set of guidelines, directives, and legal requirements about how much pollutants and green- house gases are permissible to emit. California has and continues to develop some of the toughest air quality standards that apply to coffee processors. There, Assembly Bill 32 codified the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to levels recorded in 1990. Regional districts such as the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in Washington State and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in California also set rules regarding air quality. Dan Jolliff at U.S. Roasters Corp. makes 3 kilo to 300kg/cycle Revelation Roasters that have been approved by AQMD. Parts in the Revelation series are cut with a water jet to insure a tight fit. It is one of the highest efficiency roasters available, he said. "We use a catalytic system to remove the smoke while increasing the heated air flow. Users report great savings in fuel and lower roast loss," he said. "It's the only roaster that allows control of both the heated air and the heating of the drum," he said. According to Boyd Guildner, owner of Renegade Roasters, businesses in southern California not paying attention to evolving standards will be in for a rude awakening long before 2020. The Los Angeles area AQMD rule 1147 spells out expectations and Mark Loring Ludwig, founder of Loring Smart Roast, Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif. Roaster Capacity Note: This quick reference summarizes the main variations in batch size by type. A table listing all the roast methods, models and the myriad configurations enabled by contemporary controls would be too large to include. a timeline for reducing NOX emissions that will affect roasters. All these impending changes mean that medium- to large- scale roasters are likely to upgrade their equipment to comply with new rules. Some, like Gaviña, are looking into the pros and cons of moving to a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO). No decision has been made yet, though the potential long-term savings are appealing. Most RTO system designs involve a ceiling installation be- cause of the typical position of exhaust ducts in a wide variety of manufacturing environments. Usually this feature works to the mutual benefit of coffee equipment supplier and buyer. In the case of F. Gaviña & Sons, it is a challenge instead. "We've looked at regenerative systems as a possible next step. But, it's heavy equipment that can't be put on our ceil- ing. They're about 40-50 feet long and 20 feet along the side," said Gaviña. "ROI-wise, it's not the easiest decision to make because the investment is so large." Estimates the company has reviewed so far put the price tag at about $1 million before Probat-Burns roaster at F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc., in Vernon, Calif. Small Roasters: Capacity of 2-99 pounds of coffee per batch Drum 6-440 pounds per hour Fluid Bed/Air 30-500 pounds per hour Medium: Capacity of 100-699 pounds of coffee per batch. Drum Up to 2000 pounds per hour Fluid Bed/Air Up to 4000 pounds per hour Large: Capacity of 700 pounds or more of coffee per batch. Drum 10,000 lbs per hour Fluid Bed/Air 12,000 lbs per hour