What is the difference between coffee roasters and coffee shops?
Most people assume that being a coffee roaster also translates to having a coffee shop, when in fact that is not always the case.
The major difference between coffee roasters and coffee shops (who are not roasters), is that roasters focus more on roasting! They typically sell roasted coffee bags directly to consumers either via e-commerce or in a retail brick-and-mortar model, through wholesale accounts via b2b (business to business), or to major retailers, such as your local grocery store.
Although some may also have a coffee bar or coffee shop, roasting coffee beans takes priority. A lot goes into this process: sourcing green coffee, learning profiles of new coffee, creating new profiles/roasts, cuppings, maintaining quality, etc.
Coffee shops or cafés fall under “restaurants” and focus more on brewing espresso-based drinks and food, From barista skills to creating food/drink menus. They typically get their coffee beans wholesale from a local coffee roaster.
When I first thought of going into coffee, my goal was to open up a coffee shop. But I fell in love with roasting, which has completely won me over.
