Upgrading a coffee roasting machine is not an easy decision and often puts roastery owners in a dilemma between productivity and cost. On one hand, there is a growing need to improve production quality as the business expands. On the other hand, upgrading a machine requires a significant investment.
In this blog, we outline the signs that your machine may be telling you it needs attention and how upgrading it now can actually save you from much bigger costs later.
The need to upgrade a coffee roasting machine can be noticed when its performance becomes less consistent and more manual adjustment is required to achieve the same results. For a clearer picture, here are some common signs that indicate your machine is ready for an upgrade.
Inconsistent roast results are one of the earliest signs of declining machine performance. One example is differences in coffee color and flavor profiles between batches despite using identical recorded roast settings. These variations typically indicate sensor drift or reduced heating efficiency. If operators need frequent manual adjustments during roasting to achieve the intended results, it further confirms that the machine is no longer delivering stable and repeatable performance.
As a coffee roasting machine ages, its internal components gradually wear down due to continuous exposure to heat, vibration, and mechanical stress. When this wear reaches a point where repairs are no longer enough, component replacement becomes unavoidable. This process is costly and can disrupt production, as the machine must stop operating for inspection and servicing.
Many roasteries start with a small-capacity machine that suits their early production needs. But as demand grows, increasing batch sizes and roasting frequency can push the coffee roaster machine beyond its optimal limits. What once felt reliable may begin to hold back daily output, requiring longer operating hours and more frequent batches. Over time, this not only raises energy use and staff workload but also makes it more challenging to maintain roast consistency and plan production efficiently.
The coffee roasting process involves high temperatures as well as gas and electrical systems that require reliable safety protection. In machines with limited or less advanced roasting safety features, much of that protection depends on constant operator monitoring. As production increases and the pace of work becomes more demanding, faults or malfunctions may not be detected right away. This would likely increase the risk of overheating or other safety incidents, including roaster fires in extreme cases.
Poor energy consumption occurs when the machine experiences a decline in thermal efficiency, often caused by reduced burner performance or heat loss through worn insulation. As a result, the roasting machine requires more energy to maintain target temperatures, leading to longer warm-up times and less responsive heat control during the roast. This inefficiency can increase monthly utility bills and overall roasting expenses, especially during large batch production or repeated roasting cycles within a single day.
In older-generation coffee roasting machines, control systems commonly rely on analog instruments or basic sensor setups. While functional, these systems typically provide limited feedback and less precise control, which can reduce the accuracy of roast curve tracking and often makes operators rely heavily on sensory coffee roasting to manage temperature and airflow.
Other than hardware, the lack of integrated software further affects consistency and repeatability. Without automated data logging or roast profile replication, operators must record roasting data manually, making it more difficult to reproduce results accurately and evaluate roast performance across batches.
If those signs feel familiar in your roastery, it may be time to upgrade your coffee roasting machine. But before moving forward, use this checklist to guide your decision:
Select a capacity that aligns with your current production volume and available space. The right batch size ensures efficient operation without underloading the machine or pushing it beyond its optimal range.
Look for a machine that includes software integration and automation features, such as roast profile replication and automated data logging. These features help operators replicate roast results more accurately and maintain flavor consistency as production increases.
Choose a machine that includes accessible safety systems, such as emergency shut-off mechanisms and integrated safety controls. Good safety design would reduce operational risk and support a secure roasting environment.
Berto Roaster offers a wide range of capacities to suit your needs, from small-batch coffee roasting to full-scale production roasting machines. These are the key features and details of each model to help you choose the right roaster for your roastery.
Designed for roasters who need a compact hot air roasting system, Berto Essential Air is recognized as the world’s smallest smokeless commercial hot air coffee roaster machine. With a 3 kg capacity, it is engineered with BertoLogic™ for unmatched consistency and equipped with Playback Assist™ for roast recording and profile replication through external software such as Cropster and Artisan. The smokeless system helps reduce air pollution, and the machine is built with world-class electronic and heating systems, making it not only safe and durable but also environmentally friendly.
Berto Essential is a 3 kg drum roaster built with BertoLogic™ and designed with the features professional coffee roasters demand. It includes Playback Assist™ to record and replicate roast logs, along with a highly responsive control panel for precise adjustment of roasting variables. For safety, the machine integrates a safety regulator, as well as ignition and burner safety controls that support stable operation during roasting.
For businesses looking to scale their roastery operations with a drum roaster, Berto Type D Roaster is available in 3 kg, 6 kg, and 12 kg capacity options. The machine is designed with BertoLogic™ and integrates a modern control system, including Playback Assist™ for roast automation and Air Pressure Assist™ for precise airflow control (standard on the DL (12 kg) model and available as an add-on for other capacities).
Berto Type D Roaster is also built with safety in mind, featuring Shut Down Assist™ for controlled shutdown at safe temperatures, a low-pressure secondary regulator to maintain stable gas input, and an electronic ignition system with safety sequence controllers to support secure operation.
If you prefer a hot air roaster to support production scale-up, Berto Type R Roaster is available in 8 kg, 20 kg, and 60 kg capacities. This commercial hot air roaster is built with BertoLogic™ and features a touchscreen control panel, along with a PID controller with Recipe Mode to support automated batch roasting. This enables operators to monitor and adjust roast variables directly on the roasting machine. The machine is also equipped with advanced safety systems, including a gas leak detector, low-pressure alarm, flame failure detection, and a safe shutdown function.
Still not sure which Berto roaster is right for you? Our team is here to help. We’ll make sure you get a machine with the right capacity, smart features, and safety systems to support both your current workflow and long-term growth. Reach out to our team today!
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