The San Franciscan Roaster Company

What The San Franciscan Roaster Company does

The San Franciscan Roaster Company designs and manufactures commercial hand-built coffee roasters at its Carson City, Nevada facility, using American-made parts and premium steel. Its product line spans six drum roaster models — the SF-1 (1 lb sample), SF-6 and SF-Super 6 (6 lb), SF-10 (10 lb), SF-25 (25 lb, up to 100 lb/hr with built-in afterburner), and SF-75 (75 lb, up to 300 lb/hr with three-phase motors) — all sharing a common control interface, manual airflow and flame controls, responsive temperature probes, and lifetime warranty on materials and fabrication. Core technology centers on classic drum roasting combining convection, conduction, and radiant heating, with optional afterburner emissions control and third-party Cropster roast-logging compatibility.

The company sells factory-direct to artisan coffee roasters, boutique coffee shops, and mid- to high-volume specialty coffee businesses worldwide, with quote-based pricing and customer financing available. A distinctive trade-in program allows customers to upgrade to larger roasters; trade-ins are refurbished and resold as used equipment, generating a secondary revenue stream. Complementary services include factory training at Carson City, the Coffee Roasting Institute training campus in Boone, NC (in partnership with Bald Guy Brewing), and the Coffee Roasting Legends Podcast hosted by owner Bill Kennedy. Customers cited include Mostra Coffee (2020 Micro Roaster of the Year), Augie's Coffee, Bold Bean Coffee, Summit Coffee, Kookaburra, and Libertario Coffee in Colombia.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales (new roasters, used/refurbished units, afterburner add-ons) supplemented by professional training services and a financing offering. The company is privately held, founder-owned and operated by Bill Kennedy, with no disclosed institutional funding and a headcount of 11–50 employees. Marketing is anchored in thought leadership and community building — including the podcast, blog, SCA Expo presence, and customer testimonials — rather than paid acquisition, supporting a premium brand positioning in the specialty coffee equipment market.

Name

The San Franciscan Roaster Company

Legal name

The San Franciscan Roaster Company

Website

https://sanfranroaster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The San Franciscan Roaster Company designs and manufactures hand-built, American-made commercial drum coffee roasters (1lb to 75lb capacity), selling factory-direct with a lifetime warranty to artisan coffee roasters, boutique cafés, and specialty coffee businesses worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Coffee Roasting Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Shelling, Hulling & Dehusking Equipment (Rice Hullers, Nut Shellers) (AFAAAJAE)

Keywords

• Commercial coffee roasters
• Drum roasting equipment
• Coffee roasting machines
• Specialty coffee roasting
• Artisan coffee roasters

Headquarters

HQ city

Carson City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Coffee Roaster Hardware Sales: Primary revenue stream from manufacturing and selling commercial coffee roasters ranging from 1lb to 75lb capacity. Machines are hand-assembled in the US using American-made parts and premium steel. Includes new roasters, used roasters, and refurbished trade-in units.
2. Training Services: Factory training provided at Carson City, NV headquarters for roaster purchasers. Head trainer Mark Michaelson available for intensive one-on-one or small group courses throughout the US and Canada. Partnership with The Coffee Roasting Institute in Boone, NC.
3. Trade-in Program: Ongoing trade-in program allows customers to upgrade to larger roasters. Trade-ins are refurbished and resold as quality used coffee roasters, providing additional revenue from refurbished sales.
4. Financing Services: Financing options offered to help customers purchase roasters, enabling higher-value transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The San Franciscan Roaster Company designs and manufactures commercial handcrafted drum coffee roasters ranging from 1 lb to 75 lb capacity. All machines are hand-assembled in Carson City, Nevada using American-made parts and premium steel, and are backed by a lifetime warranty on materials and fabrication. The company also offers factory training, a trade-in program for used roasters, and afterburner systems.

Product overview

The San Franciscan Roaster Company manufactures a lineup of handcrafted commercial coffee drum roasters ranging from 1 lb to 75 lb capacity. The product portfolio consists of six core roaster models (SF-1, SF-6, SF-Super 6, SF-10, SF-25, and SF-75) that share a common design philosophy and control interface, enabling roasters to scale up seamlessly. All machines are built by hand in the USA with American-made components and backed by a lifetime warranty. The company also offers afterburner systems, used/refurbished roasters via a trade-in program, and complementary services including coffee roasting training, the Coffee Roasting Legends Podcast, and an educational partnership with The Coffee Roasting Institute. Financing options are available for purchasing roasters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SF-75 (75 lb / 34kg) Coffee Roaster High-volume production commercial coffee roaster with precision control over every roast. Handles up to 300 pounds per hour with three-phase motors and optional automation, and comes standard with an afterburner for clean emissions.
• SF-25 (25 lb / 12kg) Coffee Roaster Mid-sized commercial coffee roaster that roasts up to 100 pounds per hour with a built-in afterburner for clean emissions. A popular choice for operations seeking efficiency and flexibility.
• SF-Super 6 (6 lb / 3kg) Coffee Roaster

Quantifiable outcome

• SF-75 handles up to 300 pounds per hour with three-phase motors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bald Guy BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create The Coffee Roasting Institute campus in Boone, North Carolina. The team of experienced roaster instructors teaches students necessary skills to successfully operate a coffee roasting business. Classes have maximum ratio of 1:6 instructor to students using San Franciscan roasters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Probat: Probat is the incumbent global leader in industrial coffee roasting equipment, manufacturing drum roasters from small to very large capacities. Directly competes with San Franciscan across the same artisan-to-mid-scale drum roaster category, with substantially broader scale and a longer operating history.
• Loring Smart Roast: Loring manufactures commercial coffee roasters (notably air roasters) used widely by specialty coffee companies in the same customer base as San Franciscan. Direct competition for artisan/specialty roaster purchase decisions, contrasting drum vs. air roasting technologies.
• Diedrich Roasters: Diedrich manufactures commercial drum coffee roasters targeted at specialty coffee roasters with similar capacity range and buyer profile. Direct competitor in the artisan and mid-volume drum roaster market.
• Petroncini (IMA Group): Petroncini designs and manufactures industrial coffee roasting plants and equipment. Comparable to San Franciscan as a coffee roasting machinery OEM, though Petroncini skews toward larger-scale industrial systems and integrated plant solutions.
• Toper: Toper manufactures commercial coffee roasters across a wide capacity range (small-batch to large industrial), selling globally. Direct peer to San Franciscan in commercial drum roasting equipment, competing primarily on price and capacity.
• Joper: Joper is a coffee roaster manufacturer producing drum and gas roasters for small to mid-size roasting operations. Direct competitor focused on emerging/specialty markets with comparable capacity envelope to San Franciscan's SF line.
• Mill City Roasters: Mill City Roasters manufactures commercial coffee roasters (including gas and electric models) used by small-batch specialty roasters. Overlaps San Franciscan in the artisan/small commercial segment with similar direct sales model.

Emerging players

• Has Garanti: Has Garanti is a Turkish manufacturer of sample, shop, and industrial coffee roasters with growing distribution in specialty markets. Comparable product line and emerging competition for entry-level/small-batch roaster sales.

Others

• Cropster: Cropster provides roasting software, profiling, and production management tools and is explicitly integrated with San Franciscan roasters. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but materially shapes the buyer experience for San Franciscan's equipment.

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Bühler is a large Swiss industrial food processing equipment manufacturer serving grain, coffee, and other food categories. Broad incumbent with overlapping machinery manufacturing capabilities, though not specialized in small/mid commercial coffee roasters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sanfranroaster
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanFranRoaster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-san-franciscan-roaster-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/sanfranroaster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The San Franciscan Roaster Company