What Burns does

Burns (legal entity Jabez Burns) is an industrial coffee roasting equipment manufacturer founded in 1864 in New York City and currently headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois, where it operates a factory designing, automating, and producing its B540R and B270R roaster models. Burns is owned and operated by Probat, Inc., the American subsidiary of the German Probat Group (PROBAT-Werke GmbH), and serves both industrial coffee roasters processing 10-20 million pounds per year and specialty coffee roasters seeking professional-grade equipment at smaller batch sizes. Its product portfolio spans three industrial roaster platforms (the 23R Classic, B270R launched in 2022, and the B540R), all built around a patented perforated drum that uses convective heat transfer for more even roasting with greater batch-size flexibility than traditional drum designs; throughput ranges from 100 lb/batch up to 2,500 lb/hour on the B540R.

The company's revenue model combines capital equipment sales (industrial roasters, the G2000 coffee grinder from Probat, and complete coffee processing systems covering green coffee handling through grinding and degassing) with high-margin recurring and project-based services — process design, turnkey installation, roaster rebuilds, remote technical support, and a spare parts catalog shipping next-day for 90%+ of SKUs. Pro Controls software (Roaster and Plant modules) provides web-based HMI automation with curve tracking, up to 999 roast profiles, and full-plant integration from green coffee to ground coffee, creating a hardware-software-services bundle. Burns reaches customers via direct enterprise field sales with East and West Coast account managers in the U.S., an international representative network, a multilingual website in 9+ languages, and presence at trade shows including SCA Expo, SIAL Canada, Cafe Show Seoul, and Gulf Manufacturing Dubai. Notable customers include Cascade Coffee, Peerless Coffee, Black Rifle Coffee, Scooter's Coffee, New England Coffee, Mayorga Organics, and others across the industrial and specialty coffee segments.

Name

Burns

Legal name

Jabez Burns

Website

https://burnsroasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Burns, founded in 1864 and owned by Probat Inc., manufactures industrial coffee roasting equipment (23R, B270R, B540R) featuring patented perforated drum technology, Pro Controls automation software, and complete processing systems for commercial and specialty coffee roasters in North America and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Coffee Roasting Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

Keywords

• Industrial coffee roasters
• Coffee processing systems
• Commercial coffee grinders
• Roaster automation software
• Coffee roasting equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincolnshire

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Coffee Roaster Sales: Sale of industrial coffee roasting machines including the 23R Classic, B270R, and B540R models. Machines are American-made with cast iron construction and proprietary perforated drum technology. B540R has 12-week lead time.
2. Coffee Processing Systems: Complete coffee processing systems covering green coffee handling, weighing, pneumatic/mechanical conveying, storage silos, post-roast blending (BAR), grinding, and degassing solutions.
3. Spare Parts: Genuine Burns spare parts manufactured to highest quality standards. More than 90% of catalog parts available with next-day shipping. Parts catalog available for B270R.
4. Process Design Services: Mechanical and process engineers design custom roasting facilities tailored to production needs and future vision. Covers process flow and physical equipment layout for efficient and effective industrial coffee processing.
5. Installation Services: Turnkey installation including equipment placement, installation, system assembly, utility connections, chimney installation, construction equipment rental management, roaster commissioning, safety controls, production start-up, and staff training.
6. Roaster Rebuild Services: Rebuild of existing 23R roasters either at Burns' Lincolnshire facilities or at the customer's roasting plant location.
7. Remote Technical Support: Remote troubleshooting and diagnostics via internet connectivity. Program modifications, screen customization, batch report customization, troubleshooting, and secondary device integration.
8. Software Solutions: Coffee roasting software solutions including Pro Controls Roaster and Plant systems. PC upgrades for legacy systems including Intel processor PC, wireless keyboard/mouse, Rockwell Factory Talk ME, RS Linx Classic, USB license dongle, curve tracking, and batch reporting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Burns manufactures American-made industrial coffee roasters (23R Classic, B270R, B540R) built around a patented perforated drum with convective heat transfer, and supplies complete coffee processing systems covering green coffee handling, weighing, conveying, storage, post-roast blending, grinding, and degassing. The company sells its proprietary Pro Controls web-based HMI software for roast profile and full-plant automation, and provides turnkey installation, process design, roaster rebuilds, remote technical support, and a spare parts catalog with next-day shipping.

Product overview

Burns (Jabez Burns) is an industrial coffee roasting equipment company founded in 1864, owned and operated by Probat, Inc., the American subsidiary of PROBAT-Werke GmbH, Emmerich, Germany. The company manufactures American-made industrial coffee roasters and complete coffee processing systems. The core product line consists of three roasters: the 23R Classic (the most popular North American roaster for its batch size, with a patented perforated drum), the B270R (half the size of the 23R with full flexibility), and the B540R (larger capacity, internationally available). Burns' proprietary software platform, Pro Controls, includes two modules: Pro Controls – Roaster (web-based HMI for roast parameter control with curve tracking and 20-stage profiles) and Pro Controls – Plant (full-plant automation across all production phases). The broader portfolio encompasses coffee processing systems (green coffee handling, weighing, transport, blending, grinding, and packaging), the G2000 commercial grinder from parent company Probat, and comprehensive services including process design, turnkey installation, roaster rebuilds, remote technical support, and spare parts. Burns operates a factory in Lincolnshire, Illinois where the B540R and B270R are designed, automated, and produced.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 23R Classic Industrial Coffee Roaster American-made industrial coffee roaster with a patented perforated drum that enables convective heat transfer for even roasting and wide batch-size flexibility; the most popular roaster in North America for its batch size, featuring Pro Controls with curve tracking, automated clean-out, and storage for up to 999 roast profiles. Not available outside the United States.
• B270R Industrial Coffee Roaster Industrial coffee roaster with half the footprint of the 23R, offering full batch-size flexibility (100–270 lb per batch) and a patented perforated drum, Pro Controls with curve tracking, recirculation system for energy efficiency, and automated clean-out; a 2-sack roaster producing up to 1,350 lb/hr.
• B540R Industrial Coffee Roaster Industrial coffee roaster with a 200–540 lb per batch capacity, 4–5 batches per hour, and up to 2,500 lb/hr output. Features a patented perforated drum, 9-stage roast profile, recirculation system, Stirflex™ cooler, and Pro Controls with curve tracking, 999-profile storage, and remote support via VPN module; 12-week lead time.
• G2000 Commercial Coffee Grinder Commercial coffee grinder manufactured by Probat (Burns' parent company), producing the particle size and product density required for specific product specifications; part of Burns' full-plant equipment portfolio.
• Coffee Processing Systems Complete coffee processing systems covering green coffee intake through ground-coffee degasification, including green coffee weighing, pneumatic and mechanical conveying, green coffee storage silos, post-roast blending (BAR), whole-bean drag conveyors, roasted coffee grinding, and ground coffee storage with degasification solutions; NFPA-compliant dust collection systems are also offered.
• Pro Controls – Roaster Software Web-based HMI application sold separately as a standalone software offering, providing touchscreen control of roasting parameters with curve tracking control, 20-stage roast profile, unlimited roast profiles, automatic and manual batching, preheating and automated cleaning, real-time alarms and alarm history, multilingual support, and maintenance mode; includes PC upgrades (Intel processor PC, wireless keyboard/mouse, Rockwell Factory Talk ME, RS Linx Classic) and USB license dongle.
• Pro Controls – Plant Software Web-based application sold separately enabling full automation across all production phases from green coffee to ground coffee, including batch tracking, data logging, production scheduling, and SKU management for green and roasted coffee.
• Genuine Spare Parts Catalog Genuine Burns spare parts manufactured to the highest quality standards at Burns facilities, with next-day shipping available for over 90% of parts in the catalog; B270R parts catalog available for download.
• Process Design Services Mechanical and process engineering services that design custom roasting facilities tailored to production needs and future vision. Burns develops process flow and physical equipment layout for efficient and effective industrial coffee processing, drawing on 150 years of industry experience.
• Turnkey Installation Services Complete installation services for Burns roasters and processing systems, including equipment placement, system assembly, utility connections, chimney installation, construction equipment rental management, roaster commissioning, safety controls monitoring, production start-up, and staff training.
• Roaster Rebuild Services Rebuild and restoration of existing 23R roasters at Burns' Lincolnshire facility or on-site at the customer's roasting plant.
• Remote Technical Support and On-Site Maintenance Remote technical support via internet connection allowing Burns engineers to diagnose and resolve issues online, including program modifications, screen customization, batch report customization, troubleshooting, and secondary device integration. On-site maintenance and preventive support are available when remote resolution is not possible.

Quantifiable outcome

• B540R achieves up to 2,500 lbs/1,134 kg roasted coffee per hour (4-5 batches/hour)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Probat, Inc.coreOthersBurns Roasters is owned and operated by Probat, Inc., the American subsidiary of PROBAT-Werke GmbH, Emmerich, Germany. Probat Inc. (Lincolnshire, IL) produces Burns roasters, designing, automating, and producing the B540R and B270R models. Probat manufactures coffee grinders used in Burns' processing systems. This is a parent-subsidiary relationship forming the core of Burns' organizational structure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Loring Smart Roast: Loring manufactures industrial coffee roasters (S15, S35, S70 Kestrel, Peregrine) that compete directly with Burns' 23R, B270R, and B540R models among North American specialty and mid-volume roasters. Their air-roasting technology is a direct alternative to Burns' perforated drum platform.
• Toper: Toper is a Turkish manufacturer of industrial coffee roasters (TKM-SX, TDR series) sold globally and competing in the same capacity ranges as Burns. Targets a similar mix of specialty and industrial roaster customers worldwide.
• Diedrich Manufacturing: Diedrich manufactures commercial and industrial coffee roasters (IR-12, IR-24, IR-60) widely used across North American specialty roasters. Direct competitor in the same industrial roaster segment with overlapping batch-size coverage and similar customer base.
• Petroncini: Italian-based Petroncini produces industrial coffee roasting and processing systems for medium to high-volume roasters. Directly comparable in offering turnkey roasting plants, competing with Burns' complete plant systems and processing line.
• Giesen Coffee Roasters: Dutch manufacturer Giesen produces industrial coffee roasting equipment (W30A, W60A, Pro-line) widely adopted by specialty coffee roasters in Europe and beyond. Comparable in producing high-end industrial roasters with proprietary technology.
• US Roaster Corp: US-based manufacturer of small to mid-size commercial coffee roasters. Comparable as a domestic direct peer in the North American roaster market, particularly for specialty and smaller-batch applications where Burns does not field dedicated models.

Regional players

• Has Garanti: Turkish industrial coffee roaster manufacturer serving primarily the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Comparable as a regional industrial roaster competitor with capacity ranges overlapping Burns' product line.
• Joper: Brazilian manufacturer Joper produces industrial and commercial coffee roasters for the Latin American market. Comparable as a regional industrial roaster competitor with overlapping capacity ranges.

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Swiss industrial equipment manufacturer offering coffee processing, sorting, and grinding solutions as part of a diversified food processing portfolio. Adjacent incumbent with overlap in industrial coffee processing systems.
• Probat: Probat is Burns' German parent company and the global leader in industrial coffee processing equipment. Comparable as the broad incumbent in the same industrial coffee roasting category, with overlapping roaster, grinder, and processing system offerings across geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Burnsroasters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDZOfRhEdVeLiF30g9lOI1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/Burnsroasters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burnsroasters
• Instagraminstagram.com/burnsroasters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Burns