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“When we started using our Probat coffee roaster, our coffee immediately improved to the point where our customers were practically scratching at our door. The machine literally saved our business.”
— Nora Edison, Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters
When Chris Neumann and Nora Edison moved to Gainesville, Fla., in 2005 to start a wholesale, 100 percent certified organic coffee roasting company, all the odds seemed stacked against them. North Central Florida isn’t exactly known for its espresso bar culture. And the area’s low altitude, high humidity and fluctuating air pressure make consistent roasting a challenge. Plus, the coffee industry at the time generally believed that organic coffee belongs only in health food stores, not in the specialty coffee category. But it was Chris and Nora’s mission to prove them wrong — and they did it in a matter of months.
Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters opened in April 2005 and outgrew its facility within a year. The company now imports coffees from more than a dozen origins and operates out of a Quonset hut, a large, half-cylindrical steel structure built during World War II. Chris and Nora roast all their beans in a single Probat coffee roaster (the Probatone 12, formerly called the L-12) in 20-pound batches, yielding 1,400 to 2,000 pounds a week. During the holiday season, they work 18- to 20-hour roasting shifts to keep up with demand. Sweetwater’s customers include the University of Florida, local supermarkets, cafes and fine restaurants, as well as higher-end organic and gourmet health food stores.
But it hasn’t always been smooth roasting for Sweetwater. Before the company bought its Probat coffee roaster, it used a different brand of machine, one that Chris had learned how to use at a roastery in New York. That machine worked fine — until Sweetwater moved into its new facility and had to switch from natural gas to propane.
“The infrared burners on our old machine just couldn’t handle the heavy gas,” Chris said. “There were actually fireballs coming out of the back, and I was having to turn the burners off in the middle of roasting. We even offered to pay a technician to come look at it, but the manufacturer refused and said the problems were our fault. It was really scary, and we almost went out of business.”
So, they called Probat Burns.
Chris and Nora already knew of Probat Burns’ great reputation in the industry. They had met Probat Burns’ Specialty Sales and Marketing Director Launtia Taylor and President Karl Schmidt at the SCAA conference in Atlanta and were impressed to receive the same level of respect as the large commercial coffee manufacturers. Remembering how well he had been treated, Chris explained his situation to Launtia and asked if she could help. Within days, Sweetwater was roasting all its coffee on a brand-new Probat coffee roaster.
“When we started using our Probat coffee roaster, our coffee immediately improved to the point where our customers were practically scratching at our door,” Nora said. “The machine literally saved our business.”
And the coffee improved even before Chris knew the proper way to use the machine. A month after it was installed, Chris attended a coffee convention where he learned the nuances of the roasting process and how to adjust the Probat coffee roaster to bring out the best characteristics of the coffee. Chris appreciates the ability to completely control every aspect of the roast on the Probat coffee roaster. He can even adapt his roasting profiles to compensate for fluctuations in humidity and air pressure.
This type of hands-on roasting directly supports Sweetwater’s roasting philosophy, as Chris and Nora believe in accentuating the natural qualities of every bean. “Our goal is to expose the unique character of our coffees, which also exposes the tremendous expertise of the coffee farmers,” Chris said. “We do everything we can during the roasting process to protect the farmers’ hard work.”
“To me, Probat Burns’ customer service just says everything,” said Chris. “They stand behind their products, and they won’t let me down. I know my business is safe when I do business with Probat Burns.”