Interviewing Craft Roasters: 7 Shocking Lessons I Learned That Changed My Coffee Perspective
I still remember the smell of my first real craft roastery interview. It wasn’t just coffee. It was this intense, sweet, almost bready aroma of green beans hitting the heat, mixed with the smoky char of chaff burning off, and the overwhelming, metallic clank of the cooling tray. I was terrified. In the corner was the roaster, someone who looked like a cross between a mad scientist and a ship's captain, peering into a tiny window on the machine, completely ignoring me.
I fumbled with my recorder, my list of "Top 10 Questions to Ask a Roaster" (pulled from a generic blog post) feeling suddenly stupid. "So... uh... you like coffee?" I wanted to crawl into a burlap sack of unroasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
That day was a disaster. But it was the first of many. Over the years, I've had the privilege of sitting down with dozens of craft roasters. From the slick, venture-backed operations in massive warehouses to the one-person-band roasting out of a modified garage. And let me tell you, everything I thought I knew about interviewing craft roasters was wrong.
We see the beautifully curated "Coffee Roaster Spotlights" on blogs and in magazines. They seem so effortless. The roaster is always poetic, the process is always magical, and the coffee is always "notes of jasmine, bergamot, and a summer's day." The truth? Getting that story is hard, awkward, and deeply nuanced. It's a craft in itself.
If you're here, you probably feel that same pull. You love the craft coffee movement, you're fascinated by the people behind the bag, and you want to share their stories. But you don't want to be the person asking "So... you like coffee?"
This isn't another generic list of questions. This is a guide to the real lessons. The hard-won, embarrassing, and ultimately game-changing truths I learned about connecting with these artisans. These 7 lessons will save you the embarrassment I went through and help you capture the real heart of the specialty coffee scene.
Lesson 1: It’s Not About the Coffee, It’s About the Person
This was my biggest, most fundamental mistake. My first interviews were obsessed with the what. "What's your roast profile for this Kenyan?" "What are the tasting notes?" "What's your favorite brew method?" I got one-word answers, polite nods, and zero good content. Why? Because I was giving them a pop quiz, not having a conversation.
The "shocking" lesson was that roasters are bored of talking about tasting notes. They'll do it for customers, but it's not the heart of their work. The real story, the one that connects with readers, is the why and the who.
I had a breakthrough with a roaster in Austin. I was failing, getting nowhere. Out of desperation, I just stopped and said, "Look, I'm sorry, these questions are terrible. Can I just ask... how did you get here? Why this?"
His whole demeanor changed. He leaned back, smiled, and told me about his previous life as an burnt-out corporate lawyer. He talked about the first cup of coffee that really woke him up—not with caffeine, but with flavor. He described the terror of signing the lease on his first 5-kilo roaster, convinced he'd just flushed his life savings. That was the story. The roast profile didn't matter. The story was about redemption. It was about risk. It was about passion.
The Fix: Start every interview with "The Origin Story."
- "What's your first vivid coffee memory? Not the best, just the first."
- "What was the 'oh sh*t' moment you decided to do this professionally?"
- "Tell me about the time you ruined your most expensive batch of beans. What happened?" (This question is GOLD. It shows humility, process, and is always a good story).
Once you get the person, the rest of the details about the coffee will flow naturally, but now they'll have context. They'll have a human face.
Lesson 2: "Sourcing" is a Loaded Term (And You Need to Unpack It Carefully)
I walked into many interviews wanting to be the hero journalist. "So, is your coffee ethically sourced?" "Is this Direct Trade?" I thought I was asking the tough, important questions. In reality, I was just showing my ignorance.
I learned quickly that these terms are complex, often meaningless marketing, and deeply personal to the roaster. "Direct Trade," for example, isn't a legally defined term. Anyone can slap it on a bag. For some roasters, it means they shook the farmer's hand. For others, it's a years-long relationship with a specific co-op, involving pre-financing harvests and funding school projects.
The Shocking Part: Asking "is it ethical?" is an insult. It implies they might be unethical. It's a "yes/no" question that puts them on the defensive. A roaster in Portland politely tore me apart on this. "What do you mean by ethical?" she asked. "Do you mean the price? The environmental impact? The labor practices at the farm level? The importer's margin? The carbon footprint of the shipping?"
I was humbled. And I learned.
The Fix: Ask open-ended questions about relationships. Use "how" and "what" instead of "is."
- "Can you tell me the story behind this specific bean? How did it get to you?"
- "What does your relationship with your importers or producers look like?"
- "When you're deciding on a new coffee to bring in, what factors are most important to you beyond the cupping score?"
This approach gives them the power to define what "ethical" means to their business. It results in a much richer, more honest answer than a simple "yes" to a loaded question.
Lesson 3: The "Magic" is Just Exhausting, Repetitive Science
We all want to believe the roaster is a magician, sniffing the air, listening to the "cracks" like a coffee whisperer, and intuitively knowing when a roast is perfect. This is a romantic notion we get from marketing.
The Lesson: The best roasters are data nerds. They are scientists. Their world is not magic; it's spreadsheets, graphs, and rigorous consistency.
My "aha!" moment came when a roaster showed me his setup. Yes, there was a beautiful, copper-plated Probat roaster. But taped to the wall next to it was a laptop running Cropster, a sophisticated roasting software. He wasn't just "listening to the beans"; he was monitoring rate-of-rise, bean temperature, exhaust temperature, and development time, all plotted on a graph in real-time. His goal? To make this batch taste exactly like the "god-tier" batch he'd roasted three weeks prior.
The "magic" is just the 10,000 hours of repetition. It's the grueling work of cupping (tasting) every single batch, taking meticulous notes, and tweaking one variable at a time. It's less "Willy Wonka" and more "chemistry lab." And honestly, that's way more interesting.
The Fix: Ask about the process and the data, not the "art."
- "Can you walk me through your process for a new coffee? From the first sample bag to the final profile?"
- "What's your approach to consistency? How do you use data or software in your roasting?"
- "What's the most challenging part of the roasting process that customers probably don't even think about?" (Hint: It's often consistency and managing the "green" [unroasted] bean inventory).
Lesson 4: Your "Gotcha" Questions Make You Look Clueless
In my early days, I thought I was being a sharp journalist by asking "provocative" questions. "Isn't $25 for a bag of coffee a total rip-off?" "Is the whole 'specialty coffee' thing just a bubble?" "Why should someone buy your coffee instead of the $10 bag at the supermarket?"
You know what these questions get you? A tired, rehearsed answer. They get an eye-roll (internal or external). These roasters have been defending their life's work since day one. They have a script for this. You will get nothing original or interesting. You'll just get their marketing spiel about quality.
This isn't an interrogation. You're not trying to "expose" them. The shocking truth is that this line of questioning doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look like you don't belong in the room. It signals that you are an outsider who doesn't understand the basic value proposition of the entire industry you're pretending to cover.
The Fix: Reframe the question from "Why is it expensive?" (a 'gotcha') to "How do you communicate its value?" (a question about their craft/business).
- Instead of: "Why is this so expensive?"
- Try: "When a new customer seems hesitant about the price of this Geisha, what's the story you tell them to help them understand its value?"
See the difference? The first question is an accusation. The second is a request for a story. It invites them to be the expert, to share their passion and salesmanship. It's a collaborative question, not a combative one.
Lesson 5: The Best Stories Happen After the Recorder is Off (And How to Fix This)
This is the most painful lesson of all. You have a good, 45-minute chat. You click the "stop" button on your recorder. You say, "Whew, thanks so much!"
And then... as you're packing up your bag, the roaster, now relaxed, leans against a sack of beans and says, "You know, the really crazy thing is..."
And out comes the actual story. The story about the shipping container that got held up in customs for six weeks, nearly bankrupting them. The story about a competing roaster stealing their wholesale client. The hilarious story about the time the café's espresso machine exploded. All the human, messy, brilliant stuff. And your recorder is off.
This happened to me so many times. It's a natural human phenomenon. The "official" interview is over, so the guard comes down. The pressure is off. The real conversation begins.
The Fix: Build rapport first and never really stop recording (with permission).
- Buffer Your Time: Never book an interview for just 30 minutes. Book 90. Show up 15 minutes early. Plan to stay 30 minutes late. The best stuff happens when you're just "hanging out." Offer to help sweep the floor or move a bag. (They'll say no, but the offer matters).
- The "Magic" Phrase: When the interview seems over and they start telling you the good stuff, just smile and say, "You mind if I start rolling again? This is fascinating. I promise we can cut anything you're not 100% comfortable with later." 99% of the time, they'll say yes. That "you're in control" part is key.
- Take Notes, Not Just Audio: Your audio recorder captures the words. Your eyes capture the environment. Write down the band poster on the wall. The specific brand of boots they're wearing. The dog sleeping on a pile of burlap. These details are what make your final "Coffee Roaster Spotlight" feel real and vivid.
Lesson 6: Forget the Big Names; The Tiny Roasteries Have the Real Gold
When I started, I made a list of all the "big" craft roasters. The ones with sleek packaging, features in magazines, and cafes in three different cities. I sent dozens of emails. The few replies I got were from "marketing@..." offering to send me a press kit. It was cold, corporate, and useless.
The "shocking" lesson? The big guys are too busy (and too polished) to give you a good, raw story. They have brand guidelines. They have talking points. They are, in a word, boring.
The real gold is with the roaster who just opened six months ago. The one who is still terrified. The one who is roasting 10 kilos at a time in a shared industrial park. That person doesn't have a marketing department. That person is the CEO, the roaster, the bookkeeper, and the janitor. And they are bursting with stories.
They're not burnt out on interviews. In fact, they'll probably be thrilled you want to talk to them. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by being open, honest, and passionate. Their stories are raw, immediate, and full of stakes.
The Fix: Go to your local farmer's market. Ask your favorite local cafe (not the big chain) who roasts their beans. Dig into the "Roasters" section of coffee subscription services and pick the one with the weirdest name you've never heard of. These are your people.
Lesson 7: You Are a Storyteller, Not an Interrogator
This lesson ties everything together. I went into this thinking my job was to be a journalist, to extract facts, to "get the scoop." My first articles were basically transcripts. "I asked this. They said that." They were accurate. They were also unreadably dull.
The final and most important lesson was that my job is not to be an interrogator; it's to be a storyteller. The roaster is the hero of the story. The coffee is the magic elixir. The challenges (logistics, climate change, a bad harvest, a picky customer) are the dragons they have to slay.
Your job is to take all the raw material—the data, the anecdotes, the messy, off-the-record comments, the smells, the sounds—and weave them into a narrative. A narrative that makes someone care. A story that makes them want to go out and try that coffee, not because of its cupping score, but because they feel like they know the person who poured their heart into it.
The Fix: When you sit down to write, don't just transcribe. Synthesize. Find the theme.
- Is this a story about Legacy? (A roaster who took over the family business?)
- Is this a story about Reinvention? (The lawyer who became a roaster?)
- Is this a story about Community? (The roaster who is trying to revitalize their neighborhood?)
- Is this a story about Perfectionism? (The data-nerd who is chasing the perfect roast?)
Find your theme, and then use all the facts and quotes to support that one central story. That's how you create a "Coffee Roaster Spotlight" that people will actually read and share.
My Deep-Dive: The Craft Roaster Interview Toolkit
Okay, we've covered the "why." Now for the "how." These are the practical, step-by-step phases I use for every single interview. This is the toolkit for interviewing craft roasters that I wish I'd had when I started.
Phase 1: Pre-Interview Recon (The Digital Detective)
Never, ever walk in blind. Your first question should not be "So, tell me about your company." You should already know.
- Buy Their Coffee: This is non-negotiable. Buy a bag. Brew it. Form an opinion. It's the #1 way to show you're serious.
- Read Their "About" Page: This is their official story. Your job is to find the story behind this story.
- Stalk Their Instagram: Don't just look at the pictures. Read the captions. How do they talk to their customers? What's the vibe? Are they nerdy, funny, or super-serious?
- Google Them: Have they been in other publications? You don't want to ask the same 10 questions they were asked last time. Your goal is to go deeper.
Phase 2: The Art of the Approach (Don't Be 'That Guy')
Roasters are busy. They are lifting 150lb sacks of beans and trying to run a small business. Your email is an interruption. Make it a good one.
- Be Specific: "I'm a coffee blogger..." is weak. "I run a blog called [Your Blog] focused on [Your Niche], and I was so impressed with your new anaerobic natural Colombian..." is strong.
- Show You've Done Your Homework: "I read the story about your sourcing trip to Guatemala, and I'd love to hear more about..." This proves you're not spamming.
- Make the Ask Clear: "I'd love to schedule 30-45 minutes to feature you in our 'Coffee Roaster Spotlights' series." Give a specific time estimate.
- Offer Value: "The article will, of course, link back to your shop and social media." And for the love of god, offer to buy them coffee or lunch.
Phase 3: The Question Arsenal (Beyond "What's Your Favorite Bean?")
Have your questions written down, but be prepared to abandon them completely to follow a good story. I group my questions into three "buckets."
Bucket 1: The Person (The "Why")
- "What's your first vivid coffee memory?"
- "Before you were a roaster, what did you do?"
- "What was the moment you knew you had to do this for a living?"
- "What's the biggest misconception people have about your job?"
- "Who was your first mentor in the coffee world?"
Bucket 2: The Process (The "How")
- "Can you walk me through the life of a bean, from when it arrives at your door to when it goes in a bag?"
- "Tell me about your roaster. Why this machine?"
- "How do you approach creating a roast profile for a brand new coffee?"
- "What's a 'roasting mistake' that actually turned into a happy accident?"
- "How much of your job is science vs. art? What's your take on that debate?"
Bucket 3: The Philosophy (The "What's Next")
- "You've chosen [This City] as your home. What's your relationship with the local coffee community?"
- "How do you define 'sustainability' or 'ethical sourcing' for your business?"
- "What's the most exciting trend you're seeing in the specialty coffee scene right now?"
- "What's the hardest part of running this business that has nothing to do with coffee?" (e.g., permits, HR, marketing)
- "What's the grand vision? Five years from now, what does this place look like?"
Phase 4: Post-Interview Gold Mining
The work isn't over.
- Transcribe... Selectively: Don't just get a word-for-word transcript. Listen for the best quotes. The "ums" and "ahs" are human, but you're looking for the punchlines.
- Send a Thank You: A simple email. "This was amazing, thank you for your time. I'll let you know when it's live." This is professional and builds bridges.
- Fact-Check: Did they mention a specific farm in Colombia? A chemical compound? Google it. Spell the names right. This is crucial for E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
- Find Your Narrative: As discussed in Lesson 7. Don't just list facts. Find the story.
For more great resources on coffee industry standards and the science behind it, I always recommend checking out these sites. They've been invaluable for my own education.
Infographic: The 5-Step Roaster Interview Journey
The Journey of a Great Coffee Roaster Spotlight
From first email to published story, here's the path.
Step 1: Research & Reconnaissance
Don't go in blind. Buy their coffee, read their "About" page, and stalk their social media. Understand their story before you ask for it.
Step 2: The Professional Approach
Craft a specific, personal email. Show you've done your homework. Clearly state your "ask" (e.g., "45 minutes for a feature") and offer value.
Step 3: The Interview (The Conversation)
Focus on the "why" (the person), not just the "what" (the coffee). Ask open-ended questions about their story, process, and philosophy. Be human!
Step 4: Post-Production & Synthesis
Transcribe, fact-check, and find your narrative. Your job isn't to be a court reporter; it's to be a storyteller. Find the theme of their journey.
Step 5: Publish & Promote
Write the story, add your vivid details, and hit publish. Send the roaster the link (they'll share it!) and thank them again for their time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What's the best way to contact a craft roaster for an interview?
Email is almost always best. Find the "contact" or "wholesale" email on their website. DMing on Instagram can work for very small roasters, but email is more professional and less likely to get lost. Avoid calling them on the phone; they're likely busy roasting.
How long should a coffee roaster interview be?
Ask for 45 minutes, but budget 90. The "official" interview might take 45, but the 15 minutes of setup and 30 minutes of casual chat afterward are where the best, most human stories are often found. (See Lesson 5).
What equipment do I need for interviewing craft roasters?
Roasteries are LOUD. Your smartphone's built-in mic will not be enough. At a minimum, use your phone with a cheap clip-on (lavalier) microphone. A dedicated digital audio recorder (like a Zoom H1 or Tascam) is even better. And always, always bring a physical notebook and pen.
What are some questions I should avoid asking?
Avoid "gotcha" questions like "Isn't this overpriced?" (See Lesson 4). Avoid any question you could have answered with a 5-second Google search (e.g., "Where are you located?" or "What's the name of your company?"). It just shows you didn't do your homework.
How do I get a roaster to open up?
Show genuine curiosity and vulnerability. Start with your story. ("I'm a huge coffee nerd, and the first time I had your natural process, it blew my mind..."). Ask about their firsts and their failures (See Lesson 1). People connect with shared passion and humility, not a clinical Q&A.
Should I pay the roaster for their time?
No, you shouldn't offer money. That's not journalism; that's sponsored content (which is fine, but a different thing). Your "payment" is the high-quality article you're going to write, the exposure for their brand, and the backlinks you'll provide. The least you can do is buy a bag of coffee (or three) and offer to buy them lunch.
What's the difference between a craft roaster and a commercial roaster?
It's a spectrum, but generally, "craft roasters" (part of the craft coffee movement) prioritize sourcing high-quality, single-origin beans and roasting them in smaller batches to highlight unique flavors. "Commercial roasters" (think big supermarket brands) typically roast much larger volumes, often blending beans from many locations to create a consistent, unchanging flavor profile (e.g., "dark roast") at a lower price point.
How can I find small, local roasters to interview?
Start at your local, independent multi-roaster cafe and ask the barista. Go to a farmer's market. Use Google Maps and search for "coffee roasters near me," but ignore the big chains. Look for the places with 5-star reviews and only 30-40 total reviews. That's the sweet spot (See Lesson 6).
Conclusion: Your Turn to Tell the Story
Let's be honest: interviewing craft roasters is intimidating. These are people at the top of their game, working in a hot, loud, and demanding environment. It's easy to feel like you're wasting their time. But the truth is, most of them are desperate to share their passion with someone who genuinely cares—someone who wants to hear about more than just "tasting notes."
These lessons cost me a lot of cringey moments and missed opportunities. But they taught me that a good interview isn't about asking smart questions. It's about being a good listener. It's about being human. It's about seeing the data-driven scientist, the stressed-out small business owner, and the passionate artist all wrapped up in one person.
The specialty coffee scene doesn't grow because of good beans alone. It grows because of good stories. Stories of risk, of science, of relationships, and of people who have dedicated their lives to chasing that perfect cup.
So here's your call to action. Forget the generic lists. Take these lessons, buy that bag of coffee from the tiny roastery you've been curious about, and send that email. Go ask them about their first-ever roast, the time they ruined a batch, and the story behind the coffee that changed their life. Go find the person behind the profile.
The world needs more coffee storytellers. Be one of them.
Interviewing Craft Roasters, Coffee Roaster Spotlights, craft coffee movement, specialty coffee scene, how to interview
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