Genio Roasters FAQ

Roaster Operation

See some commonly asked questions about the machine's actual operation, features and functioning.

WHAT MAKES A GENIO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ROASTERS?

Our biggest selling points are our personal service and our control system. Any professional roaster manufacturer should be able to give you a pretty good roasting machine. But how you interface with the machine, how it presents the information to you, and who you can speak to if you need urgent support is definitely where Genio Roasters shines.

Our customers buy Genio because they want a Genio. They believe in us and we believe in them. We are not the cheapest. nor the most expensive. We are Genio. And that is why people buy our roasters.

WHAT IS THE MAIN HEATING METHOD?

A typical drum roaster has around 70% convection heating and 30% conduction heating. But our machines are different: Because we have so much control over the roasting process, our clients can increase or decrease the ratio between convective and conductive roasting with ease.

The basic heating method is this: fresh air is drawn over an atmospheric burner and heated before entering the back of the drum. The flame size (gas pressure), fan speed (how much air goes through the beans) and drum speed (how much beans are in contact with the hot air) is then used to control the rate of heat application throughout the roast. Smoke and chaff are sucked out of the drum and the coffee bean chaff is deposited into the chaff cyclone.

Take a look at the ProRoast videos above to see how Neil Maree used fan and drum speed settings in conjunction with our Profile Mode to roast exactly the same temperature profile, but completely different heat transfer profiles.

CAN YOU REALLY DO 200G SAMPLES UP TO 3KG?

Yes and no. You can most certainly roast 200g-1kg in the machine. It will be a fast roast at about 6-8 minutes, and you will not be able to see the precise bean temperatures during the roast (because there are not enough beans in the drum to get an actual measurement from. But you cannot recreate such small batches with accuracy. But that is not the point of a sample roast. The purpose of a sample roast is to evaluate the green beans, not the roasted beans. It is not to create the perfect espresso roast, but rather to create a light roast to cup and decide if you want to stock this coffee and develop proper profiles later on or not.

As for 1kg-3kg batches: yes, you most certainly can. Some "experts" still believe that roasters cannot be filled to over 80% of the maximum capacity. That is why we built our drums 20% larger than anyone else. Our optimum batches are not our maximum batches. You can probably roast 4kg in a 3kg roaster, but the roast will not be ideal. Our machines are designed to perform at their best at a full batch and anything below.

Shipping questions

Shipping does not have to be a big deal. See answers to your most-asked questions below

DO YOU SHIP TO MY COUNTRY?

We have a full-time logistics department that actively manages all of our international shipments. We have delivered roasters to active war zones and to remote islands. We can deliver anywhere.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ARRIVE?

Our standard lead time is 8-12 weeks from receipt of the deposit. Shipping times are more difficult to pin down. We can promise heaven and earth, but without a firm quote from our freight forwarders, we cannot give an accurate estimation online. Add your goods to the quote and complete the checkout. From there we can request accurate shipping quotes and transit times.

WHAT ABOUT DUTIES AND TAXES?

We generally leave this up to our clients to arrange the clearing and last-mile delivery of the roasters. We have found it to be prohibitively expensive to deliver the roaster door-to-door, but not impossible. Our freight forwarder will contact you on the arrival of the machine to arrange for clearing and you will be sent an invoice directly from them. We do ship duty-free to EU countries. As with all things, you will need to pay taxes.

But don't let this put you off. Our sales and logistics office will guide you every step of the way.

IS THE SHIPPING CRATE AN ADDITIONAL COST?

No! Not anymore. We have decided to include the shipping crate for free on all roasters. Bear that in mind when you compare Genio to other manufacturers :)

WHAT IS CIF, EXW ETC?

Incoterms are standardized terms used all over the world to describe shipping conditions: where and when responsibility for the shipment is handed over from the shipper to you, the consignee.

Most of our shipments are CIF: Cost, Insurance and Freight. In other words, we deliver the roaster to your nearest major seaport and our shipping cost includes insurance up to the port. From there, the freight forwarder takes over and communicates directly with you. It is really not as daunting as it sounds!

Ex Works (or EXW) simply means that the goods are made available for collection by yourself or by your own appointed freight forwarder. Genio only supplies supporting documents in this case and does not handle the actual arrangements of the shipment to you.

After Sales Support

Will we leave you stranded without a roaster? Find out below.

YOU SAID FREE WORLDWIDE COMMISSIONING! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?

Yes, we are serious. We will send one of our engineers to uncrate, install and commission (switch on and fine-tune) your roaster for you anywhere in the world. There are some conditions: You will be responsible for our technician's economy class travel and 3-star or higher accommodation and meals. This includes travel costs to and from your shop.

Our engineer will be there for however long it takes (typically 2-3 days at most) to get you roasting on your machines before they leave. BUT everything at your site needs to be pre-installed: gas, ventilation and electricity. If those are not in place upon arrival, then the engineer will return right away.

DO I NEED TRAINING BEFORE I CAN START?

We include basic training in our service. But our focus is more technical: we want the machine itself to be ok, and we want you to know how to operate it. We will of course roast some great coffees in the process, but that will not be the focus.

We suggest getting a roaster consultant (we can put you in contact with one in our network of friends and family) if you are brand new to roasting. They will really help you to feel comfortable with the machine and, more importantly, with the coffee.

WHAT IF I NEED TECHNICAL SUPPORT?

We are (almost) always on standby. Because we have clients in so many different time zones, we also need to sleep from time to time. So we like to limit our support times to the South African time zone of GMT+2:00. But this is not to say that we won't help. If you need us urgently, just say so. We always find a way to help clients even if it is 3 am or 11 pm in our time.

We do most of our technical support worldwide via email and Whatsapp. We are fully set up for this. Situations where we are required to be on-site, are exceedingly rare. And, in those cases, we work with you to find a suitable solution that fits everybody's pockets.

Coffee Roasting as a Business

Can you make money from roasting coffee? Check out our Q&A below.

CAN I GET SOME ADVICE FROM YOU?

Yes, of course! That is precisely what we sell: not products, but businesses. If our customers are successful, we also thrive. With so many installations in so many countries around the world, we know exactly what you need. And if we don't we will find out from someone who does!

DO YOU HAVE A DISTRIBUTOR IN MY COUNTRY?

Probably not. Many manufacturers out there appoint whoever their first customer in a new country is as their defacto agent/dsitributor. But this does not mean that this person knows anything about the equipment, or can provide you with any real support. The best people to look after you is ourselves. No one else in the world are as committed and invested as we are in our own products. So we would rather skip the inevitbale disappointment of finding out that the local "distributor" knows nothing about the roaster, and deal directly with you from day one.

With that said, we do have many contacts around the world including some official distributors. Once you get in contact with us, we can connect you with the best people to assist.

CAN I MAKE MONEY FROM ROASTING COFFEE?

Of course you can. Otherwise, we would probably not be in business. Over the years we have compiled a wonderful online calculator that helps you to gauge how much coffee you need to see in order to turn the profit that you need to make the business feasible for yourself. Contact us and we will gladly walk you through the calculator as if it were a mini business plan.

WHAT IF IT ALL FAILS? CAN I SELL THE ROASTER?

Yes, a roaster is an asset just like a car. But where a car loses you money, a roaster can make you money. We do have the odd used roaster for sale from time to time, but very rarely because the business could not make a profit. In most cases, it is when people upgrade to bigger machines or when the business structure changes.

We can also help you to find a new home for your Genio roaster (we do not sell other brands).

CAN I GET A DISCOUNT?

Our website is built in such a way that there are plenty of ways to get a discount. From reward points to customer referrals and bundled discounts or special offers.

One venue to explore in particular is our rewards system. If you refer someone to use, or if you share, review and promote Genio in some way, we will gladly reward your efforts in kind.

CAN I BECOME YOUR DISTRIBUTOR OR AGENT?

Sure! We do have some conditions though, and they mostly revolve around your intent. We find that roasters do not make good distributors. This is simply because their time is better spent roasting than it is selling roasters. Plus, few people will buy a roaster from their own competition. But this is not always the case and we are happy to consider any possibility of collaboration with you.

Can't find what you're looking for?

Send us an email to tell us what's up and someone from the Genio Roasters team will get back to you as soon as possible.

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