Coffee Roasting Assistant

Career Guide

A Coffee Roasting Assistant supports the roasting team by preparing green coffee, operating and cleaning equipment, tracking roast data, packaging roasted coffee, and helping maintain quality and safety standards. The role is hands-on, detail-focused, and often serves as a starting point toward becoming a Coffee Roaster.

Key Responsibilities

Receive and store green coffee safely
Prepare green coffee batches by weight and lot
Stage production materials and packaging supplies
Support roast setup and shutdown procedures
Monitor basic roast variables under supervision
Record roast data accurately
Move roasted coffee to cooling and resting areas
Grind and prepare samples for tasting sessions
Package and label finished coffee to specification
Perform cleaning tasks for roasters and related equipment
Follow food safety and workplace safety procedures
Assist with inventory counts and stock rotation
Report equipment issues and production delays to the lead roaster

Top Skills for Success

Attention to Detail

Time Management

Clear Communication

Teamwork

Reliability

Basic Math

Food Safety

Quality Control

Inventory Handling

Roasting Workflow Knowledge

Roast Data Logging

Equipment Cleaning

Packaging Accuracy

Safe Lifting

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Coffee Roaster

Quality Control Technician

Production Lead

Packaging Lead

Warehouse Associate

Transition Opportunities

Head Roaster

Production Manager

Quality Manager

Green Coffee Buyer

Operations Coordinator

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Roast Profile UnderstandingSensory EvaluationRoast Defect IdentificationPreventive MaintenanceBatch TraceabilityProduction Planning

Development SuggestionsBuild comfort with consistent data recording, learn basic roasting concepts from the lead roaster, join tasting sessions regularly, and request supervised time on the roaster to connect process changes to flavor outcomes.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUS $15 to $19 per hour

Mid LevelUS $19 to $24 per hour

Senior LevelUS $24 to $30 per hour

Growth Trend

Steady demand in specialty coffee markets, with hiring tied to local café and roastery growth. Roles are more common in cities with strong coffee culture and wholesale roasting operations.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

StarbucksPeet's CoffeeBlue Bottle CoffeeIntelligentsia CoffeeStumptown Coffee RoastersCounter Culture CoffeePhilz CoffeeLa Colombe Coffee Roasters

Industry Sectors

Specialty coffee roastersWholesale coffee suppliersCafé groups with in-house roastingFood and beverage manufacturingE-commerce coffee brandsGrocery private label coffee producers

Recommended Next Steps

Learn and follow the roastery safety and food handling standards

Practice accurate weighing, labeling, and batch tracking

Ask to shadow roast day setup and end of day cleaning

Attend tasting sessions to build sensory vocabulary and consistency

Track a personal log of roast outcomes and observations

Volunteer for inventory counts to learn coffee lots and stock flow

Request feedback every two weeks on speed, accuracy, and quality