Let’s get crackin’

First Crack facilities are all about inclusion and designed with ease of use in mind. Never before has the coffee ecosystem been as accessible. As our services evolve, our goal to empower coffee enthusiasts and business owners will remain the same.

To learn more about the services provided at all First Crack sites, browse the descriptions below. For more detail, please fill out a contact form, email us directly, call us at 1-314-394-0975 , or stop by one of our sites (see Locations menu above). We’re looking forward to meeting you!

First Crack sites are oriented around the educational process. From the absolute beginner just learning of coffee’s origins to the seasoned coffee veteran interested in high level accredited coursework, there’s always another step in the process, and we’re here to be your guide. We provide the following educational opportunities:

  • Bean to Brew Our basic coffee A-to-Z, we cover all topics relevant to aspiring roasters, including but not limited to production and processing at origin, the green coffee supply chain, grading and quality analysis, roasting and blending, and marketing and the consumer experience. This is an extensive 16-hour course free to First Crack customers.
  • Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) accredited coursework First Crack’s personnel double as SCA-certified instructors, providing SCA accredited classes for those wanting to deepen their knowledge via the SCA’s educational framework. First Crack customers receive discounted pricing on classes.
  • Special Guests & Lectures First Crack’s network of sites and the community they support gives each customer greater leverage and access to industry expertise than they’d have alone. Our sites regularly host experts in associated fields, including production, green supply, quality control, and café management.

If our first site taught us anything, it’s that everyone uses the First Crack platform differently. We believe this individualized approach is what allows our diverse customer community to save money and serve a better product to consumers. We help curate a personalized experience, providing the following consulting services:

  • Blend Creation That perfect blend at the right price is out there. Our experts follow a rigorous blend development protocol that… well… blends art (discussion, cupping, finished product testing) and science (software-derived roast curves, measured roast levels) to create the ideal flavor profile at the ideal price point for your customers. The service includes guidance from green coffee sourcing through finished product preparation.
  • Brand Development Your brand in your bags – a powerful proposition. The era of nameless, story-free coffee has come to a close. We work with customers to define and design their brand, expanding upon the margin available and opening more sales outlets in the process.
  • Café Operations As distributors of Proaster roasters since 2013, we’ve been in more than a thousand coffee shops. We’re here to share the experiences we’ve had along the way and the relationships we’ve made with consultants and other service providers.

Finally, the roasting! Don’t let the high-priced wholesaler fool you – everyone’s capable of mastering the art of roasting. First Crack facilities feature several sizes of Proaster roasters, machines that we’ve sold, maintained, and helped improve since 2013. Our direct relationship and collaboration with the manufacturer keeps us on the cutting edge of roaster development. We provide the following roasting services:

  • Roaster Rental Our primary service, we rent our meticulously maintained, user friendly machines by the hour or in large blocks. Rest assured, we have a machine size and price point that works for your production needs.
  • Toll Roasting If it’s a busy week or if you simply want to outsource your roasting, we are happy to roast on your behalf following pre-defined product parameters and software-guided roast curves.

While we consider Education, Consulting, and Roasting our primary functions, First Crack offers a full suite of associated services that collectively lower the barrier of entry to managing a roasting program. We coordinate green coffee sourcing and relationships within the supply chain, maintain fully functional lab space for customer usage, provide packaging solutions, and deliver finished products to customers’ shops. Basically, if it makes your life easier, we’re willing to invest in new equipment or expand services to support you!