Buying a coffee roaster that is efficient and fits into the aesthetic of your coffee shop or roastery can be a challenge.
Many coffee roasters come with a limited selection of colour finishes, which may restrict the overall design of your establishment. That said, painting your coffee roaster can be an exciting way to help ensure it stands out as the centrepiece of your roastery or coffee shop.
Additionally, if you give roastery tours to the public, you will want to make sure your coffee roaster always looks its best.
A clean, well-maintained roaster can help assure customers that you are running an efficient and trustworthy business, which can boost sales.
However, before painting your coffee roaster, there are important factors to consider, such as whether it is worth the cost, which paints must be used, and how to dismantle the roaster correctly. Without proper consideration, the project could have detrimental effects on the roaster.
Find out more about painting your coffee roaster correctly and how it can help benefit your business.
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Why paint a coffee roaster?
While the mechanics of a well-maintained machine will continue to deliver perfectly roasted coffee, wear and tear can be seen on the roaster’s exterior.
Furthermore, with a growing emphasis on social media marketing, having a space that accurately reflects your brand is essential.
A cohesive roastery or coffee shop will not only increase brand awareness but help generate unique interest around the coffees you offer.
If you have an open roastery, you can invite customers to view the roast process and use it as an opportunity to educate them on specialty coffee.
Additionally, if you have branding on show and a designated “Instagram picture” area, customers will associate your brand with that interactive and memorable experience.
Notably, one of the most recognised coffee roaster manufacturers has seen the potential of using a roaster as a centrepiece.
Giesen Coffee Roasters has added a service to help customers customise the colour scheme on their machines. Customers can alter the colour of the roaster, change the material of the roof and wooden handles, and add their own design or branding to the side of the machine.
Painting your coffee roaster may not only add value to the machine itself but refresh your brand identity and bring more uniformity to your product, from roasting through to packaging.
How to paint your coffee roaster
It is important to note that painting a coffee roaster will not be a simple, one-day job. It is a delicate job that must be done with care.
First, you will need to disassemble the machine and carefully clean and dry each part. This is essential, as it provides the paint with a clean surface on which to stick.
Notably, certain parts of the coffee roasters may require different types of paint. For instance, the main exterior of the roasting drum and areas in contact with high temperatures will need a paint that will not flake off after a few roasts.
Aerosol paints are widely available at hardware stores, and are often advertised to be suitable for grills, radiators, and stoves.
That said, most paint varieties will only withstand temperatures of around 150°C (302°F) before they start to break down, which may create a less-desirable finish.
Heat resistant paints are often made from a combination of inorganic pigment powder and polysilicon alkoxide. This results in a colour that can withstand temperatures between 315°C (599°F) and 400°C (752°F).
Most of this paint is available in aerosol cans, so finding a space with adequate ventilation is critical. Additionally, it is recommended that you wear a face mask, safety goggles, and overalls.
The original finish of the coffee roasters will determine how many coats of paint are needed to get the desired results.
For example, a classic cast iron material is likely to require a few coats in order to achieve a chrome-like finish.
To give the new colour more vibrancy and add another layer of protection, it is recommended to use a heat-resistant primer on all parts of the roaster.
Things to consider before painting your coffee roaster
Producing an impeccably finished custom paint job can be a challenge.
Furthermore, if the coffee roaster is not reassembled correctly, it can lead to dangerous working conditions.
To minimise this risk, it may be worth reaching out to companies with more experience in painting coffee roasters.
Contacting the manufacturer is the best place to start, as some may offer custom paint jobs when ordering a new machine.
Some companies specialise in custom paint jobs for espresso machines, and may also be well-equipped to redesign the look of your coffee roaster.
One of the major deciding factors on customising a coffee roaster will boil down to the cost of outsourcing the project.
This often means your coffee roaster will be unavailable for several days. As a result, you may have to roast twice the usual amount in order to have back stock ready for purchase while your machine is being painted.
Additionally, as with any other service, the quality of the final result will often be dictated by the price. You will have to determine the cost of adding your logo to the machine compared to a complete colour customisation job.
With cost in mind, a significant consideration needs to be how much of a return on investment one can expect from customising the design of a roast machine.
Painting a coffee roaster to match your company’s colour scheme can help bring more cohesion throughout a business. Additionally, it can help solidify brand identity and capture their attention upon entering your roastery.
That said, professionally branded takeaway cups or coffee bags may be a better long-term investment.
In addition to boosting your sustainability credentials, they add a level of professionalism and quality to your business that customers can physically hold and take away with them.
AT MTPak Coffee, our team can help you develop consistency throughout your branding.
We offer varying levels of customisation with colour schemes and company logos on a selection of different styles of coffee packaging and takeaway coffee cups.
Our range of coffee bags are made from renewable materials, including kraft paper or rice paper, that have been reinforced with multiple layers that can be easily separated and recycled.
Additionally, we can help with the design of packaging and takeaway coffee cups. We are able to custom design and digitally print coffee packaging with just a 40-hour turnaround and 24-hour shipping time.
Our range of takeaway coffee cups is customisable, and available in three different sizes: 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz. Each one is available to order as a single or double wall.
We also offer sleeves for all three sizes, which can be fully customised to showcase your brand and highlight your coffee’s characteristics.
