[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":176},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides-en-GB-hiring-a-head-roaster":3},{"kind":4,"guide":5,"categorySlugs":168},"guide",{"key":6,"slug":6,"slugs":7,"category":14,"order":15,"schema":16,"title":17,"seoTitle":18,"description":19,"excerpt":20,"keywords":21,"published":29,"updated":29,"readingMinutes":30,"cover":31,"related":34,"body":59,"faq":90,"products":97,"sources":106,"paths":111,"slugMap":112,"categorySlug":167},"hiring-a-head-roaster",{"de-DE":8,"fr-FR":9,"es-ES":10,"es-419":10,"pt-BR":11,"pt-PT":11,"it-IT":12,"nl-NL":13},"chefroester-einstellen","recruter-un-chef-torrefacteur","contratar-un-jefe-de-tueste","contratar-um-mestre-de-torra","assumere-un-capo-tostatore","hoofdbrander-aannemen","scaling",82,"Article","Hiring a head roaster: the role, the skills and the handover","Hiring a Head Roaster: Role and Skills","When and how to hire a head roaster: what the role covers, skills to test, a practical roasting trial, pay, and handing over profiles.","Handing over the roaster is the hardest step for many founders. Define the role, test the skills on your machine, and hand over a documented system rather than your memory.",{"primary":22,"secondary":23,"intent":28},"hiring a head roaster",[24,25,26,27],"head roaster job description","coffee roaster job","production roaster role","roastery manager","informational","2026-10-09",6,{"figure":32,"kicker":33},"Head","Hiring",[35,43,52],{"key":36,"slug":36,"category":37,"title":38,"excerpt":39,"readingMinutes":30,"updated":29,"cover":40},"staffing-a-roastery","running","Staffing a roastery: the first hires and how to schedule them","The first hire is rarely a roaster. It is usually someone to pack, dispatch and clean so the founder can roast and sell. How to plan the roles, the hours and the legal basics.",{"figure":41,"kicker":42},"Hire #1","Staffing",{"key":44,"slug":44,"category":45,"title":46,"excerpt":47,"readingMinutes":48,"updated":29,"cover":49},"roast-profiling-for-consistency","quality","Roast profiling basics for consistency, not just flavour","A profile is a recipe that anyone trained can repeat. The business value of profiling is not one perfect batch, but the same good batch every week on any shift.",7,{"figure":50,"kicker":51},"RoR","Profiling",{"key":53,"slug":53,"category":45,"title":54,"excerpt":55,"readingMinutes":48,"updated":29,"cover":56},"coffee-roastery-qc-programme","Building a QC programme for a roastery","Quality control is a set of small, regular checks with clear rules for what happens when one fails. A programme a small roastery can run every week.",{"figure":57,"kicker":58},"QC","Quality",[60,62,64,72,74,82,84,86,88],{"p":61},"A head roaster owns the quality and the schedule: they develop and maintain profiles, run or supervise production, lead cupping and QC, and work with whoever buys the green. Hire one when the founder's time is worth more selling, buying or managing than roasting.",{"h2":63},"The role",{"ul":65},[66,67,68,69,70,71],"Developing profiles for new coffees and keeping existing ones consistent","Running production to the plan, and supervising production roasters","Leading QC: batch review, colour, production cupping, release decisions","Green coffee: sample roasting and cupping, recommendations on purchases","Equipment: the maintenance schedule, faults and servicing","Food safety: following and improving the plan and records",{"h2":73},"Testing the skills",{"checklist":75,"title":81},[76,77,78,79,80],"A paid roasting trial on your machine with your coffees, against your reference","A blind cupping triangle to test palate and calibration","A walk-through of how they would set up QC and records","Questions on safety: fires, chaff, unattended roasters, extraction","References from previous roasteries","Selection",{"h2":83},"Handover",{"p":85},"The handover goes far more smoothly when profiles, recipes, tolerances and QC rules are already documented, and roast logs hold the history of every coffee. See [roast profiling for consistency](guide:roast-profiling-for-consistency). Agree a period of side-by-side roasting and cupping, and which decisions move to the new head roaster on which date.",{"h2":87},"Pay and progression",{"p":89},"Pay varies with region, volume and responsibility. Some roasteries add a share of quality or volume targets. Whatever you choose, make the expectations written and measurable: batches within tolerance, complaints, cupping results.",[91,94],{"q":92,"a":93},"What skills does a head roaster need?","Consistent roasting, profile development, a calibrated palate, QC discipline, equipment knowledge and safety awareness, plus the ability to train others.",{"q":95,"a":96},"Should a head roaster buy the green coffee?","In many roasteries they lead on quality and recommend purchases, while the owner keeps the final say on price and volume.",[98,102],{"target":99,"label":100,"note":101},"page:factory","Shared profiles and history","A new head roaster sees every batch ever logged.",{"target":103,"label":104,"note":105},"page:sample-management","Cupping and sample records","Calibrate palates on recorded sessions.",[107],{"name":108,"title":109,"url":110},"GOV.UK","Employing staff for the first 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