[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":193},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guides-en-GB-staffing-a-roastery":3},{"kind":4,"guide":5,"categorySlugs":185},"guide",{"key":6,"slug":6,"slugs":7,"category":16,"order":17,"schema":18,"title":19,"seoTitle":20,"description":21,"excerpt":22,"keywords":23,"published":31,"updated":31,"readingMinutes":32,"cover":33,"related":36,"body":61,"faq":100,"products":107,"sources":116,"paths":128,"slugMap":129,"categorySlug":184},"staffing-a-roastery",{"de-DE":8,"fr-FR":9,"es-ES":10,"es-419":11,"pt-BR":12,"pt-PT":13,"it-IT":14,"nl-NL":15},"personal-in-der-kaffeeroesterei","recruter-dans-une-torrefaction","personal-de-un-tostadero","personal-de-una-tostaduria","equipe-de-uma-torrefacao","equipa-de-uma-torrefacao","personale-di-una-torrefazione","personeel-in-een-koffiebranderij","running",14,"Article","Staffing a roastery: the first hires and how to schedule them","Staffing a Coffee Roastery: First Hires","When a coffee roastery needs staff, which roles come first, training and safety duties, registering as an employer and scheduling around roast days.","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.",{"primary":24,"secondary":25,"intent":30},"staffing a coffee roastery",[26,27,28,29],"hiring coffee roaster staff","roastery packer job","coffee roastery roles","first employee coffee business","informational","2026-10-09",6,{"figure":34,"kicker":35},"Hire #1","Staffing",[37,45,53],{"key":38,"slug":38,"category":39,"title":40,"excerpt":41,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":31,"cover":42},"hiring-a-head-roaster","scaling","Hiring a head roaster: the role, the skills and the handover","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.",{"figure":43,"kicker":44},"Head","Hiring",{"key":46,"slug":46,"category":16,"title":47,"excerpt":48,"readingMinutes":49,"updated":31,"cover":50},"roastery-production-planning","Production planning: from orders to a roast list","A roast plan answers four questions: what is ordered, what is already roasted, how much green that needs after roast loss, and how many batches fit the week. The method, step by step.",7,{"figure":51,"kicker":52},"Plan","Production",{"key":54,"slug":54,"category":55,"title":56,"excerpt":57,"readingMinutes":32,"updated":31,"cover":58},"insurance-for-coffee-roasters","starting","Insurance for a coffee roastery: what you need and why","One policy is compulsory as soon as you employ anyone; the rest are what your landlord, lender and wholesale customers will ask for. What each covers, and the roastery-specific questions insurers ask.",{"figure":59,"kicker":60},"£5m","Insurance",[62,64,66,72,74,76,78,88,90,96,98],{"p":63},"In a small roastery the founder roasts, sells, packs, delivers and does the books. Growth usually stalls on packing and dispatch time, not roasting time. Hiring in the right order frees the founder for the work only they can do.",{"h2":65},"A typical order of hires",{"ol":67},[68,69,70,71],"**Packing and dispatch, part-time.** Weighing, sealing, labelling, boxing, couriers, cleaning. Easy to train, immediately frees hours.","**Production assistant who can roast to profile.** Once profiles are recorded and repeatable, a trained assistant can run production batches while you develop and sell. See [roast profiling for consistency](guide:roast-profiling-for-consistency).","**Wholesale account manager or sales lead.** Cafe visits, training baristas, chasing reorders.","**Head roaster or production manager.** When you need someone to own quality and the schedule. See [hiring a head roaster](guide:hiring-a-head-roaster).",{"h2":73},"Plan hours from kilos",{"p":75},"Time your own week: minutes per batch roasted, minutes per bag packed by size, minutes per order dispatched. Multiply by forecast volume and you have hours per role per week. This keeps hiring tied to sales rather than to how tired you feel.",{"h2":77},"Legal basics when you employ",{"checklist":79,"title":87},[80,81,82,83,84,85,86],"Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday and run payroll through PAYE","Check the right to work in the UK before employment starts","Employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million","A written statement of employment particulars from day one","Workplace pension auto-enrolment where the employee is eligible","Pay at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for their age","Health and safety: risk assessments, and if you have five or more employees, written down","Before the first shift",{"h2":89},"Training a roastery needs",{"ul":91},[92,93,94,95],"Food hygiene appropriate to the role, and your own food safety plan","Roaster safety: never leaving a hot roaster unattended, chaff and fire procedures, extinguisher use","Manual handling for 60 kg to 70 kg green coffee sacks; use a sack truck and team lifts","Dust and fume awareness: the Health and Safety Executive has warned that diacetyl vapour, a by-product of roasting and grinding, can cause serious lung disease, so extraction and good practice matter. See [extraction and ventilation](guide:roastery-extraction-and-ventilation).",{"h2":97},"Scheduling around roast days",{"p":99},"Roast early in the week for wholesale deliveries, leave cooling and degassing time, then pack and dispatch. A predictable rhythm (roast, rest, pack, ship) lets part-time staff plan their week and keeps freshness consistent. See [batch scheduling](guide:batch-scheduling-for-roasters).",[101,104],{"q":102,"a":103},"When should a coffee roastery hire its first employee?","When packing, dispatch and admin stop the founder from roasting and selling. Time your week first; the numbers usually point to a part-time packer.",{"q":105,"a":106},"Do roastery staff need food hygiene training?","Food handlers must be supervised and trained in food hygiene in a way that matches their work. Many businesses use an accredited Level 2 course.",[108,112],{"target":109,"label":110,"note":111},"page:roasting","Roast schedule for the team","Everyone sees what to roast and pack today.",{"target":113,"label":114,"note":115},"page:factory","Profiles assistants can follow","Reference curves on screen while a trained assistant roasts.",[117,121,125],{"name":118,"title":119,"url":120},"GOV.UK","Employing staff for the first time","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Femploying-staff",{"name":122,"title":123,"url":124},"Health and Safety Executive","Exposure to diacetyl vapour in food and drink manufacture","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.hse.gov.uk\u002Fsafetybulletins\u002Fdiacetyl-vapour-exposure.htm",{"name":118,"title":126,"url":127},"National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage 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