Tell us about your company?
AS CoffeeConsultants is now two and a half years old and offers coffee consulting projects worldwide.
We sell a premium brand of German roasters manufactured by Kirsch und Mausser (K+M) which is the engineering arm of Probat. Additionally, this year the company has established an alliance with IMA for Australia and New Zealand. They are manufacturing basically roasting plants from scratch, inventor of capsule packing and famous for their technology in this field. The famous Italian Petroncini roasters are another strong brand belonging to IMA.
Tell us about your role?
AS CoffeeConsultants is currently a one-man show however I am eminently well qualified to offer technical and practical support from a roaster’s perspective.
I can see roasting companies which are currently really using the K+M roasters as a roasting instrument. Even the most versatile roasting curves can be completed.
With my 25 years experience in the coffee industry, I have acquired the skills necessary to improve any speciality coffee facility from green bean analysis and systems to profiling roasters and getting the best flavours from the equipment they have.
What I offer is to be able to walk into a roasting environment of any size and the ability to discover any issues and streamline productivity to improve quality and reduce costs. I can help you find that flavour your customers are seeking.
With my experience, I can encourage you to learn new ideas and adopt modern techniques in order to position your company successfully both in today’s market and in the future.
Trust our management and product expertise and we guarantee that if you comply with our suggestions and advice, you will find that flavour your customers demand.
What is the best part of your job?
There are so many aspects of the job that I love, principally:
1. Working with other dedicated coffee professionals in the background and sharing projects with them for superior service.
2. The satisfaction of seeing my customers roasting on their Kirsch und Mausser UGs and GGs. Normally their reaction after only a couple of month roasting is “these burners are so powerful!”
3. The satisfaction which comes from selling coffee roasters that produce a clean flavour development.
4. Enjoying coffee from K+M roasting instruments! I do it every day for my private and office consumption.
What is the biggest challenge your business faces?
Complaints from customers about the business environment. Once one has roasted on Kirsch und Mausser equipment, the turnover of ones roasting business will increase. In New Zealand, for example, the population is growing and with it the consumption of coffee. Be patient and prepared!
What is your favourite part of the industry?
The enjoyment of farm coffee, a single coffee variety in one type of process. The whole chain has to be perfect, from plant to final sip.
What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry since your company has been operating?
The expansion of the coffee industry in Australasia. Australia and New Zealand, in particular, are coffee paradise as you get the best flat whites in the world. This is in contrast to Spain and Portugal where you have to be brave and with a full stomach to drink “café con leche”.
What change would you like to see?
I would love to see roasters invest more in their coffee roaster and roasting plants, as I still see that many processes could be more automated. Personally, I believe that the four fundamentals for a successful roasting business are:
1. Clean Green coffee
2. Good and well-maintained roasting equipment
3. Friendly and good Staff
4. Consistency of the roasted product.
What would be your dream ‘coffee experience’?
Visting Qindao and having an Aeropress with James Craig at Vanilla coffee.
Name two coffee legends you would want to have coffee with and why? What would you drink?
The coffee industry is full of legends. Travelling worldwide to coffee events, I am impressed always with levels of professionalism and expertise encountered when meeting familiar faces. During these chance encounters, I do my best to taste a coffee roasted on Probat Retro K+M roaster.
Anything else you’d like to add:
Please contact me for any assistance on purchasing a coffee roaster or any other investment in your coffee roasting facility. It is commonly believed that a Probat retro roaster is in the higher price bracket. They are NOT and they will run for a lifetime!
Contact Alexander on: alexanderscholtz@yahoo.com
