Insurance for Coffee Roasters

What underwriters look at

Coffee roasting involves sustained high heat applied to a combustible product, and that combination creates a fire risk that's distinct from most food businesses. Roasting drums run at several hundred degrees for extended periods, and chaff, the papery skin that comes off beans during roasting, is highly flammable and can accumulate in ducts and around equipment if cleaning isn't kept up. A roaster fire can spread quickly and, because roasting equipment is expensive and often custom-installed, can take a facility out of production for a long stretch of time.

Burn injuries are a routine hazard for roasting staff working near hot drums, cooling trays, and exhaust systems, and repetitive exposure to hot surfaces throughout a shift adds up over time even when protective measures are in place. Roasters who also operate a retail cafe alongside their roasting operation take on the added espresso machine burn and slip-and-fall exposure typical of any coffee shop, layered on top of the roasting risk.

Coffee roasters selling wholesale to cafes, grocery stores, or online customers carry product liability exposure tied to their packaged goods, including issues like improper sealing that leads to spoilage or contamination concerns raised by a distributor. As roasters scale into wholesale and subscription models, their product reaches customers they never interact with directly, which is exactly the kind of exposure that general liability with product liability coverage is meant to address.