RoasterLink Launches to Match Coffee Roasters with Wholesale Buyers

A new service called RoasterLink has been launched to connect coffee roasters with wholesale buyers. The platform aims to simplify the process of finding compatible partners for both roasters and businesses that purchase coffee wholesale.

The Growing Challenge of Finding the Right Partner

The global count of coffee roasters has risen sharply. New roasters appear frequently, and cafes increasingly announce their own roasting operations. Technological progress and easy access to information have made it easier for people to start roasting and build coffee brands. However, this proliferation makes it more difficult for wholesale-focused roasters to stand out and attract new clients. They now compete not only with other wholesale roasters but also with cafes that use new tools and small-scale machines to source and roast their own beans.

For cafes, restaurants, and other wholesale buyers, identifying a suitable roaster partner is equally challenging. The pool of potential roasters is complex to navigate, and distinguishing between different wholesale programs can be difficult. Determining which roasting program best suits a business often feels arbitrary and confusing without extensive research and decision-making.

These difficulties create inefficiencies on both sides. Coffee shop operators and roasters represent the two largest segments of the audience and community, so this was a problem worth solving. RoasterLink was developed as a first-of-its-kind roasting matchmaking platform to connect wholesalers with potential partners, making the process of finding and linking up with roasters efficient, less time-consuming, and even enjoyable.

How RoasterLink Connects Buyers and Roasters

Roasters begin by completing a detailed profile that provides the matching team with extensive information about their products and services, the types of businesses they work best with, the equipment and supplies they can offer, and the unique aspects of their business and wholesale program.

The RoasterLink program has allowed us to increase the quality and frequency of our inbound leads by efficiently matching our company with buyers that may not have otherwise discovered us.

Johanna Hirshboeck, huckleberry roasters

Buyers complete a similar profile that outlines their product and service needs, the support they seek from a roaster, their location, expected volume, and other details.

The matching team then compares buyer profiles with roaster profiles to find alignments that suit both parties' offerings and requirements. This hands-on approach draws on the team's experience in cafe leadership and wholesale sales roles. Typically, three to five roasters are matched to each buyer.

Matching buyer and roaster profiles is more art than science, and RoasterLink prioritizes the traits that matter most to its users. For instance, a buyer might specify that a local roaster is essential while also wanting to partner with a woman-owned supplier. The tool is designed to present options that meet both criteria—perhaps a few nearby matches and a few women-led ones.

Pilot Program Results

Earlier this year, a pilot program was run with a small group of roasters to test the matching process. Over an eight-week period, nearly sixty active buyers were generated and more than 200 matches with roasters were made.

Roasting partners were asked about their sales experience, and the results were impressive. The pilot roasters project to generate $55,500 in annual value from their matches, with additional value likely as more buyers from the pilot round select their partners and become new clients.

Our pilot roasters project to generate $55,500 in annual value from their matches, with additional value likely to come as more buyers from the pilot round pick their partners and become new clients.

"The RoasterLink program has allowed us to increase the quality and frequency of our inbound leads by efficiently matching our company with buyers that may not have otherwise discovered us," says Johanna Hirshboeck of Huckleberry Roasters in Denver, Colorado. "I can’t think of another service out there that focuses specifically on connecting roasters with new businesses in need of coffee, and we are excited to continue using it to help fuel our growth!"

Alli Beall of Texas Coffee Traders in Austin, Texas, shared a similar view: "RoasterLink has filled a need that we didn’t even know we were missing until we started working with them! The staff has been so helpful and friendly, and the leads are shared efficiently and in a timely manner. We are really excited about the growth this opportunity has afforded us, and this has even opened our eyes to potential new revenue streams!"

Buyers also found RoasterLink valuable. One retailer in Texas described the experience as "too good to be true." Other buyers noted that the matching process saved time and reduced the need for hours of research to find good partners. A new cafe owner in Rawlins, Wyoming, said that even though they were matched with multiple great roasters and struggled to choose, RoasterLink "was incredibly helpful!"

The service aims to facilitate efficient connections and to grow into a program that adds significant value to the industry.

Businesses interested in being matched with wholesale roasters can sign up for RoasterLink. Roasters who wish to join the partner network can also apply.