A new professional coffee roasting equipment marketplace and service provider called Coffee Equipment Pros (shortened to CEPros by the company) made its official launch last month.
With a focus on the United States market and a physical headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, CEPros online marketplace supports its own sales of new equipment while also providing a platform connecting buyers and sellers of used production equipment.
“We saw a need in the marketplace to provide a one-stop, all-inclusive online experience that offers new ancillary roasting equipment and roasters, highly vetted used roasters and equipment, consulting, support, financing, education, and more, all in one place,” Coffee Equipment Pros Founder and CEO Rick Davis told Daily Coffee News.
While all used equipment through the marketplace is sold “as is” the company has a vetting system for newly listed equipment and after-sales accountability. Financing, technical support, maintenance, repair and shipping assistance are also available through CEPros.
New equipment sold by CEPros includes machines from Toper, Coffee Crafters, Air-Motion Roasters and Sonofresco. CEPros’ “Used Elite” program offers pre-owned equipment of numerous brands, types and capacities, including drum, fluid-bed and electric roasters, from sample roasters up to large-capacity production machines.
Sellers of “Used Elite” equipment are required to sign written agreements regarding the accuracy of their listings. CEPros encourages and facilitates inspections by buyers and/or technicians prior to purchase, and offers insured relocation services in conjunction with crating and freighting companies.
“We require the crating company to send us photos of the crating job before it is shipped, to make sure it meets our standards,” Davis told DCN. “Our track record is solid.”
Beyond roasting machines, CEPros offers related production equipment such as conveyances, destoners, loaders, afterburners, grinders, packaging equipment and more, including Hive Cold Brew Systems by TORR Industries.
The physical footprint of CEPros in Fort Worth includes offices, a showroom and a demo facility for select air and drum roasters, as well as for automated K-cup manufacturing equipment. A 4,000-square-foot warehouse facility supports the business.
“We’re channeling our focus into creating an awesome online experience and relationship-building with roasteries and manufacturers. We know the [physical] space will organically develop as it should,” Davis told DCN. “We’re thankful we’ve got the room to have [machines] in stock, which means no waiting months on end to have them custom-built and shipped. We all know how that goes.”
In addition to Davis, the CEPros team now includes Content and Marketing Director Kristi Anderson-Runge, and Manufacturer Network Manager and Logistics Coordinator Kimberly Navarro, among other staff.
Davis was an industrial equipment mechanic and technician for more than a decade before pivoting into website and video production development, where he has since combined those two sets of skills professionally, with a focus on coffee equipment.
The CEPros YouTube channel now features more than 70 promotional, equipment walk-through and demonstration videos, most of which are related to items for sale. Both physically and online, CEPros plans to continue to develop educational material.
“As we add more demo equipment to our Fort Worth facility, we’ll have more opportunities to add more education initiatives,” said Davis. “We’re currently working to produce our first virtual ‘live roast’ event for Air-Motion Roasters, and we plan to work with other manufacturers in our network on similar events. Our goal is to build a solid business based on integrity, customer service, and supplying the industry’s best roastery equipment, all in one place.”
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
Hello there. Thanks for great work.
May I know the price for the 1kg or 2.2 pound coffee sample roaster as well as the price for the 2kg or 4.4 pounds roaster.