• AI-driven technologies and hybrid machines are among the recent innovations reshaping roasting, signalling a new age for the coffee industry.
• Modern coffee roasting equipment often incorporates sensors, software for automated control and data analysis, and Internet of Things (IoT) integration for remote monitoring and optimisation.
• Although these sophisticated features help advance our understanding of coffee quality and roast profile development, the design and engineering of modern machines have remained largely unchanged for decades.
• The next phase of roasting will be defined by companies and professionals willing to embrace genuine innovation, challenge conventional wisdom, and invest in technologies that create new possibilities rather than simply optimising existing processes.

Innovation is a hallmark of specialty coffee, driving necessary change across the supply chain. 

However, the fundamental technology behind coffee roasting has remained surprisingly stagnant. While they increasingly incorporate more advanced features, traditional drum roasters often utilise engineering principles unchanged since the early 20th century.

This technological inertia presents both challenges and opportunities for the industry. As climate change impacts growing regions, green coffee prices fluctuate wildly, and consumers demand more sustainable and innovative products, the question becomes increasingly apparent: can the coffee industry truly evolve without reimagining some of its most important tools?

The answer may lie in embracing genuine innovation rather than incremental optimisation – a shift that could define the next era of coffee roasting.

I spoke with Ioannis Papadopoulos at IRM, Konstantinos Perpinias at Mr. Bean Coffee Company, Axel Datschun at Loppokaffee, Liam Hayden at Brew-It Group, and Axel Simon at Mare Terra Coffee for their insight.

You may also like our article on why coffee quality is no longer a differentiator for roasters. 

Coffee roasting has come a long way – but there’s room for more progress

Coffee roasting is a centuries-old practice that dates back to the early days of the Ottoman Empire. 

But it was the emergence of third wave and specialty coffee in the late 1990s and early 2000s that fundamentally changed roasting technology. Manufacturers were pushed to prioritise consistency and precision as coffee professionals sought to gain a deeper understanding of the roasting process. 

Machines then became much more advanced, leveraging automation and intuitive heat transfer methods to maintain quality and highlight a coffee’s best attributes.

“In the past decade, roasting has taken on a more scientific approach,” says Konstantinos, the CEO of Mr. Bean Coffee Company, a specialty coffee roaster in Greece. “We now place greater emphasis on the parameters of roasting curves.”

To facilitate this shift, modern machines include sophisticated data collection systems, advanced sensors, and digital platforms that provide unprecedented control over the roasting process. These developments have enabled greater consistency, improved quality control, and more precise replication of roast profiles across batches.

However, despite these advances, the focus has been predominantly on optimisation rather than genuine innovation. Most commercial roasting machines continue to rely on the same fundamental engineering principles that have governed the industry for decades. Despite the introduction of fluid bed roasters in the 1970s, drum machines based on 19th-century patents remain the choice for most roasters today.

This adherence to conventional design philosophies has created limitations that may potentially hinder the coffee industry’s ability to evolve and meet contemporary challenges.

“Most machines today only decorate old mechanics with touchscreens and presets, while in reality, they take freedom away from the roaster,” says Ioannis, the owner and CEO of IRM, a leading manufacturer of roasting equipment since 1998. “We aim to give that freedom back – offering full control of air, burner, and drum, without locked curves or hidden software.”

Why innovation in roasting is critical

As specialty coffee navigates one of its most turbulent periods – marked by price volatility and unprecedented tariffs that are reshaping global trade as we know it – addressing these potential barriers to innovation becomes more crucial.

“The coffee industry cannot limit itself to only reacting when market conditions change – otherwise it will always be too late,” says Axel Simon, the Q Lab Manager at green coffee importer Mare Terra Coffee. “Coffee is going through a delicate period: climate change is reducing growing areas, green coffee prices are fluctuating wildly, and young consumers are no longer just looking to ‘drink coffee,’ but instead seeking experiences and a product with history and real value behind it.”

In turn, agility, adaptability, and flexibility become essential for roasters and other supply chain actors.

“We need to take risks that few dare to. This means not only solving the problems faced by roasters still operating machines with 1980s technology, but also creating machines that adapt to the roaster’s needs – and not the other way around, as is the case with many competing machines in the global market,” says Ioannis. “In today’s challenging global economic conditions, it’s time to face the problem and provide real solutions, which can’t come from repackaging or marketing, but only from technology and true innovation.”

To support this industry-wide push, IRM sponsored the Roasters Forum at this year’s Caffè Culture Show in London, UK, on 30 September and 1 October. The forum explored topics such as air roasting and offer real-world, actionable insights for coffee professionals to apply to their business operations.

The IRM Academy also serves as an additional resource, functioning as a comprehensive hub for coffee training and innovation while connecting professionals and facilitating knowledge sharing.

How technology will define a new era of roasting

Over the years, significant advancements have been made in roasting technology. Automation and intuitive control systems have massively improved performance. Machines have become increasingly reliable, guaranteeing precision, efficiency, and consistency across various roast profiles – helping push coffee quality to new levels.

New technologies are also fundamentally redefining the roasting experience, making operations more streamlined, efficient, and ergonomic. Given that roasting can be a repetitive job requiring intense focus and physical endurance, improving the user experience has become paramount for modern equipment manufacturers.

“One of the defining features of the ‘new era’ of roasting is reducing noise and emissions,” notes Axel Datschun, the co-founder of German specialty coffee roaster Loppokaffee. “We only use organic coffee and import it directly from our partner cooperatives. Therefore, it’s important for us to roast as eco-friendly as possible. 

“As our new roasting facility is in a library and close to offices, the IRM 30E was perfect for us because it reduces emissions and noise. Other machines wouldn’t have worked in this location.”

The company’s range of machines can also reduce operating costs by up to 50% compared to conventional machines. They also produce up to 20% less acrylamide (a chemical formed during the Maillard reaction) compared to more traditional equipment, a significant health and safety consideration for many roasters, even when proper ventilation systems are in place.

Optimising speed and performance is also key to the future of roasting. 

“IRM’s Air Technology system offers new ways of roasting by adding up to five times more air throughput, combined with a mixed geometry steady drum and variable paddle speed, to allow full convection or controlled conduction,” says Liam, the sales co-ordinator at IRM UK & Ireland and partnerships manager at equipment supplier Brew-It Group. 

“This allows roasters not only to redefine traditionally restrictive roast profiles but also to roast consistently at a speed and volume that allows for double the output of a traditional roaster with comparable capacity,” he adds. “More control over more variables offers flexibility for experienced roasters. However, the ability to capture data and let the machine replicate profiles also lends itself to autonomous roasting, allowing commercially minded roasters to focus on other tasks.”

Why AI will lead the way

Beyond energy-efficient features and automation, AI-driven technology will reshape the future of coffee roasting. 

“With the data collected through AI, we can ensure consistency in roasting,” Konstantinos explains. “For a coffee roaster managing large volumes daily, this is extremely important as it also contributes to growth through increased sales. IRM also provides excellent after-sales support; for a roaster working at an intense pace, having the support available 24/7 is invaluable.”

While automation relies on humans to make decisions and implement workflow for machines, AI (or artificial intelligence) is programmed to use information about certain repeatable tasks to improve efficiency and achieve a desired outcome.

“The introduction of IRM’s Pro AI feature, for instance, opens the door to endless possibilities,” Liam says. “While taste will always be king when it comes to roasting, the use of data and machine learning can greatly speed up the process in getting to the desired profile sought by roasters, regardless of experience.”

The company’s Kai-Zen proprietary digital platform also enables real-time data analytics and remote control capabilities, transforming how roasters interact with their equipment.

New technological integration doesn’t just solve existing problems; it creates new possibilities for roasters to experiment, innovate, and push boundaries in ways previously constrained by equipment limitations.

Although AI isn’t currently widely used in the coffee industry, machine learning could enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the various factors that impact how we roast coffee – including origin, bean density, and processing method – and create roast profiles that yield better results.

What will define the next phase of roasting?

The coffee industry requires genuine innovation to propel itself forward – not merely incremental improvements, but transformative changes that enable entirely new approaches to roasting and business development. This represents a call to action for embracing a new era of roasting technology and methodology.

“Innovating in coffee doesn’t just mean coming up with new packaging or a trendy drink, but going deeper across all levels of the supply chain,” Axel Simon says. “Technology will not only make roasting more efficient, but will also democratise excellence in quality, allowing more roasters to flourish and specialty coffee to reach a wider audience.

“The IRM3, for example, helps improve quality and productivity in a roastery,” he adds. “We decided to install it at Mare Terra Coffee Institute because its design philosophy aligns with our belief that a training centre should teach the latest innovations on the market. The machine allows us to offer students a new perspective on roasting technology, helping them to train with a comprehensive overview of the options available.”

Roasters must also adapt to changing market conditions, including high coffee prices. However, this requires more than problem-solving – it demands the creation of new products, services, and markets that transcend current limitations and encourage calculated risk-taking.

Looking ahead, AI-driven systems will facilitate this transition.

“Like all industries, AI is speeding up processes and refining practices in the coffee industry, and roasters are no exception,” Liam explains. “The potential for machine learning to accurately predict changes by quickly analysing data, and to compute and calculate the changes required as well as instantly implementing them, leads to proactive, rather than reactive, changes based on real-life data that can only be guessed by human intuition.

“The past decade has seen data-driven roasting get the best out of coffee. AI enables roasters to focus on designing the profile that will benefit their coffee the most,” he adds. “At the same time, the machine handles curve chasing and alleviates many of the frustrations that roasters encounter on a daily basis.”

Machine learning will enable roasters to refine their roast profiles and broader business operations, but fundamental equipment design also needs to evolve in tandem with these intuitive, integrated technologies. Otherwise, roasters risk being constrained by the very tools they rely on.

“We built a new foundation for roasting, not another trend or interface,” Ioannis says. “With IRM, every roaster – from 50 grams to 150kg – gets the same design and software to achieve the same results, signalling the new wave of roasting.”

The next phase of roasting will be defined by companies and professionals willing to embrace genuine innovation, challenge conventional wisdom, and invest in technologies that create new possibilities rather than merely optimising existing processes. 

As the industry faces unprecedented challenges from climate change to shifting consumer preferences, the question isn’t whether change is necessary – it’s whether the industry will lead that change or be forced to follow it.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on why price increases are different for roasters now.

Photo credits: IRM Coffee Roasting Machines

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Please note: IRM Coffee Roasting Machines is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind.

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