Free coffee shop resource
The Coffee Shop Owner's Roaster Scorecard
Choosing a roasting partner is about more than price per pound. The right partner can have a direct impact on the quality and consistency of your coffee, your customer experience, and ultimately your business.
Use this scorecard to compare potential roasting partners across coffee quality, consistency, reliability, service, capacity, customization, and overall value.
This scorecard summarizes the key questions for easy comparison. For more detail on why each question matters, what to ask, and what to look for in a potential roasting partner, download the full guide.
Score each roaster from 1–5
1 — Poor / concerning
2 — Below expectations
3 — Acceptable
4 — Very good
5 — Excellent
Coffee & Quality
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
Coffee quality in a blind tasting
Importance:
High
Consistency from roast to roast
Importance:
High
Quality and transparency of green coffee sourcing
Importance:
Medium
Ability to maintain flavor when crops or origins change
Importance:
Medium
Range of coffee, roast and decaf options
Importance:
Standard
Freshness and roast-to-delivery time
Importance:
Medium
Reliability & Capacity
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
Experience level of the roasting team
Importance:
High
Years in business
Importance:
Standard
Roasting equipment, maintenance and production reliability
Importance:
Medium
Current weekly roasting volume
Importance:
Standard
Available weekly roasting capacity
Importance:
High
Staff depth and coverage
Importance:
Medium
Roasting schedule and backup plan for disruptions
Importance:
High
Service & Partnership
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
Responsiveness and communication
Importance:
High
Current wholesale customer references and retention
Importance:
Medium
Barista training and espresso dial-in support
Importance:
Medium
Help troubleshooting coffee or extraction problems
Importance:
Medium
How mistakes, shortages or quality concerns are resolved
Importance:
High
Ordering & Delivery
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
Ordering process is simple and predictable
Importance:
Medium
Standard production lead time
Importance:
High
Shipping or local delivery process and reliability
Importance:
High
Ability to accommodate emergency orders
Importance:
Medium
Order minimums are reasonable for our business
Importance:
Medium
Brand & Customization
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
White-label or private-label options
Importance:
Medium
Does this roaster’s brand add value to your business?
Importance:
Medium
Custom blend development options
Importance:
Medium
Clear ownership and exclusivity of custom blends
Importance:
High
Packaging, labeling and custom-print capabilities
Importance:
Medium
Custom packaging minimums and setup requirements
Importance:
Standard
Business & Pricing
Question
Roaster A
Roaster B
Roaster C
Is this roaster local to your business?
Importance:
High
Pricing is competitive for the value provided
Importance:
High
Pricing structure and extra fees are transparent
Importance:
Medium
Price-change policy is clear and reasonable
Importance:
Medium
Payment terms, contracts and commitments are reasonable
Importance:
Standard
Relevant coffee certifications can be supported when needed
Importance:
Standard
Proper licensing, insurance and food-safety compliance
Importance:
High
Category score breakdown
Don't automatically choose the highest total. Investigate any score of 1 or 2 on a high-importance question—especially quality, consistency, reliability, food safety or communication.
Curious how Caffè Affine scores?
See how we answer the same questions we think every coffee shop should ask a potential roasting partner.
See our answers