The Curve

Welcome to The Curve

CEPros is the storytelling, news, and education hub of Coffee Equipment Pros.

Roasting is a precise interplay of heat and airflow, each stage captured as data points that form a curve—and ultimately guide us toward a consistent, ideal flavor profile.

Our coverage reflects that same curve. We explore the full landscape of roasting life: equipment features, technique, business strategy, marketing, bean origins, café and roastery culture, industry trends, and CEPros updates.

Enjoy our current lineup of articles.
    A Bigger Roaster Won’t Bag The Coffee
    • Nov 11, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    A Bigger Roaster Won’t Bag The Coffee

    A bigger roaster can shorten roasting time, but what happens next? Rick explains how to spot the bottlenecks in packaging, coffee handling, and layout—so your next equipment investment helps you fill growing orders without simply moving the extra work somewhere else.

    What Do You Need Your Roaster To Give You Back?
    • Nov 4, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    What Do You Need Your Roaster To Give You Back?

    More capacity should mean more than squeezing in another batch. Drawing on his involvement with over 1,600 coffee roasters, Rick explains how examining your production week can reveal what needs to change—and help you start a more useful equipment conversation with CEPros.

    What I Want To Know Before I Recommend A Roaster
    • Oct 23, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    What I Want To Know Before I Recommend A Roaster

    The story behind a used coffee roaster can tell you more than its specifications. Rick shares what to ask about production, maintenance, and why a machine is for sale—and how those conversations help CEPros guide you toward equipment that fits your business.

    Air-Motion Roasters Wins Best Product Award at CoffeeFest Dallas–Fort Worth
    • Oct 21, 2026
    • Kristi Runge
    Air-Motion Roasters Wins Best Product Award at CoffeeFest Dallas–Fort Worth

    First-time Coffee Fest exhibitor Air-Motion Roasters earns judged Best Product Award and is the only coffee roaster among the category’s four 2026 Best Product winners.  

    The Coffee Industry Is Smaller Than People Think
    • Aug 26, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    The Coffee Industry Is Smaller Than People Think

    Rick considers how small and interconnected the coffee industry really is, sharing how relationships with buyers and sellers continue for years beyond a single transaction. He explains how early equipment decisions evolve into long-term partnerships as roasters scale, and why those ongoing conversations matter more than individual sales.

    Why “Because Roasters Need to Roast” Is the Whole Point
    • Aug 19, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    Why “Because Roasters Need to Roast” Is the Whole Point

    Rick traces why “Because roasters need to roast” became the foundation of CEPros. He gets into how equipment issues slowly erode the joy of roasting and why the company’s focus is on removing friction so roasters can stay connected to their craft instead of constantly fighting their systems.

    The Fastest Way to Lose Trust is Through Surprises
    • Aug 12, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    The Fastest Way to Lose Trust is Through Surprises

    Rick points out that most issues in coffee equipment transactions don’t stem from bad intent but from unclear expectations. In this “Rick’s Roastery Notes” entry, he breaks down how clarity, communication, and ownership across buyers, sellers, and logistics partners ultimately determine whether deals run smoothly or fall apart.

    CEPros Wasn’t Named For Branding. It Was Named For Reality.
    • Aug 5, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    CEPros Wasn’t Named For Branding. It Was Named For Reality.

    CEPros exists because roastery problems are rarely about machines. They’re about systems, timing, and the hidden gaps that show up when demand starts moving faster than the setup underneath it.

    Our Showroom Is Not A Display. It’s A Working System.
    • Aug 5, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    Our Showroom Is Not A Display. It’s A Working System.

    Rick explains why CEPros built a working showroom in Austin instead of a traditional display space. The article addresses how real roastery systems behave differently when equipment is connected and running together, and how that hands-on experience helps operators see fit, flow, and bottlenecks before making major equipment decisions.

    The Equipment Should Fit the Business. Not the Other Way Around.
    • Jul 29, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    The Equipment Should Fit the Business. Not the Other Way Around.

    Roastery problems often start with equipment that no longer fits the business. Rick explains how better planning, realistic capacity decisions, and smart automation can reduce bottlenecks, labor, and late nights—while helping roasters build a smoother operation that leaves room to grow.

    The First Thing I Do Before Listing Any Used Coffee Roaster or Roastery Equipment
    • Jul 15, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    The First Thing I Do Before Listing Any Used Coffee Roaster or Roastery Equipment

    Used equipment doesn’t sell on specs alone. It sells on story, context, and trust. After 1,600+ roaster deals, Rick has learned that buyers aren’t just buying machines. They’re buying confidence in what that machine has lived through.

    What Actually Makes CEPros Different?
    • Jul 8, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    What Actually Makes CEPros Different?

    Rick shares why Coffee Equipment Pros exists, tracing it back to years in the coffee equipment world where he saw the same pattern repeat: complexity, misalignment, and broken follow-through. CEPros was built to simplify the process, focus on clarity and trust, and support roasters beyond the transaction. At its core, it’s about helping people build roasteries that actually work in real life.

    How I Ended Up Building a Business in Coffee Equipment
    • Jun 24, 2026
    • Rick Davis
    How I Ended Up Building a Business in Coffee Equipment

    Rick describes how his path into coffee equipment began in heavy industrial mechanics long before CEPros existed. The piece traces how working with large-scale systems shaped his understanding of reliability, operations, and why he eventually built Coffee Equipment Pros around real-world roastery needs rather than traditional sales models.

    Coffee Equipment Pros Opens Fully Electric Roastery Showroom in Texas Hill Country
    • Jun 8, 2026
    • Kristi Runge
    Coffee Equipment Pros Opens Fully Electric Roastery Showroom in Texas Hill Country

    Coffee Equipment Pros has opened a new 2,100-square-foot roastery showroom and headquarters in Spicewood, Texas, featuring a fully electric "Roastery of the Future." The facility offers hands-on and virtual equipment demonstrations, showcasing end-to-end roasting, packaging, and post-roast solutions for commercial coffee businesses.

    Art's Coffee Roasters used coffee roasters
    • Apr 23, 2026
    • Kristi Runge
    CEPros Project: Art's Coffee Roasters

    When a rare, like-new Diedrich IR-12 became available, Art’s Coffee Roasters knew they had found something special—even if their new facility wasn’t quite ready. This CEPros Project follows the journey from sourcing and storage to customization and final delivery, highlighting how the right partnership can turn a time-sensitive opportunity into a seamless success.

    Beyond Basic: Key Features to Demand in Coffee Roasting Equipment for Sale
    • Mar 9, 2026
    • Kristi Runge
    Beyond Basic: Key Features to Demand in Coffee Roasting Equipment for Sale

    A strategic buyer’s checklist outlining essential features in coffee roasting equipment for sale, helping professionals evaluate scalability, precision, efficiency, and long-term performance in commercial roasting systems.