INTERVIEW: Cheryl Guildner, Renegade Roaster Design Group
Cheryl Guildner and her husband Boyd have owned and operated Renegade Roaster Design Group for more than 20 years. They started in San Diego (now in Flagstaff, AZ) with an idea for a better roaster based on Boyd’s experience as a coffee roaster repair man, and with integrated software. Cheryl took on sales and service.
In the beginning, Cheryl didn’t even drink coffee, but very quickly became passionate about coffee, coffee culture and the quality of the coffee coming from their roasters. She even started her own micro-roastery which she continues to run called Ponderosa Roasting.
Cheryl opened my eyes to the concept of custom-built roasting machines. I don’t know why, but I sort of assumed roasters were an off the shelf product that roasters would then modify to fit their needs.
Every coffee roaster I’ve spoken to has a very personal, almost spiritual connection to their roasting machine which I assumed that came over time as they spent hours repairing, maintaining, and oiling the various hinges (I don’t know for sure there are hinges on roasters) that kept their machines operational. In my romanticized vision, they’d use a cotton clothe to buff the machine to a glossy shine at the end of a roasting day, rest the towel over a shoulder, pick up a cup of coffee, and let out a satisfied sigh.
What I learned in this interview is that the technology of roasters has come a long way, and while the machines they build at Renegade look a lot like the vintage ones found in old advertisements they are no longer one size fits all. Nor do companies like Cheryl’s sell it and forget it. Cheryl offers roasting education classes, and they work with their clients through every step of the build dialing in the machines so by the time they are delivered they not only meet the various municipal requirements, they also make coffee to the specifications of the roaster.
Cheryl was a lot of fun to chat with, and even though it was a Monday we both had a lot of laughs. I hope you enjoy the show. If you listen on Apple Podcasts, please take a moment to rate and review Roast! West Coast. It really helps get this little show out there.
Things have been a little hectic at the Roast! HQ, but as I work through season two I’m always trying to improve it. Next week’s guest Danny Iverson of Iverson Coffee Roasters gave me a heads up on some good microphone tech that I’m installing this week. I’ve been learning some new software so Season 3 can be both a podcast and a Youtube show, and I’ve been experimenting with decaf coffee’s mixed with varying quantities of First Light Coffee Whiskey for an up-coming column.
There is so much to try, to learn and to appreciate in the world of coffee. I’m just scratching the surface right now, but Roast! West Coast is going to be around for the long haul. Thanks for growing and learning and appreciating along with me. Join the new-ish Roast! West Coast coffee group on Facebook if you want to share your own coffee adventures.
COFFEE VOCABULARY
Today’s coffee vocabulary terms were inspired by today’s episode.
• Wet Scrubber - A wet scrubber is an industrial pollution filtration system that uses water to capture pollutants, particulates and odors from an exhaust stream. Like the smoke coming out of a coffee roaster. The smoke is vented though an encapsulated container filled with water that catches the nastier parts of the smoke before being released. Check out this website for details on wet scrubbers, and the different types offered.
• Destoner - A DeStoner is exactly what it sounds like: It is a machine that processes your roasted beans to separate out the unwanted stuff before your roasted beans are bagged and ground.
When processed green coffee beans are scooped up and bagged into burlap sacks, sometimes a little ruble in the form of dirt, twigs, debris and actual small stones end up in the bags too. A destoner prevent that debris from making into your bag of coffee by separating it out.
INDUSTRY LEGACY PARTNERS UPDATE
• For a limited time you can get Barrel-Aged Neapolitan Cold Brew at both Mostra Coffee locations. Likely to be a very limited time, so hurry over!
• Coffee Cycle in Pacific Beach entire JBC coffee line-up is rated 93 or better by Coffee Review. Stop by to get one asap.
Kenya Karatina - 95 pts
Sumatra Harimau Tiger - 94 pts
Ethiopia Addis Katema - 93pts
Yemen Red Haraaz - 95 pts (very limited!)
The Roast! podcast is supported by some local coffee industry (or industry adjacent) partners. These companies not only support Roast! efforts to share more coffee content they are the foundation I lean on when I need some coffee expertise.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee
IN CLOSING
Need to get caught up? Don’t forget to listen to the last interview with Jay Ruskey, Founder, Farmer and CEO at Frinj Coffee, and you can find all of the episodes from Season 1 here.
Listen to the show on these platforms!
APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • ANCHOR.FM • GOOGLE PODCASTS • AMAZON MUSIC • THE COAST NEWS
TUNEIN RADIO • I HEART RADIO • POCKETCASTS • BREAKER • RADIO PUBLIC • OVERCAST • YOUTUBE • STITCHER
Follow @RoastWestCoast on Instagram & join the Roast! West Coast Facebook Coffee Community.
If you made it this far…and you want to support the creation of this show, consider a paid subscription…if you want. I appreciate all the support.
Roast! - Cheryl Guildner, Renegade Roasters Design Group