Idaho-based coffee roasting equipment manufacturer Coffee Crafters recently rolled out the Valenta 15 fluid-bed roaster, the second and largest machine in its new Valenta machine line.
Priced at $17,500, the 15-kilo-capacity Valenta 15 (a.k.a. the V15) offers approximately double the capacity of the Valenta 7 (V7), which launched at the SCA Expo event in Portland last year.
The V15 shares many of the physical and performance-related traits of its predecessor, including the new roast chamber design differentiates the Valenta machines from previous models sold by the company since its founding in 2012.
“This new design creates a vortex of air that keeps the bean mass engaged with the heated roast air before evacuating the roast chamber,” Coffee Crafters Founder and Head Designer Ken Lathrop told Daily Coffee News. “[It offers] much more efficient heat transfer than a conical hopper.”
To keep users and facilities cool during extended use, Coffee Crafters applied extra insulation to the V15. Additionally, the Hermetheus Roaster Co-Pilot automation system that was offered as an option for V7 buyers comes standard on the larger model.
“Hermetheus is a separate company but [Hermetheus Coffee Founder Jason Scott] has become an integral part of our development team,” Lathrop said. “We have some cool new projects in the works. 2024 is going to be an exciting year.”
One of the changes coming to Coffee Crafters this year is Lathrop’s planned transition away from certain CEO duties for the Post Falls-based company, which brought all manufacturing in-house in 2021.
“In my new role, I will be working exclusively with Jason and our engineer Chris Hammock in developing new products,” said Lathrop. “In the past two years, we have become really efficient at bringing a new concept to fruition. We can think up a new design feature and be testing it in just a few days. Having our own manufacturing equipment makes this all possible, and I can’t imagine operating without it.”
A new electrical package to accommodate a 3-phase 208V electrical supply is slated to roll out this summer as an option for the V15, which is currently only available in single-phase 240V. An upgraded ducting kit is also in the works.
Coffee Crafters will be displaying both the Valenta 7 and Valenta 15 at booth #2648 at the SCA Expo in Chicago next month.
Keep up with DCN’s complete 2024 Expo coverage here.
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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.
