Coffee roasters get break for size

Roasting small amounts of coffee just got a lot cheaper.

The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority board voted unanimously on Thursday to allow folks with coffee roasters that roast less than 10 pounds of coffee at a time to operate without an afterburner, a piece of equipment that can cost more than $5,000 to install. The new regulation mimics rules that govern roasters in Seattle.

The old rule required roasters large enough to vent outdoors to have the devices.

Small roasters still will be required to register with the authority.

The drive to change the regulation was led by Ryan Skinner, owner of FITSGO Coffee in Spokane. The air agency sent him notice earlier this year that he needed to buy an afterburner after a neighbor complained about the smell coming from his roaster. After modifying his system, he argued that his operation no longer was a nuisance to neighbors and that buying an afterburner would force him out of business.

SCAPCA currently regulates eight roasting businesses in Spokane – all have equipment too big to be exempted by the law. Ron Edgar, SCAPCA’s chief of technical services, said small-batch roasting could become more common because new roasting machines are being marketed to small businesses and individuals.

Low levels of toxic gases are released while roasting coffee, but the bigger problem is that roasters can release scents that bug neighbors, Edgar said. The new regulation will allow SCAPCA to require an afterburner if neighbors complain and the business can’t find other solutions to the problem.