Brooklyn Co-Roasting Company Shared Roasting Helps Coffee Shops Survive the Pandemic | Eater NY

"I've watched a co-roasting coffee facility at 43 Washington Avenue, near Flushing Avenue in Clinton Hill, become a pandemic success: Shared Roasting, launched late last year by Jeff Wong and Howard Chang, runs a 6,000-square-foot, two-story space that charges hourly roasting rates from $60 to $400 and handles machine maintenance, cleanup, and heavy lifting. Since January it has signed on more than 20 new clients—including Sunset Park’s Yemeni coffee shop Yafa, Crown Heights’ High Grade Coffee, and Bushwick’s Nguyen Coffee Supply—by offering flexible, low-barrier terms (no minimums, no registration fees, contracts that can end anytime) and expanding hours and weekend availability while enforcing social distancing. The founders emphasize education—hosting business classes on leases, accounting, roasting, and barista skills—to help small cafes scale, and clients say the facility has been critical during the pandemic: Sahra Nguyen called the support “instrumental” in allowing her to double down on roasting and grow e-commerce, while Yafa co-owner Ali Suliman reported “100 percent” better profit margins, fresher-tasting coffee, expanded delivery, and new producer relationships. Wong and Chang—who previously opened spots like Space Craft Coffee and Lantern Hall—intended Shared Roasting to upend the traditional, corporate-dominated roasting hierarchy and make the coffee business more accessible; public classes and tours have been paused during the pandemic but may resume next year." - Tanay Warerkar