About Us
We are Roasting Plant®
a bunch of coffee-lovers from the Lower East Side NYC who set out on a quest to create the perfect just-roasted cup.
Roasting Plant Coffee was founded by Mike Caswell in his garage with the invention of Javabot™, an in-store roasting and brewing system that automatically roasts coffee in every Roasting Plant café, and quickly brews every custom cup to order.
Mike's love and experience in coffee (from Coffee Connection in Boston to Starbucks corporate in Seattle) and his deep understanding of engineering and business process led him to develop Javabot. This state of the art system roasts in micro-batches in every store and transports beans through tubes using air or pneumatics.
Every cup is brewed to order from any bean or custom blend in less than a minute. An artisan-quality experience that coffee lovers can enjoy on their way to work or play.
With a mission to become the world’s first choice in just-roasted coffee, Roasting Plant searches countries far and wide to source only the highest grade specialty beans from the finest coffee farms, offering a choice of any bean to create your own perfect cup in less than a minute or select from a wide array of just-roasted beans available online to enjoy at home.
Roasting Plant roasts coffee to order for online sales throughout the US and UK, and operates cafes in New York, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco and London, and inside select The Fresh Market grocery stores.
The Inventor
Mike Caswell
Roasting Plant’s industrial engineer founder, and former Starbucks senior executive, dreamed of an artisan-quality experience that coffee lovers could enjoy every day on their way to work or play…not just something to be enjoyed on a weekend or when time isn’t a factor . His dream was realized through Javabot™, which made fresh roasting in every store a reality, and the ability to produce every custom cup in less than a minute. He started from humble beginnings, experimenting with his grandmother’s Electrolux vacuum cleaner…and invented Javabot™, the world’s first and only complete in-store coffee automation system.
Jamie Robertson
Jamie became CEO after selling his successful global executive recruiting firm and forming a joint venture to open Roasting Plant Coffee locations in London, where he saw an opportunity to delight his home city’s coffee faithful with something fresher and better, after coming to understand how Roasting Plant and Javabot™were changing the game. After establishing multiple, successful cafes in London’s poshest neighborhoods, Robertson was offered and accepted the role of global CEO, charged with growing the Roasting Plant café footprint and brand throughout the US, the UK and the rest of the world.
Our Coffee Expert
Genevieve Kappler
Roasting Plant’s Roast Master, grew up in Bordeaux and first found her passion in grapes, and later in coffee beans. Her experience has touched on nearly every aspect of coffee, from agronomy to processing and purchasing, from expert tasting to quality control and beyond. Gen’s coffee journey has taken her to Guatemala, Colombia, Jamaica, Africa and beyond, and her conversion to Roasting Plant devotee happened instantly upon visiting a Roasting Plant café in New York City, marveling at its fresh-roasted mission and approach through Javabot™. Gen develops every roast and drink profile for RP, meticulously calibrating Javabot™to get the most out of each specific bean and the tightly integrated, Swiss-made brewing system that brings the freshest coffee to every cup.
Thomas Hartocollis
Roasting Plant’s CMO, was enthralled and completely committed from the first moment he saw RP’s Javabot™system in action and took his first stunningly flavorful sip of just-roasted coffee. He brings his love for technology and extensive experience in marketing from IBM and Microsoft to Roasting Plant. Tom is focused on the brand’s sales and marketing efforts, joining with small roasters everywhere to herald the fabulous taste and smooth finish of freshly roasted coffee… and in the process, helped RP become the world’s first choice in just-roasted coffee.