Small Roasters Were a Big Draw at the 2025 SCA Expo

Daily Coffee News photos by Howard Bryman.

Small roasters drew some of the largest crowds at the 2025 SCA Expo in Houston over the weekend.

(Read all of DCN’s 2025 Expo coverage.)

Two relatively compact machines, one from China and one from Norway, took home SCA Best New Product Awards. They were among numerous new roasters featuring electricity-derived heat, a trend that has been gaining steam for several years.

Here’s a look at some of the most intriguing new roasting equipment on display at the SCA Expo…

Roest P3000 and L100 Ultra

Following the recent launch of pre-sales for its 3-kilo-capacity production roasting machine, the P3000, Norwegian roasting equipment maker Roest took home an SCA Best New Product trophy in the commercial coffee equipment category. Read DCN’s full story on the P3000.

Roest P3000. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

Further down the bar at the bright white Roest booth, the company also revealed the L100 Ultra, a new top-of-the-line machine in its sample roaster series. The machine features hardware and software improvements to maximize speed, flexibility and connectivity.

Roest L100 Ultra. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

DCN will have more on this machine soon.

Stronghold S8X and S2

Roastronix, the official supplier of South Korean-born Stronghold electric roasters in the U.S., arrived at the Expo with its new 4.5-kilo-capacity model called the Stronghold S8X. The machine delivers the same advanced features and AI-driven technology of the 8-kilo-capacity S9X, but in a significantly smaller footprint for smaller coffee operations.

Stronghold S8X. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

Quietly perched down-booth from the S8X was the forthcoming Stronghold S2, an approximately 300-gram-capacity sample roaster that the company said is also suitable for home roasters. Available now on the Korean market, the S2 is currently undergoing certifications prior to launching in the U.S.

Stronghold S2. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

DCN will have more on both Stronghold machines soon.

Ikawa Pro50X

Two years after presenting its advanced electric Pro100X sample roaster at the 2023 SCA Expo in Portland, Oregon, UK equipment maker Ikawa returned to the U.S. with the Pro50x, a lower-capacity machine that is similarly capable of detecting first crack and automatically managing post-crack development time.

Ikawa Pro50x. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

DCN will have more on this machine soon.

Mago Maga Roma Pro Smart Home Coffee Bean Roaster

The 300-gram-capacity fluid-bed home machine called the Roma Pro Smart Home Coffee Bean Roaster by Chinese brand Mago Maga, which launched in the U.S. market earlier this year, proved popular with the crowd, winning a Best New Product Award in the People’s Choice category.

The Roma Pro roaster. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

Representatives of Mago Maga parent company Time100 Inc. said the brand is also planning to launch a new version called the Smart Roaster Pro2, beginning with a Kickstarter this summer. Read DCN’s full story on the Roma Pro roaster here.

Air-Motion Roasters

One notable exception to the “small roasters” trend among roasting equipment this year was Air-Motion Roasters, an established South Africa-based maker of commercial production fluid-bed roasting systems that recently expanded into the U.S. market. The brand currently offers 3-, 6- and 12-kilo capacities, with a 20-kilo machine and a new software system coming soon.

An Air-Motion roaster at the SCA Expo. Daily Coffee News Photo by Howard Bryman.

DCN will have more on Air-Motion soon.

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