Skip navigation

Food & Tobacco Roasting, Baking, & Drying Machine Operators & Tenders

Also called: Coffee Roaster, Roaster, Roaster Operator, Machine Operator

What they do:
Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
On the job, you would:
  • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing, in order to ensure conformance to standards.
  • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples, and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, in order to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.

Knowledge

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
  • food production
  • manufacture and distribution of products
Engineering and Technology
  • mechanical

Skills

Basic Skills
  • keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • communicate by speaking
Hand and Finger Use
  • hold or move items with your hands
  • keep your arm or hand steady

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Initiative
  • Independence

Technology

Examples of the technology used in this career will be available soon.

Education

Education: (rated 2 of 5)
some high school or
high school diploma
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training

Job Outlook

Below Average Outlook
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
Salary
$27,580
per year, on average
Check out my state Local Salary Info Find Jobs

Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders.