About Genio Roasters
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Genio Roasters is a vibrant engineering company that specializes in the design and manufacture of coffee roasting equipment. Owned and operated by Neil Maree, our roasters are built by hand for the discerning individual who values the quality of their roasted coffee above all else.
Genio Roasters understand the coffee industry by being actively involved in it world-wide. We take a personal interest in all of our customers and give them advice and assistance in building and growing their coffee roasting businesses.
Apart from coffee roasting machines, Genio Roasters also provides our customers with a wide range of services and products to complement our hand crafted machines. We put our customers in contact with the right industry connections from equipment suppliers, financing options and roaster/barista trainers to green coffee brokers and qualified service technicians world-wide.
Genio Roasters started in 2009 when Neil Maree decided to combine his electronic engineering degree with his love and passion for coffee.
Neil completed his final year by designing and building a coffee roasting machine that is still in regular use today.
Neil was a finalist in the SA National Barista Championships and used this unique experience to build Genio Roasters to the international coffee roaster company that it is today.
Delivering to no less than seventeen countries, Genio Roasters has positioned themselves as a leading coffee roasting machine supplier.
We have agents in Germany and the United Kingdom who ensure that our machines are well represented in Europe while other countries include Turkey and Taiwan.
Genio has been the main sponsor for The Coffee Magazines’s A Shot In The Dark Competition since 2018, where numerous roasters compete against each other for the title of Top Roaster of the year. In 2020, A Shot in the Dark will be open to everyone in South Africa (and around the world!).
Genio Roasters’ rapid growth has been made possible by partnering with passionate coffee professionals all over the world.
Our partnerships with unique individuals and passion to position our business as a structurally sound, community conscious and forward thinking enterprise is what drives us forward every day.
Our future plans include evolving our product to include a wider range of roasting machines, ancillary equipment and services offered.
R&D lies at the heart of Genio Roasters, having been born from an engineering environment. We continuously strive to be better and have secured a large government research grant to help with our ambitions.
The North-West University in Potchefstroom is our research partner and has helped us to expand and tailor our unique product offering to what our customers have asked for in the field. With advanced engineering experts, professors and lecturers on the team, the Coffee Roaster Environmental Research and Automation project (CREMA) is well positioned to develop several innovative new technologies for use in our coffee roasting.
Our Journey to Success
Beginning of a Dream
Genio Intelligent Roasters first started in early 2009 when Neil Maree, an Electronic and Computer Engineering student at the time, wanted to combine his passion coffee with his love for electronics.
Genio Roasters’ Inception
In 2010, Genio Intelligent Roasters was officially born. After having partnered with George Karatzas, Genio Roasters developed into a fully-fledged engineering company and is currently designing and building coffee roasting machines and related equipment for the commercial industry.
Genio’s New Factory
Genio Roasters moved into a new factory to accommodate the growing demand for their roasters.
Neil Maree featured in The Diner Magazine
Genio 6 Mezzo Range
Mezzo, from the Italian word that means half, was the first 6kg roaster range available in a variety of colours including blue, red, green, silver and black.
Expo at Viva World Coffee in Rimini
The Genio team was delighted to showoff the Genio 6 Mezzo to the world.
KykNet Dagbreek Insert
The Afrikaans morning breakfast show Dagbreek on KykNet shot an insert featuring Genio’s Owner and Design Engineer Neil Maree, discussing how the Genio journey started whilst Neil was still at university to when the company officially began in 2011, producing its first model the Genio Mezzo.
Genio First TV Commercial
Behind the scenes of Genio’s first Dagbreek TV Commercial screened on KykNet.
North-West University Video Recording
North-West University recorded a video featuring Genio’s owner & Puk Alumni student, Neil Maree, discussing the rise of Genio’s coffee roaster manufacturing in South Africa.
Visit to Mzuzu Coffee Farm in Malawi
Genio Team visited the Mzuzu Coffee Farm in Malawi as part of their research on single-origin coffee beans.
Hostex Africa 2018
Hostex is Africa’s leading hospitality, food and drink trade show. Genio Roasters were happy to participate in this international event.
Genio Roadshow
The Genio team invited guests to their tasting room for a roasting demo and cupping evening.
A Shot in the Dark Competition 2018
Genio Roasters was the proud sponsor of the first A Shot In The Dark Competition. In this competition, competitors received 6kgs of 86+ Specialty grade, direct trade Nicaraguan coffee or Speciality Grade Burundi coffee with the brief to roast this outstanding micro-lot to its best possible potential.
Coffee & Chocolate Expo
Genio Roasters saw a lot of new faces and was reunited with some old friends at the Coffee & Chocolate Expo that was held at Monte Casino, Johannesburg. Neil Maree, Genio’s founder conducted demonstrations on the Genio Precision 6 Roaster throughout the weekend giving onlookers an insight of the basics of coffee roasting.
A Shot in the Dark Competition 2019
What an honour to be once again part of The Coffee Magazine’s A Shot in the Dark Competition – South Africa’s only coffee roasting competition.
GENIO & CIRO Coffee Academy ‘Coffee Experience Theater
The Genio & CIRO Coffee Academy’s ‘Coffee Experience Theatre’ at the World Coffee and Chocolate Expo was an absolute hit with big names like Christopher Abrahams, the ‘Latte Art Experience’ with the National Latte Art Champion, demonstrating latte art for the crowds.
Hostex Africa 2020
Another packed Hostex Expo where the Genio met up with a lot of familiar faces but also a great networking opportunity for prospective business.