Now Hiring – Quality Control Assistant 

Now Hiring: Quality Control Assistant 

Royal Coffee | Emeryville, CA | Full-Time, On-Site 

About the role 

Royal Coffee has been importing specialty green coffee since 1978. We’re independent, family-owned, and have three distinct teams in Emeryville, Oakland, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Quality Control Assistant is a vital part of how our operations run day to day. 

You’ll work directly with our Director of Quality Control and Sample Room Manager to receive, catalog, and prepare hundreds of green coffee samples that move through our lab every week. Every coffee we offer to roasters starts here. The work is hands-on, fast-paced, and genuinely matters: the accuracy of your sample tracking and the consistency of your cupping setups directly shape what our sales team can offer and what our customers ultimately buy. 

What you’ll do 

• Receive, catalog, and track incoming pre-shipment, offer, and type samples 
• Prioritize unrated samples and help coordinate the daily cupping schedule 
• Set up and break down morning and afternoon cuppings, plus additional sessions for visiting clients and purchasing projects 
• Keep the cupping lab clean, stocked, and ready to run 
• Analyze and document the physical quality characteristics of green coffee samples 
• Maintain our physical sample library and digital records in Cropster 
• Field sample availability and status questions from the Sales and Inbound Traffic teams 
• Communicate with origin partners and vendors on sample requests and logistics 
• Support the Director of Quality Control on data analysis projects and process improvements 
• Flag equipment maintenance needs and help coordinate repairs 
• Help organize internal training and education for the sales team 

What we’re looking for 

• Fluency with green coffee physical quality standards 
• Hands-on experience with Cropster or a comparable coffee QC platform 
• Solid Excel skills (pivot tables, basic formulas, clean data entry habits) 
• Strong organizational and time management instincts; you notice when something is out of place and fix it.  
• Clear written and verbal communication 
• Self-motivator; comfortable working independently and as part of a small team 
• Ability to lift and move up to 50 lbs and work an 8-hour shift with a one-hour unpaid meal break 

Nice to have 

• Q Grader certification or active progress toward it 
• Prior experience in a production cupping lab or roastery QC role 
• Spanish or Portuguese language skills 

Schedule, location, and what we offer 

• Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM 
• Our Emeryville office has a sunlit cupping lab overlooking the San Francisco Bay 
• Free on-site parking 
• Salary is commensurate with experience and Q Grader status, $24–$32/hr range  
• Medical and dental coverage 
• 401(k) with company matching 
• Paid time off and holidays 
• All the coffee you can drink  
• Hands on training  
• Opportunity to learn the inner workings of the specialty coffee trade  

How to apply 

Send a resume and a short note about why this role interests you and why you think you would succeed at Royal. Bonus if you tell us a coffee story that helps us get to know you. Please send the email to: info@royalcoffee.com. Subject line must be ‘Assistant QC Position’.