Farm Highlight: Finca Medina

This is the first blog in a series highlighting some of the coffee producers whose amazing coffee is featured on our shelves.

At 8th & Roast, we're working to create long-term ethical and fair partnerships with coffee producers around the world. When we aren't able to work directly with farmers, we rely on a select few green coffee importers to help us bring amazing coffees into the country and onto our shelves.

One of these special coffees is from Finca Medina (finca is the Spanish word for farm) in Antigua, Guatemala. The farm, which sits in the shadows of several volcanoes at nearly 4600 feet above sea level, has been producing coffee since 1842.

The Finca Medina staff employ modern processing and quality control technology to ensure the best cup possible across every lot of coffee they produce. We're thankful to partner with Balzac Brothers, an importer of sustainable specialty coffee in Charleston, South Carolina, to bring this intensely fruit-forward coffee to you each year!

In addition to their amazing coffee, we love Finca Medina's commitment to the welfare of their staff, which includes 30 full-time employees and grows by 200 during the harvest season. Their social responsibility programs fund education, healthcare, community service projects, and community housing.

Focus on Education

Finca Medina awards educational scholarships to students in their community, which includes purchasing necessary school supplies and covering tuition fees for the children.

Environmental Stewardship

Every waste product that comes from processing is recovered and sent to a specific area where it is turned into usable compost. The wastes and other byproducts are used as organic fertilizer for the farm's coffee shrubs.