Astrid Medina: A Legacy in Excellence
“Specialty coffee changed my life and that of my family for the better. It allowed us to improve infrastructure, improve the salaries of our workers, and gave us the opportunity to travel abroad, encounter new cultures, to meet with the people who had come to visit us on our farm. Coffee really unites people.” – Astrid Medina
Meet Astrid at our New Harvest cupping on April 12th, 2019! Register for our Boston cupping here.
Astrid Medina is a woman who does it all. From nurturing her family to producing incredible coffee, she’s always striving for excellence. So much so, in fact, that when she won the Cup of Excellence competition in 2015 she scored a phenomenal 90.2 points.
The win in 2015 took her from anonymity and introduced her farm, Buena Vista, to the world of specialty coffee. A surge of curious coffee explorers took note, and there was an influx of interest in her production. In turn, the impact on the Colombian coffee industry was tremendous. Across the region, coffee producers improved their conditions, invested more in their farms and improved salaries for their workers.
A third-generation coffee producer, she has faced her share of challenges. At age 29, her father was killed by the guerrilla, leaving behind the farm to her and her three siblings. She took the reins, and now owns the farm along with her husband and youngest sister. Coffee producing also has its demands. Physically, the work must be done by hand. And then there are the everyday struggles: price, climate, ensuring quality, the list goes on.
To Astrid, however, it is a “passion and an art”- with a deep learning curve on implementing new ideas to improve production quality. It is also a family endeavour. Each member has a role to play and the rewards have been significant: her oldest daughter has been able to study in Bogota thanks to the farm’s success. Her young son has decided to stick with the coffee industry, however, he has a different take. His plans are to become a barista. And it would be remiss not to mention her husband, Raul, who is every bit as involved as she is in daily operations. Together, the two have built a solid network within specialty coffee in addition to cultivating a thriving farm.
You could say, the family that farms together stays together. Or that Astrid Medina is responsible for a true shift in the Colombian coffee market. Or that she is breaking down barriers in the industry as a woman leading by example. Whatever you say, it’s no surprise that we have continued our partnership with her and we will continue to return for Bueno Vista not only for the product but the person.
Meet Astrid at our New Harvest cupping on April 12th, 2019! Register for our Boston cupping here.
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