For Gina Cordoba, brewing a cup of coffee is a deeply personal experience, even before she pours the drink into her mug.
“My grandparents, they cultivated coffee, and my partner’s family, they actively cultivate coffee,” she explained.
Her upbringing in Colombia drove her to start Summit Grounds, a sustainable “farm-to-cup” coffee company bringing bright flavors to Charleston inspired by Cordoba’s family roots.
“That is one of the main reasons why we specialize in Colombian coffee, because not only do we know the regions, we are also experts at Colombian coffees in general. That allows us to get really good coffee without compromising the quality of it,” Cordoba said.
Cordoba moved to the Charleston area when she was 14 and felt at home.
“It seemed like the perfect location for me to plant new roots. Our brand is all about honoring our traditions and the memories of those people who have cultivated coffee for years.”
Back to the farm
Working directly with farmers in Colombia is central to the mission at Summit Grounds.
“Farming in general is extremely hard labor. We feel like a lot of the time, our farmers have been underappreciated,” Cordoba stated.
“People don’t realize how much work goes into producing food. Our philosophy is to generate better opportunities for farmers and educate the public in regards to where your food is coming from.”
Unlike most large-scale coffee producers, Cordoba maintains a direct line to the farmers that grow and ship coffee beans directly to Summit Grounds for roasting here in Charleston.
“The quality of the coffee when it comes from small batches and it’s carefully roasted, especially locally, is great. The coffee doesn’t have to continue to travel thousands and thousands of miles back and forth between roasters, the direct retail store and then to your house,” explained Cordoba. She added that when coffee is sourced directly from farmers instead of from an intermediary, “it’s a much shorter trip for the coffee, so it’s fresher as well.”
As a result, Summit Grounds is able to offer coffee with complex, bright flavors, qualities that have often been lost in the process with other supply chains.
Variety and accessibility
Summit Grounds offers between four and seven different varieties of single-origin coffee at any given time, all sourced from Colombia. Unlike a traditional blend, single-origin roasts offer more distinct flavors originating from a single coffee bean varietal.
Cordoba said while most of the varieties offered are native to Colombia, “some of them are going to be exotic varieties. By exotic, we mean those varieties that are not typically found in a commercial setting. They’re harder to come by. We’re importing them directly as green beans here into Charleston, [and then] we’re roasting them fresh.”
One of the exotic coffees currently available at Summit Grounds is the Wush Wush variety, a rare bean that was developed in Ethiopia, but is now cultivated in Colombia as well. Once brewed, the fruity, floral cup offers a flavor that is rare to find in the Charleston area. The smooth freshness shines as a central component of the coffee.
“[I love to see] when people try their first actually fresh coffee brewed in a really specific way, because it’s so mind blowing for them,” she said.
Where to find a cup
While Summit Grounds does not currently have a brick-and-mortar location, Cordoba said customers can look for their pop-up schedule on their website or Instagram page.
“At the moment, the only set location that we have is the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market (on Tuesdays). Other than that, we partner with local breweries. We are always open to having a good conversation over a cup of coffee. During our pop-ups, we usually give samples of the coffee that we brew,” she explained.
At the heart of it all, Cordoba believes that this approach will help people in the Charleston area learn more about what goes into a quality cup.
“We’re very open to not only teaching about coffee — the process, the sourcing — but also showing videos and stories from our farmers as well,” she said.
“The whole point of this project is to connect the consumer to the source of what they consume, and for them to be aware that there is a human being behind the brand.”
Information on Summit Grounds and pop-up dates can be found at summit-grounds.com
and on Instagram @summitgrounds.
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