FreshGround Roasting

321 Stevens St, Geneva, IL

Who Are We?

Coffee is about Relationships

Coffee, for most of history, has been a social bonding element. Cafes, campfires, and couches have hosted many a caffeine inspired conversation spurred on by many varieties of the world's most popular beverage.

But long before coffee gets to your cup, hardworking families battle weather, pests and other natural and man-made challenges to scrape out a living farming coffee. Their struggle hasn't always been easy.

What Happened?

Most coffee is farmed in third world countries where both farmers and laborers surviving at a barely sustainable wage. Over time the coffee industry in these areas was consolidated into larger and larger groups that cared only about growing more and more and more coffee. Often this was to the detriment of the land, the people and the quality of the bean.

In the last few years there has been a growing concern about the social and environmental issues this kind of farming has caused.There have been many efforts on the part of the coffee community to "fix" these social and environmental issues. Unfortunately, those "fixes" often resulted in simply giving underprivileged people a higher price for their product or rewarding them for helping the environment.

The Solution

FreshGround Roasting is working with importers and farmers who see the importance and benefit of building long term relationships. Some of our partners invest large portions of their profits back into the families and farms they work with. The concept of "Transformational Trading" doesn't involve a handout. It's developing a relationship with communities that want change and then providing solutions and accountability for those communities.

Where does FreshGround Come In?

Here at home, FreshGround Roasting exists for a similar reason. We believe that relationships matter. For us, coffee is a catalyst to start that conversation. We've spent years gathering with friends around a great cup of coffee just talking, building relationships and making new friends. We believe that we can truly change lives with our money by purchasing coffee from suppliers who exist to build long term, life changing relationships across the globe.

But more than that - much more than that - we exist to share
the good news about the ultimate relationship. There is only one relationship that is completely fulfilling. Only one that will never let you down. Only one that will sustain you through any challenge. That is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That's the relationship that matters most and we'd love to talk to you about it.

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