This month we have the pleasure of introducing you to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters from sunny San Diego, CA. While they are located in San Diego, their roastery is located in a small community nicknamed Bird Rock due to a rock offshore that resembles a bird. We first heard about Bird Rock when they initiated a recent anti-racism campaign. During this time, they conducted training seminars for their team leaders, management team, and staff with the goal of educating their employees about diversity, equality, and inclusion. They selected a weekend where all Bird Rock profits were donated to Blue Heart Foundation of San Diego, a non-profit that works with underserved youth in the area. Finally, they created a new coffee blend called Empowerment which will raise funds during Black History Month for a rotating selection on non-profits.

Bird Rock takes pride in how it imports coffee. The majority of the coffee they sell is direct trade. They usually buy coffee at 100%-200% more than the Fair Trade prices. Their direct trade process means that they are able to bring exclusive coffees to their customers while also providing reliable and increase income to their farmers.

Their coffee has received many awards over the years. They were given the coveted once-in-a-lifetime Roaster of the Year award given out Roast Magazine in 2012. Their coffees consistently obtain higher than 90 scores from Coffee Review, much in part to the fact that they have a Q-Grader certified roaster on site. In 2017 they won a Good Food Award.

Not only does Bird Rock love to give back to their producers, but they are also involved in almost every community event in the Bird Rock area. They love to use their cafes to showcase local talent and art, with local artists often hanging pictures at their cafes and many acoustic and open mic events for the community.