Choosing organic coffee helps you, the environment, and coffee farmers

 

The trend to organic coffee

Although organic coffee is still a minor percentage of all of the coffee consumed in the United States, nevertheless organic coffee is the fastest growing segment of the overall coffee market. Along with this rapidly growing trend is the growing movement in the coffee world of more people seeking the gourmet coffee experience. And, as the term gourmet organic coffee implies, organic and gourmet often go hand in hand in the new consumer coffee experience.
For example, here’s a description of a coffee we found on one of the coffee websites of Cafe Nirvana, an online organic coffee company that has a number of coffee web sites: Organic Mexican Chiapas. These coffee beans come from the Chiapas region in southern mountains of Mexico. Coffees from this region are sought after for their delicate aroma, medium body, natural chocolate flavor and bright acidity. A well balanced cup of coffee.”
Almost sounds like they are describing a wine. But that’s what the organic coffee world is becoming – a community that is very conscious of the nuances of coffee and the social, economic, and environmental issues involved in the world coffee industry, such as shade-grown organic coffee, certified organic coffee, and fair trade organic coffee.

Why buy organic coffee?

The Cooperative Coffees organization says this about products such as organic coffee: “By buying organic products you as a consumer are supporting the natural and healthiest way to grow crops. You are sending a signal and taking direct action against the use of synthetic chemicals to help grow the food and drink we consume. Since many chemicals jeopardize the environment we live in you are also stopping further environmental degradation and helping nature get back to sustaining itself”.
“By purchasing and drinking only organic coffee you are making environmental, economic and social differences. You can help the farmers, the earth, the environment and the future, all by making a simple choice to choose right.”

How does organic coffee differ from regular coffee?

The Organic Trade Association defines organic coffee as follows: “Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production.”

What does the term Certified Organic Coffee mean?

The United States Department of Agriculture says that in order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include:
The organic coffee must have been grown on land without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years.
There must have been a sufficient buffer between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.
The organic coffee farmer must have a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.

What is Organic Fair Trade Coffee?

Fair trade certification focuses on labor and trade standards to provide producers with a guaranteed price. All organic fair trade coffee is not necessarily organic coffee, although fair trade coffee growers often do grow organic coffee. Fair Trade Certification requires environmental stewardship of the coffee growing operation. It is noteworthy that according to the Organic Trade Association, approximately 85% of all Fair Trade Certified Coffee sold in the United States is also Certified Organic Coffee.

You can find out more about organic coffee at the website of Don Arabica. The URL is listed as http://www.donarabica.com