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Organic Coffee
Benefiting the farmer, environment and you!
Organic coffee grown from organic farming techniques grow without
the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
Tips & Tricks
Don't really care about the details? Check out the
best organic coffee
list! That was easy! :) Or jump to Stumptown Coffee.
This style of coffee growing is increasingly in high demand, especially
as coffee lovers around the world become aware of some of the growing
conditions throughout the world and its impact on the
surrounding environments.
CoffeeReview.com brings up an excellent point in their coffee and
health section on pesticides and chemicals. Here's a short excerpt from
it:
"The concerns
raised by those apprehensive about the use of pesticides
and agricultural chemicals in coffee growing are twofold. First is the
health issue for the consumer: whether harmful chemical residues may
reach our systems when we drink coffee. Second are the related
environmental and social issues: whether buying coffees that may be
grown with the help of potentially harmful chemicals contributes to the
destruction of the environment and threatens the health of the rural
poor who raise coffee."
There are three primary organic growing regions,
which mostly do
organic coffee wholesale, including:
Of course, just because you're growing "organic," doesn't mean your
certified organic coffee. According to the Organic Trade Association,
the U.S. Congress adopted the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in
1990 which then went through a rigorous overhaul and then was
introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented
in October 2002, which defines organic coffees as:
"Organic refers to
the way agricultural products are grown and
processed. I includes a system of production, processing, distribution
and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic
integrity that begins on the farm."
And according to WikiPedia, there are three main
requirements,
including:
Grown on land without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited
substances for 3 years.
A sufficient buffer exists between organic and the closest traditional
crop.
Sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of
soil nutrients, and control for pests.
Top three Benefits of Organic Coffee
Beans from Cooperative Coffees:
- By choosing organics you are choosing the best
ingredients for
yourself and your family.
- By purchasing organic coffee you support
the farmers who decide to grow coffee using organic methods, and help
them repay their debt and sustain economically.
- Organic farming promotes long term sustainability of
soil and water
supplies
I guess one of the main reasons I would encourage you to buy organic
isn't just because of the health benefits, but because it helps the
local farmer. Sure, you can go down to your grocery store or local
coffee shop and buy your favorite non-organic and that's fine, but try
slipping in some organic every other time. For one, organic is cheaper
to grow, but the crops do not yield as much as non-organic grown so the
overall revenue is lower.
In a sense, every time you buy a cup of organic, you're helping the
local farmer in Peru. You're helping a farm worker put their kid
through school. I know this is a bit of a stretch, but hey. I'd rather
buy a cup of organic than just send money in an envelope to some
charity I have no idea where the money is going.
Let me know your thoughts on this subject. Feel free to email me
gldawson at gmail dot com. Include why you do or don't like organic. In
fact, let me know your favorite and I'll post if for everyone to see!
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