Coffee & Sustainability

 
The UN defines sustainable development: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
 
We take this as saying, contribute to the sustainability of your environment by nurturing & adding to it, not tearing it down & polluting your environment. Sustainable coffee producers & roasters are dedicated to the sustainability of coffee growers around the world. Generations of coffee farmers have worked the harsh terrain in these countries for centuries, and this is where some of the finest coffee beans are grown as nature intended: In harmony with nature, in the shade.

Rainforest Alliance Coffee
 
The Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit organization based in New York, has offices located around the world. They certify coffee, and other products, only when produced under specific standards. In order to bear the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal on any product, farms must ensure the conditions for people growing the coffee, and insure the land they grow it on is carefully supported and sustained so their products are worthy of bearing their seal of certification. 
 
Most Rainforest coffee is grown on farms under a canopy of the native rainforest trees. Because of deforestation more coffee farms are producing non certified sun-grown coffees in these areas. This may be more cost effective in the beginning, but results in soil erosion and untreated wastewater being dumped into lakes, streams and the environment. This pollution and the destruction of the area’s ecosystem ends up costing more to correct the situation.

Fair Trade Coffee

Imagine working a small coffee farm in the underdeveloped coffee growing regions of the world. Daily, during harvest season, you climb small rugged paths to heights between 2,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. Family members join you because they are the only labor you can afford. They also help guide burros that carry food and water supplies for the day, and carry the heavy burlap bags of coffee cherries on your return trip. Each coffee cherry is hand-picked, one at a time, making this highly labor-intense work all done under very hot, tropical conditions.

Once the coffee is brought down to the farm, the coffee beans are washed and processed, dried, and sold—all for a few cents a day. For thousands of small-coffee-farmers world wide this is the only income they earn.

Fair Trade certified coffee growers and companies never take for granted the huge effort and hard work that goes into producing every bag of coffee. Practicing Fair Trade with farmers ensures they receive fair wages for the work they do, plus children under the age of 15 cannot be used for labor and they must be paid a fair wage for the work done.