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Coffee and the Environment
Originally, coffee farming was done in the shade of trees, which provided natural habitat for many animals and insects, roughly approximating the biodiversity of a natural forest. These traditional farmers used compost of coffee pulp and excluded chemicals and fertilizers, which were virtually unknown to them. They also typically rotated crops and cultivated food alongside their cash crops, which provided additional income and food security.
However, in the 1970s and 1980s, during the birth of the Green Revolution, the US Agency for International Development and other groups gave eighty million dollars to coffee plantations in Latin America for advancements to go along with the general shift to ‘technified’ agriculture. These plantations replaced their shade grown techniques with sun cultivation techniques to increase yields, which in turn destroyed vast forests and biodiversity.
Sun cultivation involves cutting down trees, and high inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Environmental problems, such as deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, soil and water degradation, were the effects on most of the coffee farms and plantations that participated, especially in Brazil, The effect on the biodiversity and on the coffee growers and farms in the surrounding areas suffered for many years, and in some places is just beginning to recover.
As a result, there has been a return to both traditional and new methods of growing shade-tolerant varieties. Shade-grown coffee can often earn a premium as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to mainstream sun-grown coffee.
Specialty Options
Bird-Friendly
These coffees are growing in popularity amongst growers, and are most usually found where Shade Grown coffees are produced. (Birds nest and rest in trees above coffee trees, and thus naturally fertilize the ground around the coffee trees growing beneath.) Some farmer co-ops label their bags, and others do not. We will advise on the coffee description in our Online Coffee Catalog if a coffee is certified bird-friendly or shade grown.
Shade Grown
As discussed under Bird Friendly, there is a relationship between these two designations. It is very difficult to have one without the other, unless birds are not a part of the growing environment. Chances are good that the same coffee will not be offered as Shade Grown or Bird Friendly each time you buy. In every case, we will note in our Online Coffee Catalog whether a coffee carries this designation.
Estate Grown
These coffees are processed by mills unique to a particular geographical area, and many times a specific farm from which the coffee has been harvested. They are made ready for export in 60 - 70 kilo. bags that are plainly marked as “Estate Grown”. We will indicate on the coffee description in our Online Coffee Catalog if a coffee is Estate Grown.
Fair Trade
This is a designation accorded by the USDA to farmer-producers who agree to sell only at prices set by co-op vote based on some percentage of the World Coffee Market in New York. Prior to this program, most of these farmers were selling to unscrupulous brokers who paid only a pittance for their coffee, and then they sold to exporters for prices that were similar to what the farmers now get by selling Fair Trade coffee. This successful program has allowed groups of farmers, or farmer co-ops, to use the “extra” proceeds for everything from planting more coffee to building more schools and hospitals, and to generally significantly improve the way of life of the farmers. Coffees sold under this program are prominently marked, and are available consistently from the same growers. We carry those as marked in our Online Coffee Catalog.
Kosher
Specific coffees appropriately blessed by an Orthodox Union and marked. These coffees vary from month to month. Although they are marked in our Online Coffee Catalog, you might save some time by asking us (toll free: 877-646-2358) which Kosher coffees we carry at any given time.
Organic
This is coffee that is grown in a totally natural way, totally without pesticides, insecticides, or artificial fertilizers.
Demand is strong enough for Organic coffees that we typically carry a full line of them all the time. Check out our full listing of organic coffees available in our Online Coffee Catalog.
Single Origin
Other than blends, we carry only Single Origin coffees. This means our coffees are not a hybrid of any two or more Arabica beans, nor are they Robusta beans, nor are they a mix of two or more separate beans from the same co-op or same crop. They are pure and listed as such in our Online Coffee Catalog.
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