 |
About Organic Coffee
Ethical Bean Coffee Company understands the importance of buying
100% organic coffee. It's more than just finding a better coffee.
It's about finding coffee that is sensitive to the long-term
health of the environment. What makes a coffee organic? Organic
coffee avoids the harmful chemicals, like DDT and other pesticides,
used by the majority of coffee producers. To be certified organic,
a farmer must guarantee that chemicals aren't added to the growing
and processing of coffee for a minimum of three years. They
must also ensure that how they grow their coffee promotes the
long-term health of the environment and the soil. And they must
adhere to a soil-building process, ensuring the environmental
sustainability of their operation.
The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) is one of several
organizations that sets the international standard for organic
products. With over 35,000 grower members, the OCIA certifies
crops to be organic, provided they pass a rigorous examination
of farming practices.
In reality, organic coffees often benefit the worker more than
the end consumer. Most, if not all of the chemicals sprayed
on coffee are gone by the time the coffee is in your cup. The
pulping, processing and roasting of the beans eliminates the
majority of harmful chemicals and pesticides. The farmer, however,
is not so fortunate. The spraying of these pesticides and herbicides
is extremely detrimental to his health and the environment.
In some of these origin countries, they still use powerful chemicals
like DDT.
Shade Grown Coffee
Coffee is traditionally grown under the shade of a forest canopy.
With advances in mass-harvesting technology and a soaring global
demand for coffee, many farmers have shifted to open plantations
with little or no surrounding vegetation. This 'open-field'
concept of farming was introduced to encourage greater crop
yields, and was often tied to international aid from countries
like the United States. While it maximizes production, with
no canopy to protect it, soil erosion quickly becomes a problem.
And by destroying the surrounding forest to create plantations,
farmers destroy the natural habitats of animals, insects and
migratory birds.
The technification of the coffee, as this process is commonly
known, also dramatically increases the need for chemical fertilizers
to replace the organic material that used to come from the natural
shade canopy. Studies have shown that up to 1/2 pound of fertilizer
is needed to produce one pound of coffee beans on these farms.
Bird-Friendly Coffee
Similar to shade grown coffee, bird-friendly beans are harvested
with an eye for preserving the natural environment and maintaining
the habitat of birds and other animals. Preservation of the
forest canopy is of particular importance to migratory birds.
|
|
 |
To learn more about bird-friendly
and shade grown coffees, Ethical Bean invites you to explore
the following web site:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu |
|
|