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Organic Coffee Benefits

By www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

• Protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases as well as dementia
• Reduction of risk of getting several kinds of cancer
• Prolonged life compared to non-drinkers of coffee
• Better athletic performance in endurance and strength sports
• Substantial reduction in risk of getting Type II diabetes

Organic Coffee Benefits vs Regular Coffee

There are two kinds of organic coffee benefits relating to quality and purity.

The vast majority of organic coffee is Arabica coffee. Arabica is the top grade coffee with the best aroma and flavor. If you want gourmet coffee you want Arabica. And ideally you will buy organic because of purity.

Perhaps the most important of the organic coffee benefits is that more than a hundred different chemicals and other impurities that can be found in a regular cup of coffee are not to be found in organic coffee. So, is organic coffee healthier? You bet it is.
Organic Coffee Benefits for the Environment and the Small Coffee Farmer

The type of farming used for organic coffee is called sustainable agriculture. Sustainable coffee production results in great organic coffee although not always USDA certified organic coffee. Why is that? It costs money to have your coffee farm certified and periodically recertified. Thus, as we have noted several times before, there are lots of coffees that are organic in fact although not organic in name. Coffee farmers may have been following organic and sustainable practices for generations. But, if they have been unable to find a buyer for their organic coffee they end up selling at the regular price and cannot afford certification. A couple of organizations that help farmers in this regard are UTZ and Rainforest Alliance.

UTZ

UTZ certified coffee is often organic certified as well.
Individuals looking for organic coffee may run across the UTZ Certified label. This label says that the bag of coffee you are buying came from a coffee farm that employed sustainable agricultural practices, good environmental practices and efficient farm management. A key feature of the UTZ Certified label is that UTZ Certified coffee is traced from grower to roaster. UTZ certified coffee is sold in North America, Europe, and Japan, in nearly fifty nations. According to UTZ,

The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment. Through the UTZ-program farmers grow better crops, generate more income and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment and securing the earth’s natural resources.
Organic coffee benefits for these farmers include learning how to care for the land and earning a better income.

Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance certified coffee is similar to that of UTZ. These folks help small farmers learn how to maintain organic principles, protect the land and earn a better income.
An alternative to organic coffee certification is for a grower to be Rainforest Alliance certified. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization that works to conserve biodiversity. It does so for agricultural products by influencing consumers to buy what is good for the environment and good for small farmers. Rainforest Alliance certified means that the coffee that you buy was produced using good land use practices. Rainforest Alliance certified coffee is part of a broader sustainable agriculture program of tropical crops, including coffee, bananas, cocoa, oranges, cut flowers, ferns, and tea. Certified coffee farms meet a strict set of environmental standards that include preservation of the ecosystem and reduction in use of synthetic chemicals of all sorts.

A common practice for farmers growing their coffee on steep slopes is to intersperse coffee with bananas or plantain. We wrote about increased income with coffee and bananas.
This approach increases coffee farmers’ incomes and moves away from industrial scale growing of coffee back toward a shade grown coffee approach.

Although growing coffee may be a labor of love it is also a business. Growing a crop like bananas alongside coffee gives the farmer two sources of income. And it protects from one or the other crops failing or having its price drop with the harvest.

Where to Buy Organic Coffee

You can find organic coffee at the store but you need to look for USDA and other certification. Your coffee roaster likely has organic coffee as well. And if you want to avoid the risk of a too-long supply chain and old coffee, you can get your Colombian Arabica organic coffee directly from Colombia. Contact us for details.

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