The coffee berry borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei) is one of the most serious pests of coffee. The larvae of this beetle, which is native to Africa, live and feed exclusively on coffee beans. It has spread to coffee farms across the world and despite strict monitoring and prevention measures, showed up in Hawaii a decade…
Author: JulieCraves
New Rainforest Alliance criteria for shade
In 2017, Rainforest Alliance announced they would merge with Utz (another certification), retain the Rainforest Alliance name, and develop a new standard — the set of rules and criteria required for a product to be labeled with the Rainforest Alliance certification seal. This standard was released on 30 June 2020. Here I will summarize, as…
Rainforest Alliance certified coffee: useless to evaluate shade-grown conditions
Do not use Rainforest Alliance certification as an indication that coffee was shade-grown or even particularly eco-friendly. And the new proposed rules will make it even less likely.
Sips
I’ve been keeping up with many important developments in the world of sustainable coffee. Here are the ones you should be reading: Regarding coffee certifications: An open letter to UTZ and Rainforest Alliance (The Ecologist). I am not the only one concerned with watered-down sustainability standards in general, Rainforest Alliance in particular, and especially what…