Organic coffee

Certifications / Organic coffee

Sign the Save Organic Coffee petition

An article in Salon outlines a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture ruling which will require every farm in a cooperative to be inspected annually in order to receive organic certification. Previously, about 20% of the farms were inspected annually. The growers and management of the co-op made sure all farms, not just those being inspected, followed the rules.  Given the large number of small farmers in some co-ops and their often remote locations, this staggered inspection is the only practical way to certify these growers.

Since farms must pay inspectors, the added cost could prove to make organic certification too expensive for small farmers. Should this ruling really be enforced, it would surely drastically reduce the number of farms offering organic coffee (big plantations would be able to afford it). Stripping the added revenue brought in by organic certification would drive many small farmers out of the coffee business (the ruling covers all organic crops, by the way).  Hello land-clearing, pastures, drug crops, and other far less ecologically-friendly alternatives. For a bit more, a little backgrounder on organic coffee and why it’s important from Bloggle, and a deeper post at the Gristmill blog on how this ruling will impact farmers in the developing world. I’ve also written a series on coffee pests, pesticides, and organic certification.

This was an (apparently overzealous) administrative ruling in response to an appeal by a Mexican farmer who was denied certification. I’m not familiar with how binding these rulings are and how they are codified and enforced. But the coffee industry and consumers have started to mobilize.  And Nora Edison and Chris Neumann of Sweetwater Organic Coffee Roasters sent me a link to a petition to be sent to the USDA asking them to reconsider their policy change. They are seeking 10,000 signatures, so it can’t hurt to sign on:

Sign the “Save Organic Coffee” Petition.

Fair and Direct Trade / Organic coffee

Some recommended reading

Book: Organic Coffee: Sustainable Development by Mayan Farmers by Maria Elena Martinez-Torres. This book is based on a PhD dissertation, but has been skillfully adapted and is very readable while still preserving the excellent information including tables, charts, and references. The book explains the history of coffee farming in Chiapas, Mexico, including growing techniques and political and social considerations.  The author ties it all together with chapters on the economic and ecological benefits of organic coffee farming. A really worthwhile book that is very helpful in understanding organic coffee.

Article: Ethical Certification — Sustainability with a Rich Aroma by Ethical Corporation magazine. Contrasts, compares, and discusses three certification schemes: Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade, and Utz Kapeh (which has just changed its name to Utz Certified), from a European perspective. Frames the discussion around McDonald’s decision to serve Rainforest Alliance certified coffee in all its UK stores and the controversy around that move. It branches out into the various other certification programs and their costs and requirements, and wades into organic certification and even Starbucks and the trademark issue. Wide-ranging (obviously) to the point of wandering, not too deep, but offers some interesting facts.

Corporate coffee / Organic coffee

Millstone’s organic line

[Update: Millstone was one of the coffees acquired by JM Smuckers, but it has now been discontinued. This post is for historical reference.]

Last month, a number of coffee bloggers, including C&C, received an offer from a public relations firm offering samples of Millstone Coffee Company’s organic line. Millstone is a coffee brand of the global conglomerate Procter & Gamble.

There are five certified organic varieties in this line (update: as of 2011, after being acquired by Smuckers, there are only three in the line, neither is Rainforest Alliance certified). One is Fair Trade certified. Another is Rainforest Alliance (RA) certified. I asked the PR rep a series of questions regarding these coffees.  My questions, the answers from P&G relayed to me via the PR firm, and my further comments are below.

Arabica or robusta?
My question: For all types, are they 100% arabica beans? Or do some or all have some robusta beans in them? If they do, can you provide a percentage, and the country of origin of the robusta?

Millstone replies: All Millstone Coffee flavors and roasts, including the 100% Organic line-up of Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified coffees, are made from premium Arabica coffee beans.

My comments: This is not a straight answer.  My 50/50 cotton shirt is made from cotton, but half of it is made from polyester. Searching the entire Millstone site does bring up many mentions that only the top 15% of arabica beans are used in their coffees. I don’t know what that means. Along with robusta? Top 15% of what? The word “arabica” is not on any of the web pages for four of the five coffees in this organic line; it is on the Nicaraguan Mountain Twilight Blend, but 100% is not indicated.  It is not in the  promotional material for this line for this line I received. Four bags I got had handwritten labels so I don’t know what is on the usual bags.  The Rainforest Reserve came in a valve bag, which did read “100% certified organic arabica beans,” which could still be considered ambiguous.

Given the added appeal and marketing cache of labeling coffee “100% arabica,” I can’t imagine why, if this line is all arabica, that this specific wording is not trumpeted from every bag, brochure, and web page.

Origins

My question:What specific regions, cooperatives, or farms do the Peruvian and Nicaraguan coffees come from? Are they grown under diverse shade? There is no mention of country of origin for the Rainforest Reserve, Organic Mountain Moonlight Fair Trade, or Mayan Black Onyx varieties. Can you provide this information (with region and cooperatives?)

Millstone replies: P&G doesn’t disclose information about the specific regions, coops, farms, etc. where the coffee is grown. This is all proprietary information that the company does not share publicly due to competitive reasons.

My comments: This answer is nonsensical. A roaster might want to protect the source of an exceptional, small-lot coffee, available via auction, so that the competition doesn’t try to outbid them.  Why make a such a secret out of where you get your mediocre, inexpensive beans? Maybe, like Nestlé, P&G doesn’t even know where they all come from. Or, like Kraft, would rather you didn’t know.

No matter why they won’t divulge origins, the fact that a consumer cannot easily find out where their coffee was grown — and therefore if it was produced in an ecologically-friendly way — is unacceptable.

100% Rainforest Alliance-certified beans?
My question: What percentage of the beans in the Rainforest Reserve variety are Rainforest Alliance certified?

Millstone replies: A medium-dark roast, Millstone’s 100% Organic Rainforest Reserve coffee comes from the forested slopes of Latin America, where the high-altitude volcanic soils have produced high-quality coffees for centuries. And because the beans are 100% certified by the Rainforest Alliance, you can feel good that you’re giving back to farmers and the environment with each and every cup.

My comments: I asked this question specifically because big roasters have been using only the minimum amount of RA certified beans that are necessary to carry the RA seal (30%). I’m wasn’t quite sure that “the beans are 100% certified” is the same as 100% of the beans are certified.

Just to be sure, I wrote to Rainforest Alliance. They replied that the Rainforest Reserve uses 100% RA-certified beans. Great! But the link they provided [now dead] was to Millstone’s Signature Collection Rainforest Reserve.  It’s a different package and not marked organic. If this is the same coffee that has been relabeled or rebranded, why is one labeled certified organic, and the other not?

Determined to clear this up, I wrote to Millstone directly. I specifically asked if these were the same coffees (providing links to the product pages), why one was organic and the other not, and once again the percentage of RA-certified beans in the organic Rainforest Reserve. After a week, I received a reply informing me that there was lots of useful information on the web site that I would find helpful — but they did not give me any links or any answers!

I gave up. The answers to all of these questions should be simple, straightforward, and easily available to consumers.

Coming soon, the C&C tasting panel gives these coffees a try. Update: Reviews are posted here.

Coffee and the environment / Organic coffee

Pesticides used on coffee farms, part 4: Organic coffee & further resources

I’m sure once you examine the effects of the pesticides that are commonly used on coffee, you will agree that the workers, the environment, and the folks downstream are all better off if coffee is grown without pesticides.  Careful cultivation and biocontrol makes it possible to combat many common pests and grow coffee without these chemicals.  And you can support the farms that have taken these steps by purchasing organic coffee.

Organic coffee information
First, a few facts about organic coffee. Certified organic coffee means that it has been produced under standardized conditions, which are verified by inspections. Farms or cooperatives pay for certification, including accommodating inspectors and paying for their travel. American consumers often see the label on the left certifying organic products, including coffee. Requirements for this seal include no use of prohibited substances on the land for at least three years.  This includes most synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Other certification requirements include a buffer between the coffee and any other crop not grown organically, and a plan that demonstrates methods the prevent erosion and other sustainable methods.

The USDA also accredits other agencies to certify organic products using the same standards.  A common one for coffee is the OCIA. There are also various state agencies. The Eco-labels web site has much more information.

Many farms have never used any sort of chemical input on their coffee crops, often because chemicals are expensive and the farmers cannot afford to purchase them. The farms, or cooperatives they belong to, may not have the financial resources to pay to have their product certified organic even if they qualify, because it incurs various fees. These could be considered “passive organic.”

Other farms may be missing an element which disqualifies them from certification.  While I believe all of the elements are important, I’d much prefer to buy coffee from, for example, a farm that judiciously applies small amounts of non-organic fertilizer and preserves 100 ha of native forest on its land than a certified organic farm that uses half its land for a cattle pasture.

That being said, if your coffee is not certified organic, it will take careful research to know if your coffee is sourced from farms that practice sustainable methods. Because a number of common coffee pests and pathogens are more difficult to control naturally when the coffee is grown in the sun, it’s often a good bet that organic coffee is also grown under shade.  Certified organic coffee represents less than 1% of the market, an astonishingly low figure.  Therefore, buying organic coffee is nearly always good for the environment.

A final thought: it is abundantly true that Americans apply more frightening chemicals to their lawns than most coffee farmers apply to their crops.  And specialty coffee (e.g., not produced by the big four) is still one of the most rustically farmed crops in the world. I don’t think that makes it hypocritical to encourage and support organic coffee farming. As my mom used to say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Pesticides birds, humans, and wildlife

Coffee without chemicals