The SCAA’s 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition takes place in Minneapolis on May 2-5, and I will be attending along with Coffee & Conservation tasting panel member (also my dashing partner) Kingfisher. I will miss the Sustainability Symposium but will…
Revised on November 14, 2019Coffee news and miscellany
The biggest obstacle, in my experience, in getting people to switch from crappy grocery store coffee to sustainable coffee is price. Even people who profess to be bird lovers, concerned with the environment, and aware of the issues surrounding sun…
Revised on July 2, 2024Looking for a holiday gift idea related to sustainable coffee? Here are my five top picks of where to direct your charitable giving. These organizations either directly help coffee farmers or their communities, or support bird research in coffee growing.
Revised on January 7, 2022Spava Coffee is organic coffee “fortified” with natural ingredients to “enhance wellness.” There are currently five varieties, such as “Calm” and “Clarity.” It’s amazing to me the number of news sites and blogs (with the exception of TheShot) that have…
Revised on January 7, 2022Dutch energy company Essent is the first company in the world to introduce the use of coffee husks as biofuel.
Revised on November 19, 2016There was an interesting article in the new issue of Fresh Cup Magazine, Green Power to the People — Alternative energy brings greater independence to coffee growers. It focuses on the 40-family cooperative, the Union of Independent Workers of Alianza…
Revised on November 14, 2019There’s a nice article in the New York Times today describing the specialty coffee industry and the workings and benefits of direct trade. The title, “To Burundi and Beyond for Coffee’s Holy Grail,” sort of misses the point, but it…
Revised on November 14, 2019One of the major criteria a roaster must meet to get favored nation status on the left sidebar as a source of sustainable coffee is transparency. C&C is all about educating consumers on how to recognize and appreciate sustainable coffee….
Revised on December 1, 2018Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality. This event was started in 2004 as a competition for Rainforest Alliance certified coffees. The most recent cuppings took place last December and in April, with over 100 samples submitted. There are many top-flight sustainable…
Revised on January 7, 2022Last week I posted about the 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. It was feared this would make organic certification too expensive…
Revised on January 15, 2022The CRO (Corporate Responsibility Officer, formerly Business Ethics magazine) has just published its eighth annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens, considered the third most influential corporate ranking. Companies are rated on their performance in eight categories: shareholders, community, governance, diversity, employees,…
Revised on January 7, 2022KLM Royal Dutch Airlines joins Asiana Airlines (Korea) and ANA (Japan) in pledging to serve Rainforest Alliance certified coffee on all its flights. KLM serves 22 million cups of coffee annually. This is a step in the right direction, but…
Revised on November 22, 2020Nestlè,, whose coffee brands include Nescafe and Taster’s Choice, has obtained a patent on a genetically modified coffee plant that will improve the solubility of instant coffee powder made from its beans.
Revised on January 8, 2022The November/December 2006 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest has an article on shade coffee by author and well-known birder Paul Baicich. It’s on newstands now, and gives a nice overview of shade coffee benefits and issues.
Revised on January 7, 2022Roast Magazine has just announced the winners of their 3rd annual Roaster of the Year Award. Macro Category Winner: Intelligentsia (Chicago). It’s hard to say too many good things about Intelly’s commitment to great coffee, from the farm to the…
Revised on November 25, 2020