Quick Guide to Coffee Certifications  

Coffee & Conservation (coffeehabitat.com)
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This is a quick guide to the most common certifications seen on coffee. Information on criteria is provided, emphasizing ecological and environmental standards. All these certifications require verification by third-party auditors; producers (and in some case buyers) must pay various fees associated with certification. 

The only true "shade-grown" certification, developed by ecologists at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Criteria include a canopy at least 12 meters high, a minimum of 40% shade cover, and 11 species of shade trees. Additionally, must also be certified organic. Bird-Friendly certification has the most robust shade/habitat standards of any coffee certification.

There is no minimum price set, but producers can use the certification to negotiate a better price for their coffee, generally an additional 5 to 10 cents per pound. Also, farmers typically receive a premium for their organic certification.

There is no certification fee, but producers must pay for initial and periodic audits. However, these are combined with organic certification audits, and Bird-Friendly certification lasts for three years, not just one. Importers pay a fee of $100/yr, and roasters pay 25 cents/lb. These fees support bird conservation research.

Only coffee certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center can be called Bird-Friendly; look for this seal for authentic Bird-Friendly certified coffee.

The Rainforest Alliance is an NGO with programs in several areas that promote standards for sustainability. Their sustainable agriculture program certifies many crops, including coffee.

Not exclusively an environmental certification, it covers a number of ecological issues as well as community relations and fair treatment of workers. Certification is awarded based on a score for meeting a minimum number of an array of criteria. There are no required criteria for shade management, but they are included in optional criteria; these shade criteria are not as strict as Bird-Friendly standards. Therefore it is important to note that Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee may not be shade grown. There is no organic requirement.

Fees to producers include an annual fee based on the size of the certified area, as well as annual auditing fees.

There is no minimum price set, but producers can use the certification to negotiate a better price for their coffee, generally an additional 5 to 10 cents per pound.

Examine the seal on the package carefully. Rainforest Alliance allows use of the seal on coffee that contains only 30% certified beans. The proportion should be indicated.

Coffee sold as certified in the U.S. must be produced under U.S. standards established by the USDA's National Organic Program. Verification is carried out by accredited certifying agencies. The USDA organic seal indicates a product is at least 95% organic unless 100% organic is specified. 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, a plan that demonstrates methods that prevent soil erosion, and other sustainable agricultural criteria.

Fees to producers and buyers vary depending on the certification agency, and include annual auditing fees.

If organic coffee is purchased under a Fair Trade contract (see below), the producing cooperative receives a price premium of 15 cents a pound. Outside a Fair Trade contract, producers can use the certification to negotiate a better price for their coffee.

Fair Trade is primarily concerned with alleviating poverty through greater equity in international trade and is governed by the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International. Many products besides coffee can be Fair Trade certified. In the U.S., TransFair USA, a member organization, uses this black and white "Fair Trade Certified" seal.

Fair Trade certification is only available to democratically-organized cooperatives of small producers, not individually-owned farms, estates, or farms that use hired labor. Fair Trade certification has no criteria related to growing coffee under shade and standards regarding wildlife are relatively generic. It does not require organic certification (and the percentage of Fair Trade coffee which is also certified organic is sometimes overstated).

Fees to producers include an annual auditing fee. Roasters must also be certified and pay up to 10 cents/lb.

Fair Trade cooperatives receive a minimum price of $1.31 per pound, $1.51 if the coffee is also certified organic. How this price premium is distributed (to the farmers or to community projects, etc.) is up to the cooperative.

UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside (formerly Utz Kapeh) certifies several agricultural products including coffee. Their emphasis is on transparency and traceability in the supply chain and efficient farm management. The latter includes good agricultural practices such as soil erosion prevention, minimizing water use and pollution, responsible use of chemicals, and habitat protection.

Certification requires compliance with mandatory control points; the number required increases over a four-year period. The standards in the Code that deal with the environment are quite general and lack specificity for meaningful protection of habitats and biodiversity. There is no requirement for using shade trees. 

Fees to producers include auditing fees. The first buyer in the supply chain pays a small per-pound fee (just over 1 cent) that is passed along through the chain.

There is no minimum price set, but producers can use the certification to negotiate a better price for their coffee, currently around 6 cents/lb for arabica coffee.