Facts About Organic Coffee

What is organic coffee?
Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.
Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture.
Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers abide by the law.
What does it mean to be certified organic?
In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include farming without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years and a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.
Where is organic coffee grown?
Organic coffee is grown in 40 countries including Bolivia, Burundi, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timore-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, United States (Hawaii), Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia.
The leading producer countries are Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
What organic coffee products are in the marketplace?
Organic coffee products now on the market include decaffeinated, caffeinated, flavored and instant coffees, organic coffee ice cream and yoghurt, coffee sodas, hard candies, and chocolate covered beans.
How is organic coffee decaffeinated?
Most conventionally produced coffees are decaffeinated by using toxic solvents such as methylene chloride (probable human carcinogen, harmful to central nervous system7) or ethyl acetate (harmful to central nervous system, kidneys and liver). Organic coffee, however, must be decaffeinated using a certified organic decaffeination process to maintain the organic integrity of the beans. One of the most popular organic decaffeination processes is the SWISS WATER® process, using only water to remove caffeine.
What labels might you see on organic coffee and what do they mean?
The USDA organic seal can appear on any coffee product that contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients and that has been certified as organic by a certification agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The coffee may also carry a label saying "100 percent organic" or "Organic."
Fair Trade
Fair Trade certification focuses on labor and trade standards to provide small-farmer co-operatives a guaranteed price above the conventional market. Not all Fair Trade Certifiedä coffee is necessarily organic. However, Fair Trade CertifiedTM does require strict environmental stewardship such as prohibiting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the most hazardous pesticides. Seventy-eight percent of all Fair Trade CertifiedTM coffee sold in the United States is certified organic. In the United States, transactions must be audited by TransFair USA to use a Fair Trade CertifiedTM label.
Bird Friendly® Bird Friendly® can only be used by operators that meet inspection and certification requirements of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. All certified Bird Friendly® coffee must also be certified organic. Bird Friendly® certification requires that the coffee be shade-grown with a wide variety of native shade trees and other shade-providing species. No synthetic chemicals can be used in the processing of Bird Friendly® coffee.