Demand for Organic Coffee on the Rise

Today I thought it would be appropriate to discuss in more detail the question of organic coffee. Organic coffee may be defined as coffee that is grown without the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The term organic can also refer to farms that incorporate socially responsible activities such as recycling, composting, soil health and environmental protections. According Jon Thorn's The Coffee Companion, most coffee sold on the market is organic in nature (although it is not certified as being such) mainly because of the fact that most coffee comes from small growers that cannot afford the relatively expensive fertilizers and pesticides. Instead they use traditional methods of propagation and maintenance to give the best yield possible.

According to Wikipedia, the primary producers of certified organic coffee are Peru, Ethiopia and Mexico. Organic agriculture stimulates the environment's natural development of disease and pest control. Because much of organic coffee is shade grown, large amounts of forest are protected. This protection has many other benefits, such as minimizing soil erosion, preserving the natural habitat of birds and other animals, the droppings from which tend to naturally fertilize the soil. Birds also control pests by eating the insects that prey on coffee plants.

Another advantage of organic coffee is that the amount of capital needed to grow an organic coffee crop is less than what would otherwise be the case because organic coffee does not require upfront purchases of fertilizers and pesticides. The downside is that farms tend to make less money because less coffee is produced. Nevertheless, organic coffee is big business: In 2006, 67,000 metric tons of certified organic coffee were sold worldwide, which was approximately one per cent of the total.

The demand for organic coffee is on the rise, which is one of the main reasons why the "certified organic" movement has come about. The certification process involves an "auditing process" in which the coffee is monitored during the production stages to ensure that no artificial ingredients are introduced. This increases the price, but it would seem that consumers are prepared to pay a premium for coffee prepared in this manner.