You wake up in the morning—it’s still dark, and there’s a chill in the air. You head to the kitchen, ready for a hot drink that will help you warm up and wake up.
What’s in your cup?
According to the National Coffee Association, around two-thirds of Americans drink coffee every single day. That’s more than any other beverage.
But what you put in your coffee mug every morning can have a significant impact on the planet—and the people who grow the beans to get it in your cup.
Conventionally grown coffee is often as a single crop and uses high-carbon-emitting machinery for harvest. The workers who grow it may be underpaid or face exploitation.
But it can be grown differently. The coffee producers Sustainable Harvest International works with, for example, are committed to growing beans in a way that supports farmer well-being, the thriving of local communities, and the productivity and resilience of the land.
When you choose to drink a cup of organic coffee grown in a sustainable way, what does that really mean?
How Organic Coffee Gets in Your Cup
1 - Organizing Coffee Growers so they Can Uplift Each Other
To truly allow organic, planet-friendly beans to succeed in a competitive international marketplace, farmers first have to organize. Because the market price for these products is higher, it’s more difficult for an individual coffee grower to build links to international markets that reward person- and planet-first growing practices on their own.
In addition, many individual farmers are able to protect their land and produce quality coffee long-term when they decide to use sustainable farming techniques—and this type of training is easier to access as a collective. Working together also gives farmers more support and motivation to keep using these techniques year after year.
That’s where coffee cooperatives, such as Cooperativa Regional de Agricultores Orgánicos de la Sierra (RAOS) comes in. As a collective, RAOS supports farmers from planting to exporting. And organizations like SHI work with these coffee farmers to pair their experience and local knowledge with scientific advancements in agroecology that can support their success while protecting the planet.
Read more about SHI’s partnership with RAOS here.
2 - Growing Sustainable Coffee
Next, organic coffee farmers implement their agroecological training gained at Farmer Field Schools and as part of local coffee collectives. This includes using sustainable methods, such as:
Using organic fertilizers
Growing coffee trees as part of an agroforestry system (where other plants are grown among the trees to increase the diversity of produce grown to eat and sell and to better protect the soil)
Using specific pest- and disease-tolerant varieties so toxic agrochemicals aren’t required
Conserving and amending the soil
Using water efficiently
Another way producers use sustainable methods is in coffee harvesting. Unlike mainstream methods, which tend to use high-emitting machinery, the coffee producers SHI works with harvest using traditional, non-mechanical methods. In addition to being better for the planet, it allows for better quality control—aka tastier coffee for you.
When multiple farmers use these practices within the same region, their individual efforts can have landscape-level impact when it comes to environmental resilience.
3 - Ensuring the Best Beans Make it to Market
Collectives like RAOS also provide quality control support for coffee producers, ensuring the highest quality beans make it to the market—something that’s harder for a farmer to control for when they are working solo. Organic coffee is already a step ahead in terms of quality, as the trees are grown without agrochemicals and—as just mentioned—harvested in ways that make it easier to prioritize only the best beans.
As a consumer, when you buy organic coffee, you are often sipping the highest quality coffee that comes from each harvest!
4 -Exporting to Planet-Conscious Coffee Lovers
Conventional, non-organic coffee is traded on the stock exchange; however, SHI and partners like RAOS promote the coffee production that uplifts inclusivity, organic methods, and producers' strong environmental commitment—qualities for which the market pays a price premium.
Not all buyers are willing to pay for the significant effort involved in the production of high-quality, planet-conscious coffee. By operating through collectives such as RAOS and with the support of organizations like SHI, organic coffee farmers are able to band together to access these specialty markets and ensure consumers are able to drink a cup of coffee that lifts their spirits and upholds their values.
What does that mean for you?
When you drink a cup of organic coffee, you are doing more than enjoying your morning ritual.
You are reducing your carbon footprint, protecting the environment, supporting small-scale farmers and their families, and investing in a sustainable production system that ensures a healthy cup of coffee for future generations. And that’s a great way to start your day.
Want to help SHI support more organic coffee farmers? Donate today.
