Cafe #2!

Well we didn't get the chance to visit an organic coffee plantation first hand, but the entire food industry is experiencing a boom in organics and coffee is no exception. Organic coffee is grown in a way that greatly reduces the impact on the surrounding environment when compared to traditional coffee growing ways. Traditional growing of any crop can use large amounts of toxic chemicals and pesticides that are clearly unhealthy for the environment and obviously not too good for humans either. Growing organically means greatly reducing and eliminating these dangerous chemicals to produce natural plants and products. Organic production also means that the soil and land will actually be replenished through the growing process instead of being depleted of all its rich nutrients. As with Fair Trade coffee, farmers can have their products

certified as organic and their products will then carry an organic label.

As we learn more and more about all of the harmful things we are doing to the environment and about all the awful things that are put into our food and into our bodies each day, consumers are pushing for more natural ingredients and more environmentally-friendly ways of doing things. In the United States organic coffee sales rose 24% from 2005 to 2006. I know that in the past, I have not typically bought a lot of organic products simply because they are more expensive and as a college student I am pretty much broke. However after taking this rather depressing course and learning more about the environment and all the toxins I am exposed to every day, I think I will be much more likely to purchase organic items. I would like to know how much of a difference there is between making the traditional foods and beverages we are used to versus making them using organic processes. I know Daisy Rodriguez said that she transformed her coffee farm into an organic plantation for a few years but it didn't work out. But she also stated that some of this was due to the high location of her fields. I wonder if it would have worked out better for her is her plantation was in a different location. If it isn't terribly difficult to convert to organic ways and it results in better products and healthier consumers then I would hope that many major food manufacturers would enter the organic market. Currently of the 107 countries that grow coffee only 40 of those countries produce organic coffee products. That is less than half of the coffee growing population even though organic farming is proven to be better for the world and for coffee drinkers. But as I said the organic demand is growing so hopefully this statistic will soon be changing for the better.