Web Reviews

By: Scott Wilson
Heaps of premiums are thrown onto environmentally sound products in the marketplace. Recycled paper is typically more expensive than standard paper. Lettuce and tomatoes made without the use of pesticides and fertilizers also enjoy above average market rates as well. Certified organic coffee has achieved a reputation for being pricey because of many reasons. For starters, it was produced without the use of environmentally harmful chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides. In turn, organic coffee has received a seal of approval for being healthier than your standard coffee.

Does organic coffee justify the higher price though? Many industry experts and coffee enthusiasts alike claim so because of the intense labor required by poorer farmers in countries like Bolivia and Ecuador in navigating coffee bean fields for collection and transport. Citing the injustices of poor pay by coffee merchants towards poor farmers (paying less than 50 cents a pound in some cases), major coffee companies have taken initiative in building supply chains linking these poor producers. These organic coffee supply chains guaranteed a fair wage for workers and reinvestment of organic coffee profit back into the community in these Third World countries.

A dollar spent on a 12 oz. bag of dark roasted organic coffee goes a long way towards helping coffee producing communities. It is money spent towards a generous overhead, which is the continuation of the supply chain that guarantees a reasonable price for production. Buying organic coffee supports the social work major companies aregoing to improve supply chains in these regions. Remember, farmers have to go through an extensive evaluation process in having their coffee called organic. With profit differences between standard coffee crops and organic coffee groups similar, many farmers can easily opt to stick with the former. All in all, organic coffee is worth the price for the reasons outlined above.

For more information on organic coffee or for organic coffee recipes

Scott Wilson has been a importer and roaster of organic coffee for over a decade. He is also the owner of Stonehill Manor Organic Coffee