Sustainable Coffee

If you are interested in supporting the green movement, consider buying sustainable coffee.  What is sustainable coffee? 

1. Shade-Grown

One of the things that makes sustainable coffee particularly interesting is the fact that it is shade-grown.  This means that the coffee beans are grown under a canopy of trees. 

When this is done, the beans take a longer time to mature.  As a result, the sugars become more develop, making the coffee richer and more delectable for consumers.

But that’s not the only advantage to shade-growth.  The process also provides a home for birds, who often don’t have a place to go in some of the regions where sustainable coffee is commonly grown. 

2. Chemical-Free

Sustainable coffee is usually grown without the use of herbicides, pesticides or other harmful chemicals.  Natural methods are used to help control insect problems… if it’s even an issue.  Remember, if sustainable coffee is shade-grown, any birds coming to the area will consume the insects. 

3. Natural Fertilizer

Sustainable coffee is also grown with natural fertilizer.  The most common is manure or compost heaps, though sometimes other organic materials are used as well. 

4. Water Conservation

Sustainable coffee growers use the water from their fermentation tanks for coffee irrigation.  This puts the water to good use.  If it wasn’t done, water might get redirected to lakes or rivers, which would pollute them.  But with this technique the water never gets thrown away.  Additionally, it helps prevent having to use ‘new’ water.

5. Fuel Conservation

Sustainable coffee growers tend to not use eucalyptus trees as their source for fuel.  Instead, they opt to use coffee husks.

6. Green Mindset

Finally, sustainable coffee tends to be produced from individuals who were very ‘green’ to begin with.  They decide to grow sustainable coffee because they want to preserve the rainforests or other important areas. 

Indeed, their goals are different than many corporate coffee brands.  Yes, they want to make money, but that is a secondary concern. 

What matters most is their love for farming, especially farming in a way that will help sustain the future of the environment.

In conclusion, there are several factors that give sustainable coffee its namesake.  Now, should these factors be enough for you to consider changing the brand you drink every morning? 

Of course!  Not only will you find that sustainable coffee is more delicious, but you will also feel good that you’re investing in a company that is making an effort to preserve the environment. 

Granted, you may have to do a little bit of shopping around to find sustainable coffee, but with the Internet and the prevalence of organic food stores, the process shouldn’t be too difficult.