COFFEE AND CERTIFICATIONS

Being one of the world's most popular items, there are a lot of opinions and information (and certifications) thrown about.  Some feel organic is the way it all should be, others argue for fair trade and some for bird friendly.  In response to many coffee growing horror stories (see Black Gold), certifications exploded in coffee during the 1990s and the start of the new millenium.  This was a positive response to many negative situations found throughout the world and allowed customers to have greater knowledge and control over the ethics of a product they purchased so consistently. It led to a more sustainable industry for smaller farmers in the form of controlled pricing (Fair Trade); it led to more environmentally conscious growing practices (Certified Organic); it led to greater efforts to conserve and manage rainforests (Rainforest Alliance); and it even led to a greater awareness of birds who move through regions growing coffee (Shade Grown). 

Today, I believe, many of these certifications are falling behind and this has been shown in the growth and interest in what coffee geeks have long termed the Third Wave of coffee.  While Third Wave principles likely grew out of a number of ideas and ideals, a principle component of Third Wave coffee is to connect the customer to the farm.  Rather than labelling a coffee as a Costa Rican, it is labelled as the crop and farm it is from (e.g. Hacienda Rio Negro) and as such transparency can be achieved. Realistically, however, who is going to check up on a farm even when told? And how would they do it? They could ask the barista or shop owner, but how many actually travel to source? It is a high demand and rare (luckily for Black Stilt customers, we have done it!).  So, if the information cannot be gleaned from a Third Wave coffeeshop, how can a customer tell if their coffees are ethical? First and foremost, taste the coffee. Great coffee cannot use an extensive amount of chemicals.  They may not be certified organic (to save certification costs and allow flexibility in case of a pest outbreak), but follow organic process as that is what great coffee demands.  Great coffee cannot grow in monoculture. It requires shade and higher altitudes. Great coffee also costs more. Today, small farms producing great coffee can still access wider markets through Cup of Excellence and larger farms producing great coffee simply charge more - several times what Fair Trade sets as its price. Great coffee is hard to grow and make.  To grow great coffee you need skilled pruners and pickers. To mill it properly, you need knowledgeable full-time employees and the necessary equipment.  To get all of this, as a grower, you gotta pay and keep those skilled people.

In essence, ethics and quality coffee go hand in hand.  If your coffeeshop is a strong believer in transparent business practices and produces an excellent cup of coffee (maybe try it without cream or get an espresso-based beverage 8oz or smaller to test it), chances are their coffee is purchased well above fair trade levels, using organic process in a bird friendly environment with highly skilled workers paid above the industry average. Even so, you should always ask. The more your shop knows about its coffee, the better you can feel about your decision to support them.

Our old info on certifications and random coffee tidbits will remain on this page, but watch out for new descriptions and definitions for more relevant coffee terms such as Third Wave, Direct Trade, and Cup of Excellence.

FAIR TRADE

Fair Trade coffee was created in response to the volatile market prices of the international whole bean coffee trade, which were driving some farmers to bankruptcy. A core component of Fair Trade coffee was to establish a minimum price per pound to create some stability in the coffee market and thereby provide opportunities to economically disadvantaged farmers. www.fairtradefederation.org

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

According to the Certified Organic Associations of BC, “Organic farming promotes the sustainable health and productivity of the ecosystem – soil, plants, animals and people. Organic foods are farmed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way, focusing on soil regeneration, water conservation and animal welfare.”
www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca

UTZ KAPEH

Utz Kapeh certified beans are grown on farms where the rights and welfare of farm employees are a priority. This includes access to education, health care, and clean water as well as freedom of cultural expression and fair wages. Utz Kapeh coffee boasts a track and trace system whereby anyone can trace the route back to their coffee’s farm of origin. See Utz Kapeh’s website’s “Code of Conduct” for a number of other standards ensured through biennial audits.www.utzkapeh.org

SHADE GROWN

Shade Grown coffee is the practice of sustainable agriculture, planting natural coffee trees in the deep shade of the rainforest canopy. This more traditional way of agriculture preserves the jungle canopy and encourages a biological diversity of plants and animals.

STRICTLY HARD BEAN (SHB)

Strictly Hard Bean coffees are considered premium among the coffee world. Grown at altitudes of 4,500 feet or higher, ensuring that the beans are dense and disease free.

SWISS WATER DECAFFEINATED COFFEES

All of our decaf coffees use The Swiss Water Process, a 100% chemical free coffee decaffeination process. Most other processes use chemical solvents, like methylene chloride, to decaffeinate coffee beans. The Swiss Water Process uses only water when removing caffeine, producing water processed decaf coffee.www.swisswater.com