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certifications:
Methods
The certification programs in
the coffee world are similar to those used for other agricultural
products, with the significant difference being that they are applied
to crops grown overseas that are subject very different social,
environmental and economic conditions than they are here in the
US. And like those we use here for produce, these programs are
used by consumers
to provide a verifiable means of understanding the sources and growing
methods of
coffee. Sadly, these same certifications can be (and are) exploited as
a marketing vehicle at
every level of the value chain.
Our most important suggestion about coffee certifications is that you
read the links below to understand all the issues at play with these
and the factors that should matter the most to you as you make your
purchase decisions.
Our certified coffees will all be labeled as such.
Certification Programs (click on the name of the
program for further information):
A good starting point in your reading is Ken David's article on
cause coffees.
Fair Trade: This link is for the
TransFair USA, which is the largest independent fair trade
certification
organization working in the US. The primary mission of TransFair and
other fair trade certifiers is to provide a mechanism to protect
smaller coffee growers from the pre-determined price constraints of the
commodity markets. These can, under certain market conditions,
cause farmers to have no choice but to sell their coffee at prices
below their actual cost of production.
Have a look at this Wikipedia
Article to understand more about the fair trade movement around the
world. You also might enjoy Dean Cycon's excellent book, JavaTrekker,
with many wonderful stories from Dean's worldwide travels sourcing
fairly traded coffee.
Organic: Organic coffee certifications
involve a long chain of control starting with a certification agency in
a producing country and extending all the way through the processing,
shipping, importation and roasting steps. This is far and away
the most common cerfication applied to coffee - and the most important
bit of advice here is that an organic certification is not an
indication of product quality. This is an article that describes
all
sides of the organic certification of agricultural products. Freeport
Coffee Roasting is certified as an organic food processor by MOFGA
Certifications.
Rainforest
Alliance: As with corn in the US, the largest scale coffee
growing takes place on enormous, open farms with mechanized processing
methods. Often the creation of these farms is through the razing
of large tracts of forest land, and when coffee is involved, there is a
quality impact, as smaller scale, more manual methods are replaced by
larger ones. The Rainforest Alliance Agriculture Certification
helps ensure that goods and services were produced in compliance
with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers
and local communities.
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Bird Friendly: The Bird
Friendly certification helps to protect migratory bird habitats that
can be destroyed when large farms are clear-cut.
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