WaterFilter.com

What is Sustainable Coffee and How Does it Affect My Wake Cup?

Gourmet coffee lovers have been seeing a few new terms in the local premium coffee shop as they file past the seasonal retail displays of roasted whole bean bagged coffees. Phrases include eco-friendly, organic, shade grown, fair trade and certified sustainable. Most often those beans seem to the casual buyer to be simply more expensive than the corporate mega-brands.

But these few phrases represent far more than at first glance, including economic and social gains for the growing regions and farmers, harvesters and processors of green coffee beans at the local level. Sustainable coffee means premium prices and quality coffee due to organic farming practices, fair market payment for beans to local growers and quality controls being adopted by the "certified" coffee brands.

Those premium coffee prices reflect growing concerns worldwide of paying fair wages to growers, using more expensive ecologically friendly organic farming practices, better pay for traditionally underpaid harvesters and processing workers and strict quality controls being adopted for "certified sustainable coffees."

Daniele Giovannucci consults with governments, international agencies, and businesses on coffee markets and production strategies to improve competitiveness and support innovative environmental and rural poverty reduction work. Giovannucci has authored exhaustive studies, including the 2003, "The State of Sustainable Coffee Report - A Study of Twelve Major Markets."

http://www.cec.org/files/PDF/ECONOMY/CoffeeSurvey_EN.pdf

This study discusses coffee market forces in Europe and Japan and the growth of sustainable coffee around the world, estimating that fair trade, organic, and eco-friendly coffees represent less than 2 percent of coffee consumption in developed markets.

Another Giovannucci authored study, "Sustainable Coffee Survey of the North American Specialty Coffee Industry," he estimates the Global market for sustainable coffee to be approximately $565 million retail for over a million 60 kilo (about 132 pounds) bags of green coffee beans.

http://www.eftafairtrade.org/Document.asp?DocID=391&tod=21534

It is estimated that growers of certified sustainable coffees can nearly double their income from otherwise depressed coffee prices. So economically challenged third world countries see small farmers adopting organic growing techniques as a ticket out of poverty and subsistence. Corporate buyers are attracted to sustainable growers by consumer goodwill and health concerns related to those organically grown coffees. This leads to dubious claims by some of the corporate coffee representatives and has lead to the need for certification authorities.

One group, Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) has been active in monitoring and certifying, auditing and verifying standards for sustainable coffees. Another, named Transfair USA, carries on similar activities in the American coffee market. Consumers are justifiably confused when many terms are applied to sustainable coffees and fail to differentiate between organic, eco-friendly, fair trade and sustainable terms.

Premium prices are sometimes supported by certification, labeling and monitoring by third-party organizations and sometimes by local governments such as the "Jamaica Coffee Industry Board." But some labeling is simply slick sales and PR by greedy corporations seeking premium prices for average coffee beans, so support for labeling initiatives and independent certification is growing.

Fair Trade and sustainable coffees are seeing increasing production in Central and South American growing regions, most notably in Mexico and Peru. Columbia has seen some pressure and attempts to divert production of cocaine with coffee crops for the fair trade market with little major success to report so far. Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia are big participants in sustainable coffees in Africa while East Timor, India and Indonesia are major supporters of sustainable coffee in Asia.

With the North American coffee market dominated by multinational giants Sara Lee, Kraft and Procter & Gamble, little interest has been shown in adopting sustainable coffee by major corporate coffee producers. Meanwhile, Brazil and Vietnam, the world's No. 1 and No. 2 coffee producers, respectively are flooding the market with poor quality beans and driving down coffee prices.

But major grocery chains are seeing demand for sustainable coffee and may adopt fair trade and organic coffees to sell nationwide at Safeway, Kroger and Albertson's stores. Increases in availability, demand and awareness of sustainable coffee are leading to more of the same in a spiraling increase for fair trade organic and shade coffees in premium markets. Some sustainable coffees are even finding their way into instant coffees, but the vast majority of the sustainable market is in premium and specialty markets.

© Copyright 2005 - http://www.TastesOfTheWorld.net

Tastes of The World coffee company http://www.tastesoftheworld.net focuses on specialty gourmet coffees which are not readily available in the United States. Rare Gourmet Coffee from Jamaica Blue Mountain to Kopi Luwak exotic and fine Italian Espressos from Illy and Marcafe as well as a selection of premium Puerto Rican coffees including Cafe Tres Picachos.

Come discuss your favorites in the coffee talk forums at http://www.tastesoftheworld.net/talk/

MORE ARTICLES:

Controversial Magnets For Treating Water
Magnets being used for treating water are a subject that is not so well received. One side of the line is saying the water treatment magnets are the fastest and more immediate way to treat water. The others are claiming that they do not do anything.

Convert Your Car To Burn Water - Do It Yourself Hho Gas Car Kit Conversion Browns Gas Water Hybrid
HHO gas is the latest innovation to increase gas mileage you may have seen it in the news. When you make an HHO fuel cell for you car or truck you will increase power and improve emissions. Your car will be a water hybrid of sorts by using water. An HHO Generator creates HHO gas and is not exactly zero point energy but you can expect to see and increase in gas mileage of 20 - 50%.

Water Fountains Décor Opens New Blog
WaterFountainsDecor.com has opened a customer-friendly blog for their fountain business, illustrating product features and new additions as well as encouraging customers to post their thoughts and suggestions.

Water As Fuel For Cars - How To Make Water Fueled Car At Your Home?
The concept of running water as fuel for cars has been something scientists and researchers have been attempting for quite some time With the high fuel prices as well as the pollution being an ever-increasing concern, the idea of water grows in the minds of these scientists and researchers

Save money Eating Healthy the No Organic way!
1. Eliminate junk food - gawd! This was very hard at first!

Mining Industry and Water Protection
Modern mines collect veins of materials, which have been trapped over millions of years in the sediment. Once out in the open they can get into the ground water and move down hill with the normal erosion patterns and water flows.

De-ionized Water Strategies for Mobile Car Washes and Detailers
Many mobile auto detailers and car washes use filtrated or water conditioning systems to insure no water spots on the vehicles they clean. It improves the process and speed of cleaning and allows for superior results.

How To Avoid Having Filters Eat Your Emails
You've probably read 1000 times that "the money's in the list." If you're an Internet or email marketer, that's only partly true.

Water and Weight Loss
Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight. Water suppresses the appetite and helps to reduce the body fat.

Is Green Tea Really Healthy?
For several years now, we?ve been hearing about how green tea can prevent many serious diseases, including cancer. As the evidence mounts, it can be hard to ignore the fact that green tea is a powerful way to protect your health.

Make Eating Healthy Foods Fun
Children everywhere in the world have an on-going love affair with junk food such as hamburgers, pizza, candy, soda and salty foods like potato chips and french fries. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a single child who has these same strong feeling for the healthy food that they need such as grains, vegetables, fruits and foods reach in nutrients such as meat, beans, fish and nuts.

Brew It Yourself With A Coffee Of The Month Club
A "coffee of the month club" membership is one the best gifts you can give to your favorite coffee lover. You can give and receive some of the best roasts that the world has to offer. First, you have beans that are produced in Africa, which are renowned for their wine-like undertones and their citrus tastes. Central America will ship you beans with a mild to medium taste and an even, well-balanced flavor. The beans from Brazil, which most Americans drink routinely without knowing, will be a top-notch quality not found often in a can, with the same familiar and reassuring flavor but more pronounced. Coffees produced in Asia have a more earthy flavor, with notes of mocha and citrus. However, whether it's you receiving the coffee of the month ...

Campfire Cooking (Some Yummy Recipes)
It's almost picnic and camping time across most of North America. For that next trip into the woods or at the park, consider these treats—especially for the kids.

More Than Just Tips On Cooking Healthy Food
Cooking healthier food doesn't mean that you should intake only odorless and tasteless food. Today with the availability of numerous cook books and recipes on healthy living, anybody can prepare a tastier and healthier food in the comfort of their home. The choice of right kind of food ingredients is very crucial while preparing a healthy food. You can give a slight modification to your favorite recipe by including certain nutritious and healthier ingredients and alter here and there without compromising on taste and health. Just ensure that you reduce the calorific value and remove the fat content.