How to Buy Coffee Sustainably
Coffee is the beverage of the millennium. And you’re either one of three people: Those who drink it, those who don’t, and those who produce it.
The bad news is, however, the balance has always been tipped in the disfavor of the people who grow it, through unfair labor practices and predatory businesses, and the earth which it has grown on, through deforestation and broad climate change.
The good news, however, is that the situation is beginning to gradually improve. Third-party certifications are giving large coffee roasters more incentive to improve their impact on producers and the environment, research is showing new ways to practice agricultural sustainably and efficiently, and more coffee plantations around the world are starting to adopt these practices to make better crops and better quality of life with the same amount of land.
However, the best way that you can support and harbor this change for the better is buying coffee sustainably and with producers in mind. Many people are making this change, as demand for quality coffee that meats sustainability certifications and evidence of treating the producers and the planet well has certaintly never been higher. There are several ways that you can make changes and start drinking caffeine consciously:
Focus on Traceability
Transparency and honesty is a good thing. Most of us can agree on that. When products are transparent, we can see some of the whats, whens, wheres, whys, and hows behind the steps in their production from the farm or factory into our house. This same principle should be no different in coffee.
Generally, the geographic traceability goes something like this: Continent > Country > Region > Farm. Broadly speaking, if all you can find about the coffee is the continent or country, there’s a higher chance there’s exploitation involved in the production process, because you can’t pinpoint unfair practices to a single farm. So please, try to buy from coffee companies that can tell you the most about where the beans come from.
Coffee Certifications
Most products you see nowadays have some sort of environmental certification on them. They might start to be losing their luster and becoming more of a marketing term than an actual symbol of quality. Even then, there are sill some certifications that can still mean something in the field of coffee, even if those certifications do bring about some flaws.
Many of these certifications, such as being “Bird-Friendly” call for rigorous requirements to do things such as prioritizing native wildlife, shade, and efficient and environmentally-friendly architecture. Other broad certifications, such as the UTZ certification, place priorities on sustainable and efficient farming practices and healthy working conditions. These hard-to-get labels are strongly incentivized, as coffee producers that have these certifications can then procure better prices when selling their beans across the globe. So look out for these certifications, and you’ll be able to support producers that produce responsibly.
Buy from Real Coffee Places
If you’ve ever been able to have the experience, sitting down at a small coffee shop near you will always beat the jaunt to Starbucks or other restaurant that serves coffee. If you can, do your most to leverage this experience by either keep going to the small coffee shops or bringing their products back home for your convenience. It’s the ethical thing to do.
The business models of larger companies like Folgers, Starbucks, and Maxwell House rely on scale: They want as much coffee as possible, it doesn’t matter where it’s from or how it’s produced, as long as it’s cheap, has caffeine, and is brown. On the other hand, small coffee shops often are attracted to more sustainable options, not just because of it being lucrative nowadays, but oftentimes out of a genuine love for coffee. And at the end of the day, being able to foster a love for coffee in a sustainable and responsible way, while also benefiting the community around you, is ultimately a good thing. So be a good human, and caffeinate wisely.
