What is organic coffee?

The leading producers of organic coffee in the world are Mexico, Costa Roca, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru. Organic coffee is grown using a production system intended to replenish and maintain soil fertility, without the use of toxic and persistent pesticide and fertilizers and build biologically divers agriculture.

Organic coffee is grown in the shade using traditional means only. In contrast to organic farming, conventional coffee production is dependent on petroleum-based fertilizers and agrichemicals.

Organic farmers are not permitted to use chemical and synthetic products. These products harm the environment because of their toxic components. Also synthetic fertilizers are forbidden. Organic farmers have to use manure and compost.

Organic fertilizers can reduce soil erosion and increase fertility by lowering bilk density. This means that farmers are not only growing healthy coffee, but they are putting vital nutrients back into their soils to help the next crop.

The coffee plant has a vital nutrient it produces - coffee pulp. Coffee pulp is the outside of the plant that can be salvaged and returned to the soil as an organic fertilizer. Most organic standards require ecological management of farms, soil conservations practices and require intensive on-farm record-keeping, among many other criteria.

Organic standard prohibits the use of non-approved synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides and genetically modified crops. Farms are certified organic by third party inspectors who follow an international code for each crop.
What is organic coffee?