Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world and the most widely traded agricultural commodity. What makes it sustainable is whether it is good for the environment and good for the people who grow it. Rising global demand has led to deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, wildlife habitat loss, and other strains on the environment. Many coffee species, including Coffea Arabica, are at risk of extinction because of climate change. In addition, the profits of big franchises are not trickling down to those who grow the beans. According to The Guardian, “Third world coffee farmers receive a paltry 10% of the eventual retail price.”
Fair Trade vs. Direct Trade
According to Forbes, 80% of coffee growers are poor farmers in less developed countries. Fair Trade is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes fair pay and ethical treatment for producers in developing countries and awards certifications to companies that adhere to 10 principles of fair trade, including the prohibition of child and forced labor. Direct-trade.org defines direct trade as connecting suppliers (farmers) with buyers (manufacturing companies), without any intermediaries, in a way that they become dependent on each other´s success, ethics, and professionalism. In a nutshell, both Fair Trade and direct trade cut out the middleman by working directly with coffee farmers. According to webstaurantstore.com, “Fair trade was built to improve the lives of farmers while direct trade places their focus on the quality of their coffee. Just as Fair Trade’s social standards result in a better quality product, direct trade’s commitment to a high-quality product winds up helping farmers.”
Because of its appealing label on products, Fair Trade may seem like the gold standard for coffee, but keep in mind that it requires fees and dues for certification that may be too expensive for small, independent farmers. Another downside to fair trade can be a lack of transparency. Large companies can claim to be fair traders even if it’s only a fraction of their sales. This puts small, 100% fair trade importers at a disadvantage. Also, certification doesn’t take into account that what constitutes a fair, living wage for workers to subsist on in one area may not apply to another area.
According to this article, "Fair Trade Vs. Direct Trade Coffee: The Jargon of Sustainability," some roasters like Roasty feel that the movement is “a result of ethical consumerism….and that coffee should be considered more of an artisanal craft than a commodity…Direct trade is less of an organization and more a method of ideology.” Read here for more on "What Is Fair Trade Coffee?"
The downside of direct trade is that a lack of regulation and certification means it relies on the transparency, ethics, and honesty of distributors. Pioneering companies that are trying to combat this issue include Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Counter Culture Coffee. By the way, according to Roast Magazine’s Roaster of the Year Award, Counter Culture Coffee has won the Best Sustainable Coffee Brand award since 2005 for its direct trade standards and eco-friendly farming. Annual sustainability reports are even on the company’s website. Go here for multiple takes on "What Does Direct Trade Really Mean."
The Advantage of Single Origin Coffee
Single-origin coffee means coffee that is sourced from a single farm or multiple farms within the same region or even country. Small farms facilitate a more artisanal approach that results in a concentration of flavors. Small batch coffee is also more likely to be shade-grown, which supports native bee populations and preserves biodiversity. Typically, single origin coffee is more ethically sourced and enables a mutually beneficial relationship between coffee companies and producers, enforces fair labor practices and compensation, and may provide profit sharing, local community support, and other initiatives.
By contrast, mass-market coffee involves blending and balancing coffees from different regions so it provides consistent flavor but at the expense of signature and distinctive flavors. Producers are able to cut corners by not paying farmers fair wages or using destructive agricultural practices. In the 1970s, coffee producers started cutting down trees to increase crop yields, but sun-grown coffee grows in rows with no canopy, and this destroys forests, degrades soil and water, and requires the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Coffee's Carbon Footprint
Since most of our coffee in the United States is imported, it is not the most sustainable commodity around. A product’s sustainability depends in part on the “food miles” it travels to get to your local roaster, grocery, or café. Over 70 countries produce coffee beans, but the majority comes from five distant countries, which ramps up our collective carbon footprint: Brazil, Vietnam, Columbia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.
Why isn’t more coffee grown here? Coffee is a tropical crop that requires a wet, humid, and temperate climate. Warm, dappled sunlit days and colder nights allow coffee berries to mature slowly, which is key to producing high quality coffee. It thrives in “The Bean Belt,” at high altitudes near the equator and beneath the forest canopy. Luckily, coffee is starting to be sourced more locally.
Coffee already grows in the United States but mostly in Hawaii, California (concentrated in Santa Barbara and San Diego counties), and the American territory of Puerto Rico. More coffee farms are springing up around the USA, and our neighbor to the south, Mexico, produces many excellent certified organically grown coffees.
What Is First, Second, and Third Wave Coffee?
First wave coffee is the coffee your parents probably served, like Folgers or Maxwell House. An example of second wave coffee is Starbucks, one of the largest purchasers of Fair Trade certified coffee in the world. Third wave coffee roasters like Stumptown or Verve emphasize where and how the coffee was sourced and the customer’s coffee experience. According to the online article, "What (Exactly) is Third Wave Coffee?" the three core values of third wave coffee are "artisanship, aesthetic, and traceability." Your barista may talk to you about your latte when she serves it up and give the backstory of the beans, the innovative brewing methods, and why it’s a fairer, better tasting brew. Read more on "22 Artisanal Coffee Roasters You Need To Try" here.
Takeaway Tip: Whatever You Do, Avoid Keurig K-cups
Last year, Keurig sold more than nine billion of its traditional single-serve plastic coffee pods (K-Cups). According the The New York Times, “Placed end to end, the pods sold in a year would circle the globe roughly 10 times.” The cups are not reusable or compostable, and although they have been engineered to now be recyclable, this does not mean people will actually recycle them, which, of course, is true of any recyclable item we purchase. The Natural Resources Defense Council says, “The production of these coffee pods requires energy, materials, chemicals, water, and transportation. Recycling helps mitigate the effects of sending them to a landfill, but that does not offset the environmental effects of making them in the first place.” Go here for full article. Since we’re all staying in place and visiting cafes less often these days, here's an efficient 101 guide on different home brewing methods. Don’t forget to use sustainable sugar and cream in your coffee – but that’s a subject for a separate article!
Some Contra Costa County coffee businesses that support sustainable practices:
Barrelista, Martinez, https://www.barrelistacoffee.com
Bondadoso, 2195 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek, https://www.bondadoso.com
Contra Costa Coffee, Walnut Creek, https://www.contracostacoffee.com/shop
Equator Coffee, https://www.equatorcoffees.com/pages/our-impact
Kinesas Coffee Roasters, https://www.kinesis-coffee.com/#kinesis-coffee-roasters
Mountain Grounds, Martinez, https://www.mtngrounds.com
Philz Coffee, Walnut Creek and Lafayette, https://www.philzcoffee.com
Rooted, Pleasant Hill, https://www.rootedcoffeeco.com
States Coffee and Mercantile, Martinez, www.statescoffee.com
Thank you to Spencer Doughtie, assistant manager for Verve Coffee at Seabright, Santa Cruz, for sharing his expertise on coffee!
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