Organic coffee — coffee with a mission
Coffee that tastes wonderful, offers a wealth of aromas and is grown with care for the people behind it, in distant corners of the world. How is excellent organic coffee produced? Where do its flavour and aroma come from? And why do the principles of fair trade matter?
Imagine sunlit slopes around 1,500 metres above sea level in India or Ethiopia, where local coffee varieties grow on small family farms. The plants are tended carefully on fertile soil, following organic-growing practices. Ripe cherries are picked, processed and dried, preserving the individual character of the coffee.
Careful roasting and grinding just before brewing then help release that richness. Does a fresh, fragrant cup sound appealing? We have coffees for you to discover.
Organic coffee
In simple terms, certified organic or BIO coffee meets a defined set of standards covering cultivation and the handling and processing of the beans. Organic production restricts synthetic fertilisers and plant-protection products and requires documented procedures and checks.
Meeting these requirements can be demanding. Many organic coffees come from small farms whose growers work together in local cooperatives, although organic certification is not limited to small or entirely unmechanised farms.
Careful cultivation allows the coffee cherries to develop their character in suitable conditions. To carry the relevant certification, the growing and supply-chain procedures must meet the applicable standards and be checked by authorised bodies.
Hand picking, sun drying and certified processing facilities feature in many of the coffees described here. Certification concerns how the coffee is produced and handled; flavour still depends on the beans, growing conditions, processing and roast.
Fair trade
Fair-trade coffees are also available in Poland and feature in our selection. The idea is to support fairer terms for producers, especially small growers, and help communities build more secure livelihoods.
Fairtrade certification has its own standards and is separate from organic certification. It can include a minimum-price framework, an additional premium and requirements concerning producer organisations and working conditions. It does not mean that all intermediaries disappear or that the entire retail price goes directly to a grower.
These principles matter particularly in the developing regions that supply much of the world's coffee. Choosing a coffee with the relevant organic and fair-trade credentials means considering more than flavour alone: the way it was produced and the people behind it matter too.