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ORGANIC
Coastal Roasters offers Certified Organic coffees & teas, by the cup or pound or ounce. We also use & sell Certified
Organic Cocoa.
According to new federal guidelines & definitions (source:USDA - see link below):
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation
of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. ... Organic food is produced without using most
conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.
Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make
sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic
food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.
Organic coffees & teas are a result of environmentally safe, friendly production practices. This includes growing, harvesting,
processing & storing. The benefits to the environment are well known. The benefits to you, our customers, is that you:
* Help protect the environment: Certified Organic growers use safer alternatives to harmful chemicals for pesticides,
herbicides or fertilizers, use sustainable growing practices, recycle by-products (like unused coffee/tea leaves for fertilizer),
recapture water for reuse
* Consume a chemical-free cuppa: The certification means that growers, processors, shippers, importers & roasters
have all followed strictly regulated guidelines ensuring that the final product you buy has been carefully handled all along
the way.
For more information, you can check out USDA Organic Products Consumer Information.
SHADE GROWN & BIRD FRIENDLY
Certified Shade Grown coffees are much more common today as growers find that it offers various environmental
benefits as well as economical enhancements - both in the growing & in the selling. Customers, like ours at Coastal Roasters,
are interested in supporting environmentally friendly practices. This translates into increased interest in Shade Grown coffees,
which translates into more availability & choices. It's a win-win-win for the consumer-grower-plants/animals.
Shade grown coffee comes from farms where coffee trees are shadowed under a canopy of taller native shade trees. Shade Grown
coffee provides a foundation for biodiversity, including habitat for migratory birdsongs. Shade coffee contrasts with clear-cut
coffee, which is how one might describe mass produced, modernized coffee.
Rainforest Alliance Certification indicates that "under the auspices of the Sustainable Agriculture Network
(SAN), the Rainforest Alliance and their partner organizations work with farmers to bring their operations up to our standards
for protecting wildlife, wild lands, workers’ rights and local communities.
The SAN awards the Rainforest Alliance Certified eco-label to farms, not to companies or products. Certification is wholly
voluntary.
Farms in the program are fully inspected each year and must demonstrate continued progress in order to maintain their certified
status.
The certification seal acts as a guarantee, assuring Coastal Roasters' customers that the products you are buying have been
produced and/or manufactured according to a specific set of criteria balancing ecological, economic, and social considerations.
Certification protects wildlife. Certified farmers plant trees along roads, around housing, and in areas not suitable for
crops. To control erosion and to limit the need for agrochemicals, they also plant buffer zones of native vegetation along
rivers and springs and allow ground cover to grow. And they manage all pollutants, from tractor fuel to coffee mill wastewater.
Certification protects workers. Certified farms hire locally, pay fair wages, and ensure safe working conditions and access
to clean drinking water and proper sanitary facilities. In all, more than 50,000 farm families are enjoying the benefits of
the program.
Certification is an incentive to make environmental and social improvements. Implementing the program helps farms reduce costs,
improves quality and increases productivity. Farms that meet the standards may use the Rainforest Alliance Certified label
in selling their products -- a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.
Certification gives consumers a say in how farms are managed. Shoppers who want to encourage good land stewardship and ecosystem
conservation can shop for certified products."
Shade grown coffees help preserve the existing, native habitat & tropical forests. In this process, canopies of trees (with
all the natural diversity) are left virtually in place while the coffee plants grow beneath in dappled sunlight.
The information above came from the websites (click on these two links for more information) of two organizations dedicated
to Shade Grown coffee production:
Rainforest Alliance and the Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center.
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