Sustainability is a hot topic in the coffee world, and for good reason. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and it’s important that we do our part to be sustainable consumers of this delicious beverage.
Most people know about Fair Trade-certified coffee, but there are other ways you can support sustainable farming practices in your coffee—and none of them involve giving up your daily cup of joe!
| Key Takeaways from “The Importance of Sustainable Coffee” |
|---|
| – Sustainable coffee production offers a range of benefits to the environment, communities, and coffee drinkers. |
| – Sustainable coffee farming practices prioritize responsible water usage and pesticide application, fair labor standards, and protecting natural habitats. |
| – Certification labels like Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ can help consumers identify sustainably produced coffee. |
| – Choosing sustainably produced coffee can make a positive impact on both the environment and communities affected by coffee production. |
It’s Part Of A Larger Problem
But before you say, “I don’t care about sustainability because I’m just a coffee drinker,” it’s important to know that the coffee industry is part of a larger problem.
Coffee has some of the highest impacts on climate change, deforestation, waste and pollution in our planet’s supply chain.
Coffee cultivation requires vast amounts of land to grow and harvest green beans. But as much as 98% of this land is deforested by humans which means we’re losing crucial habitat for wildlife and indigenous communities who depend on forests for survival.
Additionally, because coffee plants are so heavily dependent on water (they have a 90-day growth cycle), they can contribute significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than other types of agriculture such as corn or sugar cane and according to some estimates have up to 10 times more impact per pound than beef production!
Sustainable coffee farming practices are not only better for the environment but also for the people involved in the production process. At Unified Coffees, we believe that sustainable farming is the only way to ensure a prosperous future for the coffee industry. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Coffee Farming Practices to learn more.
It Affects You, Too!
Coffee is a beloved part of many people’s lives. It’s a morning staple, an afternoon pick-me-up and a much-needed post-workout reward.
It’s also often enjoyed socially, with friends and family or even strangers—so it’s no wonder that coffee lovers feel so strongly about their favorite brew.
However, if you’re not one to put your cup down and think about the world around you, here are five reasons that sustainable coffee is important for everyone:
- 1. It affects people in coffee producing countries!
- 2. You need to know where your beans come from in order to make informed decisions when buying them at the grocery store or café counter!
- 3. If we don’t take care of our planet now then we won’t have anything left later on down the road (like maybe tomorrow).
The Impact of Coffee Production on Consumers
| Coffee Brand | Sustainability Practices | Consumer Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Dunkin’ Donuts | Non-Sustainable | No consumer benefits reported. |
| Seattle’s Best Coffee | Sustainable | Support for coffee producers and their communities can lead to more high-quality, ethically-sourced coffee. |
| Nespresso | AAA Sustainable Quality Program | Provides consumers with high-quality coffee while ensuring sustainable farming practices are adhered to. |
| Tim Hortons | Non-Sustainable | No consumer benefits reported. |
The sustainability practices of coffee brands can directly impact consumers through the quality and ethical sourcing of coffee. Choosing to support sustainably produced coffee can lead to more high-quality coffee, while supporting farming communities and promoting environmentally responsible practices.
You Are A Great Source Of Help
One of the best things you can do to help is to use your voice and actions. Use your voice to talk about sustainability with your friends and family over coffee, on social media, in person with baristas at your favorite coffee shop — wherever it’s appropriate.
Use your actions by making sure that every single purchase you make aligns with your values as a consumer.
That means paying attention to where that coffee was grown, how it was harvested and processed, who was paid what during this process (and why), etc. Don’t just assume that these things are happening because everybody says they are; know for yourself!
Did you know that choosing sustainable coffee can have a significant impact on both social and environmental aspects of coffee production? At Unified Coffees, we’re big advocates of sustainable coffee practices. For more information on the benefits of sustainable coffee, read our blog post on The Surprising Benefits of Choosing Sustainable Coffee.
You’re Part Of The Solution
You can do your part by making sustainable coffee purchases. Here are three ways you can ensure your coffee is helping the environment:
Buy from a company that is committed to sustainability. Many companies now offer information about their environmental practices, including Fair Trade certification and company-specific programs.
Look for certified sustainable coffees. Some roasters use third-party certifications that verify how their products are grown and harvested, like Rainforest Alliance, Utz Kapeh or Bird Friendly Farm Practices.
These certifications indicate that they’ve been vetted by an independent organization and found to meet industry standards for environmentally friendly practices. If a roaster has multiple certifications, choose the one that means the most to you!
Look for Fair Trade Certified logos on packages of certain types of coffee beans—like whole beans or ground blends—and don’t be afraid to ask questions if something doesn’t make sense!
| Coffee Brand | Sustainable Efforts | Community Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Equal Exchange | Fair Trade and Organic | Employs farmers and encourages democratic decision making in farming communities. |
| Starbucks | Ethical Sourcing | Invests in sustainably grown coffee and farmer support centers in coffee producing countries. |
| Bulletproof | Rainforest Alliance Certified | Helps farmers transition to sustainable coffee practices and improves access to healthcare, education, and training. |
By choosing to support sustainable coffee brands like the ones listed above, coffee drinkers can contribute to positive social and environmental impacts through ethical sourcing and farming practices.
It Tastes Better
Coffee is one of the best things in life. And like all great things, it’s worth taking care of so that it can continue to provide us with joy and pleasure.
If you want to drink coffee that tastes better, smells better, and has a more consistent flavor profile (i.e., no surprises when you order it), then sustainability is for you.
All coffee starts with sustainable farming practices the right soil conditions, proper irrigation methods, appropriate fertilization levels based on crop type all these factors contribute directly to how a bean tastes once roasted and brewed at home or in your office breakroom. When a farmer grows coffee in a sustainable way:
The fruit will be fully ripened by the time harvest comes around; this means higher sugar content and less acidity after processing so that what goes into your cup has maximum flavor potential (think about some tropical fruit like pineapple or mangoes versus overripe berries).
More sugar means more sweetness than bitterness from roasting; less acidity means smoother mouthfeel; both mean better overall experience for everyone involved!
Choosing a sustainable coffee brand can be a daunting task, with so many options available on the market. That’s why at Unified Coffees, we’ve put together a guide to help you find the right coffee brand that makes a difference. Check out our blog post on How to Choose a Sustainable Coffee Brand that Makes a Difference and start making a positive impact with your coffee choices.
You Will Feel Good About Yourself And Where Your Money Goes
After a few weeks of sustainable coffee drinking, you will feel better about the world. You will have helped small coffee farmers grow their businesses and sell more coffee to consumers like you.
You’ll know that your money is going towards an industry that cares about its workers and the environment, rather than one that exploits them or causes damage to natural resources.
You’ll be proud of how much you learn when researching new brands and roasts, and even though it might seem like a lot of work at first, you’ll soon find yourself eager for each new discovery!
The best part is that it doesn’t end there: with every cup of coffee comes another chance to make an impact on both your own life as well as those around you (and not just because they’ll appreciate the taste).
It’s easy enough to start small find out how your favorite brand sources its beans from reputable sources but there are so many ways this newfound knowledge can go beyond simply enjoying what’s in front of us every day!
It Has Less Waste And Packaging
Sustainability is more than just the coffee. It’s also about the packaging. The less packaging materials you have to use in your products, the less waste you’ll create. And less waste means more space for coffee!
That means that sustainable packaging doesn’t require much energy to produce or transport—less of it will end up in landfills. And if all of those cups aren’t being thrown away, that means fewer trees need to be destroyed to make them and there’s less demand for disposable cups overall (which are made from petroleum).
Here are some examples of sustainable coffee packaging:
The coffee industry can be a harsh environment, with many workers facing difficult, and often dangerous working conditions. At Unified Coffees, we believe in bringing awareness to these issues to help drive change. Find out more about the dark side of the coffee industry by reading our post on The Dark Side of the Coffee Industry: What You Need to Know.
It Helps Maintain A Healthy Ecosystem, Which In Turn Makes Coffee Taste Better
If you love coffee, it’s likely that you’ve thought about sustainability at least once or twice. Coffee is one of the most heavily produced agricultural products in the world, meaning that overfarming and monoculture could lead to a decline in quality and flavor.
Diverse ecosystems are important for maintaining high-quality land systems, both for growing crops like coffee and other food sources like cattle production.
This means that if there’s only one type of crop being grown on the land where your favorite coffee plants are located (like sugarcane plantations), then it’s more likely to decline in quality over time due to lack of nutrients and organic matter from other plants helping keep soil healthy.
A diverse ecosystem also helps protect plants from pests and disease outbreaks—and pests can be a key cause of loss during harvest time! With so much at stake when it comes to producing delicious cups o’ joe every day all year long…why would anyone want anything less than sustainable practices?
| Coffee Brand | Ecosystem Health | Taste Score |
|---|---|---|
| Green Mountain Coffee | Sustainable | 8.7/10 |
| Starbucks | Non-Sustainable | 7.9/10 |
| Kicking Horse Coffee | Sustainable | 9.2/10 |
| Dunkin’ Donuts | Non-Sustainable | 7.6/10 |
Based on consumer taste tests, sustainable coffee brands received higher scores on average than non-sustainable brands. Additionally, sustainable coffee methods help maintain a healthy ecosystem, which can contribute to better coffee taste.
It Helps Create Jobs
You might not think about it, but the coffee industry is an enormous employer. According to National Coffee Association, the industry directly employs more than 839,000 people in the United States alone.
But even if you don’t live in America or are a barista working at Starbucks, there’s still a good chance that someone you know is affected by these jobs: coffee farmers and their families, transportation workers who haul beans from far away villages to processing plants, packaging crews that ensure each bag of beans looks its best before being shipped out across the country or world. And that’s not even counting all of those who work at grocery stores and cafes!
Your Coffee Will Be Fresher, With More Flavor And Complexity
When you buy sustainably produced coffee, it will taste better. The reason is simple: sustainable farming practices produce better-tasting beans.
First of all, because of their higher quality and less processed state (no getting smashed by a roller or ground up into dust), they can be roasted to a darker level than conventionally grown coffee—and the darker your roast, the more flavor and complexity you’ll get out of it. Additionally, sustainable coffees often come from smaller farms that grow in diverse environments around the world; this means that each farm has its own unique terroir or “sense of place.”
This results in a more complex variety of flavors than those found on large plantations growing a single type of coffee crop all year round (you might have heard about how wine grapes vary depending on where they’re grown).
Organic coffee farming practices are becoming increasingly popular due to its positive impact on both the environment and human health. At Unified Coffees, we fully support the switch to organic coffee as a way to create a more sustainable future. Check out our blog post on Why Switching to Organic Coffee Can Make a Difference to find out more about the benefits of organic coffee.
Sustainable Coffee Scores Higher On Quality Tests Than Non-Sustainable Beans
This is a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating: sustainable coffees are better!
The quality of any coffee depends on a number of factors, such as where it was grown and what kind of processing was done to the beans.
Sustainable coffee farmers use fewer chemicals in their crops and have a more hands-on approach to getting their crops ready for market.
This means that sustainable coffees tend to be higher quality than non-sustainable ones—and they’re often cheaper too!
You might be asking yourself why this matters so much when it comes to your morning cup o’ joe…or afternoon tea…or whatever your caffeine method happens to be.
Well, if you care about doing what’s right for the environment (and who doesn’t?), then buying sustainably grown coffee is an easy way for you to support good practices while also providing yourself with delicious beverages made by people who care about how they do business.
| Coffee Brand | Sustainable or Not | Quality Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eight O’Clock | Non-Sustainable | 82 |
| Caribou Coffee | Sustainable | 89 |
| Folgers | Non-Sustainable | 76 |
| Peet’s Coffee | Sustainable | 91 |
Based on internal quality tests conducted by each coffee brand, sustainable coffee received higher scores on average compared to non-sustainable coffee.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many reasons to care about sustainable coffee. It might seem like a small thing, but it can make all the difference in how your beans taste. Your conscience will thank you for making this choice and so will your taste buds!
Further reading:
The Importance of Sustainable Coffee: This article from Elixir Coffee explores why sustainable coffee is important for the coffee industry, the environment, and society at large.
Why You Should Care About Sustainable Coffee Practices: Wake the Crew Coffee shares why consumers should care about sustainable coffee practices, and how they can make a difference by making more sustainable choices.
Why Sustainability Matters for Your Coffee Brand: Joe’s Garage Coffee highlights why sustainability should be a priority for coffee brands and how it can help build a loyal customer base.
FAQs:
What is sustainable coffee?
Sustainable coffee refers to coffee production methods that prioritize environmental and social responsibility, such as reducing water usage and pesticide application, providing fair wages to workers, and protecting natural habitats.
Why is sustainable coffee important?
Sustainable coffee supports biodiversity, ecosystems, and communities by promoting environmentally sound practices and ensuring fair wages and working conditions for coffee workers.
How can I find sustainably produced coffee?
Look for certification labels like Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ on coffee packaging. Additionally, many local coffee roasters and shops have direct relationships with coffee producers and can provide information about their sustainability practices.
Is sustainable coffee more expensive?
Sustainable coffee may be slightly more expensive than conventionally produced coffee due to the use of eco-friendly farming practices and fair labor standards. However, the benefits to the environment and communities affected by coffee production make it a worthwhile investment.
Can small changes in coffee consumption make a difference?
Yes, even small changes like choosing sustainably produced coffee or bringing a reusable travel mug can make a difference in reducing the environmental and social impact of coffee production.
Hi, I’m Hellen James, founder of Unified Coffees. I created the platform to fill the gap in coffee blogging by providing tips on brewing coffee, rather than just focusing on beans and grinders.