WHAT MAKES COFFEE ORGANIC? What does ‘organic’ actually mean? Organic food and drink products are farmed without man-made fertilisers, additives, antibiotics or pesticides, and are also free from irradiation and any use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). All this is prohibited by official organic legislation formed by each participating country across the world. What makes coffee organic? No synthetic fertilisers or any chemicals are used to grow organic coffee beans. In fact, the only permitted fertilisers are in themselves organic; coffee pulp, compost, or manure.1 The pros of organic coffee… • Organic coffee farms emit less carbon than their chemical alternatives. • They even store their carbon emissions to be absorbed by plants and deposited in the soil. • No fertilisers or chemicals used in growing or production means cleaner beans, air, land, and water. • Beans are perceived as being healthier due to the process leading to a rise in antioxidants. • Some consumers have even reported a noticeable and positive difference in taste between chemically grown and organic coffee.
…and the challenges • Organic coffee production can be costly for farmers, as they must undergo third party certification checks as a legal requirement for the use of organic labels, and operate under organic regulations for at least two years before being certified and capitalising on any premiums.* Should they have a pest outbreak, this could decimate crops and remove any financial security moving forward. Therefore, it’s often larger farms that are able to become organic rather than the smaller growers who arguably need the most support. • Organic coffee can be more expensive to produce than its alternative due to the sheer number of people that are required to keep production up to strict standards and the higher cost of organic fertilisers. Subsequently, there is a higher cost to the consumer. • There is no singular set of international organic production standards for organic coffee alone, making it more difficult for consumers to be well-informed when choosing to ‘go organic.’
Research shows that a new generation of coffee drinkers are leaning towards more thoughtfully produced beans when they purchase coffee. They’re even willing to pay up to 42% more for organic products. 2 However, it’s clear that the market has a way to go before organic coffee becomes the overwhelming choice, and so the question is: would you be willing to accept higher cost prices for organic coffee, and do you think your customers would pay a premium? Perhaps only time will tell, but we’ll be watching closely.
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1. Equal Exchange: Organic Vs. Conventional Coffee. 2. Shopmium: The UK Organic Market: Everything You Should Know. 2019. *Varies by country.