that grows the maximum amount of a single crop (in this case, coffee) in one area to an inclusive farming style that seeks to preserve natural forest conditions in a sustainable way. Farmers looking to achieve RA certification must adhere to a number of sustainable growing practices. Farms must have at least 40% shade coverage, which includes a minimum amount of trees as well as species diversity. Natural water courses are not allowed to be altered and a natural buffer of vegetation must be maintained between crops and areas occupied by humans. Plant and animal diversity are encouraged and interference such as animal trafficking is prohibited. RA requires minimum wages be paid to workers, and no one under 15 may be hired. Minors who do work must be accompanied by a parent, allowed to continue their studies and are not allowed to carry more than 20% of their body weight. It’s extremely important to understand that the Rainforest Alliance label can be applied to products that contain a minimum of 30% of RA product. This means that up to 70% of some products can contain a product with no certification. An example would be an espresso blend that contains only 30% RA product and 70% uncertified product. Pay attention to see if the label indicates that the product is 100% certified. Farms that don’t quite meet standards but can be shown to be working toward those standards are allowed to be certified with the understanding of set goals to be accomplished. Farms of any size can achieve RA status. Rainforest Alliance does not have required minimum floor prices but leaves the task of earning a good price to the farmer.
James Spano is the owner and operator of Cup to Cup Coffee Roasters on Wilmington Island. cuptocup.wordpress.com 912.895.5866
Organic Organic certification is the most recognized certification across all agricultural products. In the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture sets the clear standards: Organic certification means that the product you as the consumer purchase was grown without the use of synthetic materials such as pesticides, herbicides, and agrochemicals. For coffee, 95% of the product must meet these conditions to achieve certification. Organic certification only covers growing practices— sustainable conditions are not specifically required as related to the farm in general,biodiversity is not required, and labor conditions are not specifically monitored. Economically speaking, farmers can take a big hit by choosing to become organic. Coffee farmers who seek organic certification must maintain organic growing practices for THREE YEARS before being allowed to sell their coffee as organic and receive the higher prices usually associated with this certification. When you combine this with the annual dues that must be paid to maintain certification status, and the fact that an organic coffee farm loses approximately 20% of its annual crop due to insects and disease, certification is simply impossible for some farms. In the end, these certifications all have qualities that appeal to both farmers and consumers who want to know that they’re supporting certain sustainable environmental and humanitarian practices. But it’s still important to dig deeper than to simply rely on a label—sometimes a certain product might not have the certifications, but comes from a farm of exemplary conduct and growing practices. Ask questions—look online, or better yet, buy local and learn about where your coffee comes from face-to-face! Well FED
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