I love coffee, I really do. For some insane reason or another, I have tried to quit drinking coffee a few times during my life. I did not succeed. It's got a tight grip on me and I have accepted that, gladly. Some people don't really care about the brand of coffee they drink as long as they achieve that caffeine high and there are others who are complete coffee snobs. I am somewhere in between.
Coffee can come in many forms and with many different price tags as well. I am sure that many of you have noticed that there are organic coffee options out there. Maybe some of you already purchase organic coffee, whereas others see it as just another expensive option. Let me explain.
Coffee is grown in many countries around the world, but mainly in Brazil and Columbia. Hawaii is the only state in the US that grows coffee. Coffee is actually a fruit that grows on a cute little bush, which is then harvested by hand or machine. The bean is located in the middle of the fruit, which is then roasted for your pleasure.
Did you know that coffee is second only to oil in traded commodities in the world? We are hooked on this stuff. Coffee is a multi-billion dollar industry. Since there is so much money in coffee, unfortunately us humans screw everything up and must mass produce this "bean gold" and then treat it with nasty chemicals so we have even higher output and thus more money. Many of the chemicals used on coffee have been banned, however they are still used in the more undeveloped countries(many of which provide coffee to the US) since there aren't regulations and less education about their effects. Many of these chemicals have been directly related to farmers and animal deaths(mainly birds) in foreign countries because of the lack of education in regards to their level of toxicity and how to properly use the chemicals. Many of these farmers are just trying to get as much yield from their crop as they can and will, at times, literally die trying. It's a pretty sad thing and yet another big reason to purchase organic coffee. Coffee is actually the highest chemically treated commodity in the world. The most common chemical used in coffee production is the fertilizers, which degrade the soil and the chemicals leech into water supplies.
Another problem with non-organic coffee production is that producers have created a sun-resistant hybrid coffee tree, which allows the coffee trees to be grown in direct sunlight. You see, coffee is naturally grown in the dense shade of the rainforest. Yes, you guessed it. Us humans had to mess it up again and we decided that this wasn't producing quite enough so we altered nature once again. The problem with this is that more rainforest is destroyed to make room for these sun-resistant hybrids, which now make up 70% of the coffee produced.
I just recently started purchasing organic, free trade coffee. One of the main reasons I got thinking about this was when I thought about a story my sister told me after her trip to Mexico. She said that there were Mexican workers spreading out coffee beans on the streets of Mexico to dry. The same streets that stray dogs poop on and are often times covered in garbage and other nasty stuff. Sick. Also, I started to think about the fact that I drink coffee EVERY day. If this is something that is going into my body every day, I need to know what's in it and where it's coming from.
Organic coffee only makes up 1% of the market, which is astonishingly low. If you are interested in buying organic, there are a few packaging words you need to know. Organic will mean that it is chemical free and the farms will undergo regular inspections. Fair trade will mean that the farmers who produced the coffee will receive fair wages. Shade grown means that the coffee was grown in the wonderful shade of the rainforest, which is it's natural environment. Please consider purchasing organic coffee. It may come with a higher price tag, but it comes with a lot less chemicals, supports fair wages for the farmers and a lot less "I destroyed the rainforest" guilt. Now don't go and protest Dutch Brothers here in town, they are doing the best they can, right now. Don't think I won't be in line at my favorite coffee place when the cravings strikes, however we can do better with our daily choice at home can't we? Something to think about.
Oh, and believe me. I tried. There is no mention of coffee in the Bible!!!
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