Sourcing Responsibly Grown Coffee

Here’s a quick overview of some of the “certification” type names that you might run across. 

While it would be nice if all the coffees we purchase had ALL of these attributes, economic and social conditions often prevent that. Additionally, there is often much in-visible work being done behind the scenes by large wholesalers to benefit farmers.

There’s really no substitute for on-the-ground observation, but barring that, all we can do is look for certifications if they do exist, and learn more about what each wholesaler is doing directly. Our main green coffee partner, Happy Mug Coffee, is a wholesale buyer which makes an effort to purchase responsibly sourced organic green beans. We do our best to pass on that information to you so that you know what you’re supporting in each bag.

Direct Trade

Gives farmers a bigger chunk of profits.

Shade Grown

Lets farmers grow their crops without destroying surrounding biodiversity.

Organic

Helps prevent excess erosion (along with not using pesticides).

Fair Trade Certified

Along with getting paid fair wages, farmers also get a premium to invest back into the community, and don’t suffer wage losses if the market price goes down.

Rainforest Alliance Certified

Protects against child labor and some ecological factors. Although truthfully this isn’t very strict.

UTZ Certified

Generally protects habitat preservation, water use, pesticide use, and soil erosion prevention.

Bird Friendly Certified

Ensures farms are growing organic and shade-grown coffee. This is a very important but generally uncommon certification.