Over the recent past, organic coffee has become immensely popular worldwide. More and more coffee makers are introducing their organic blends to suffice the rapidly increasing consumer requirements. However, there are still some doubts about what organic coffee is & how it actually becomes organic.
So, organic coffee is the coffee produced without using fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, & insecticides. It is believed that organic coffee is free from around 140+ impurities present in regular coffee. Besides, it also has other notable characteristics you should know. However, let’s first find out the most prominent reasons behind the emergence of organic coffee.
The Advent of Organic Coffee & its Various Perks
Organic coffee is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, with the leading coffee makers joining the movement to cater to the rising consumer demand. The production of regular coffee involves unfair practices that cause problems, such as the lack of transparency about the origin of coffee beans, mass destruction of rainforests, excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, & herbicides, etc.
As a result, people worldwide have started consuming more environmentally-friendly coffee, the production of which doesn't harm nature or human health. Moreover, since more and more youngsters are increasingly adopting all-natural food & beverages owing to their increasing focus on personal health and wellbeing, the Global Organic Coffee Market is set to register around 7.5% CAGR during 2022-27.
Today, a majority of the people prefer having a cup of coffee while getting from bed and starting the day. Not just that, coffee is truly seen as a companion that helps some people keep going throughout the day. So, when we say the demand for organic coffee is escalating, you know why.
Putting it in simple words, organic coffee is produced without the use of any chemical or synthetic fertilizer or pesticides, and the farmer uses completely organic substances like chicken manure, general compost, bokashi, and coffee pulp, among others to offer the fertilization to the plant. If the farmer uses any fertilizer like synthetic nitrogen, potash, phosphate, etc., then the coffee that is produced cannot be classified as organic.
Furthermore, while the use of chemicals in the production of normal coffees might speed up the cultivation, organic coffee takes time. The cultivation of organic coffee requires at least three threes as natural fertilizers & pesticides are slow. In fact, the cultivation of organic coffee also requires a sustainable crop rotation plan that helps in avoiding soil erosion & nutritional depletion, while naturally controlling pests.
The final process remains the processing & packaging of the organic coffee, which too should be without the use of chemicals. Therefore, while organic coffees are good for health and do not exhibit toxic residues like artificial color & flavoring, herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides, preservatives, etc., these toxins cannot reach the body. Yet, it does not hint that you can drink coffee excessively, as it still contains caffeine.
Nonetheless, these are not the only benefits of organic coffee, there are so many more where the prominent one includes environmental sustainability. As the production, processing, and packaging of organic coffee do not use any chemicals, it does not affect the environment. In fact, it also conserved the biotic environment as tiny animals like birds, squirrels, rodents, etc., are not poisoned or killed by the toxic chemicals.
Cultivation of Organic Coffee
While there is a prominent difference between the farming methods of both organic & regular coffee, it is crucial to know & understand the differences & benefits to make a healthy choice. Farming of organic coffee requires shade as scratching sunlight would require more nutrients to restore value in the crops, which eventually will need chemicals. Thus, to avoid the application of chemicals, organic coffee must be grown in the foliage of trees and positively impact biodiversity.
The Need for Certification: Crucial, but Impacts Prices & Quality
While producers have rigorously cultivated organic coffee in high quality and have procured the certification of recognized organic coffee production, the process & several quality standards & limitation put the farmers under immense pressure & expenses. It, in turn, impacts the overall cost of organic coffee production.
Yet, the certification is a guarantee that the product you have received in the market is organic-based and does not exhibit chemicals at all. However, it is important for the consumers to be aware of duplicity, fraud, and distrust, as several producers are using fake certifications to lure customers in buying their products.
Furthermore, the entire process of marketing organic coffee undergoes several quality checks & the entire process is monitored on the bases of soil quality, rainfall, freshness, harvest, elevation, water quality, and cleanliness, among others, before it reaches the customers. Hence, certified organic coffee would have relatively high standards in terms of price, quality, and character.
Final Words
So, above, we learned the various ways organic coffee is better than the regular as there are no chemicals involved in its manufacturing that can harm human health. Plus, there's a much lower impact of its production on the environment since all methods used are nature-preserving. Hence, as more and more people are moving toward the world of organic, it projects a pool of opportunities for the Global Organic Coffee Market in the years to come.
