Organic Coffee Beans - In today's world that is filled with pollutants in the air and toxic chemicals being dumped into waterways that seep into the groundwater many people are opting to purchase only organically grown products. They want assurance that the foods they ingest and serve their family are not going to harm them. Organic coffee beans which create all natural coffee are no different. These are beans that are grown organically and have been certified to be organic. In order for coffee beans to be labeled as organic coffee beans they must be grown naturally without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Furthermore, the processing of the coffee beans must be done without the use of chemicals; this includes the decaffeination process which typically involves chemicals to remove the caffeine.
Coffee is normally a food product that has many different chemicals involved in its manufacturing from the growing stages all the way through the processing and distribution. This includes the many different chemicals and fertilizers used on the plantations to enhance growth and prevent pests all the way through the chemicals used during the process of removing the berry from the bean.Organic coffee can only carry the organic label if it meets the U.S. requirements for being certified including the following:
- The land that the coffee is grown on must be pesticide and herbicide free and have been free from these chemicals for at least the past three years. This is the time period that has been determined to give the soil time to recuperate from being contaminated with chemicals and thus assures consumers that the beans have not inherited chemicals from the soil.
- Coffee plantations that grow both organically certified and uncertified coffee beans must grow them with a large buffer area between the two. This prevents the chemicals that are used on the uncertified beans from crossing over to the beans that are being grown for organic certification. Cross contamination can come from water run-off and air contamination.
- Becoming certified organic requires more than simply avoiding the use of chemicals. These plantations must also present a plan that shows sustainable practices are in place for future growth. This includes plans for controlling pests organically and for crop rotation to assure the soil is not depleted of nutrients and aids in the prevention of erosion.
If these requirements are met the plantation can receive organic certification for its coffee beans. This certification tells consumers that they are purchasing an organic product that has been tested and proven to be truly organic and free of chemicals. Organic certification also applies to the roasting process and means that the coffee has been through the processing without using chemical solvents. If it is to be a flavored coffee bean the flavoring must be natural flavorings and not synthetic flavorings that are chemically created.
Organic Coffee Beans - In today's world that is filled with pollutants in the air and toxic chemicals being dumped into waterways that seep into the groundwater many people are opting to purchase only organically grown products.
