Benefits of Organic Coffee

Organic foods are those in which the use of synthetic chemicals is limited. These foods are grown with the help of fertilizers or pesticides that are made organically.

These foods provide a healthy way of living and reduces the risk of entry of synthetic chemicals in the body. Many countries now have certain specifications and certifications for foods that need to be certified as organic.

Organic farming is widely accepted as an environment-friendly technique, primarily because of the lack of dependence on synthetic material to be added to the soil. Fertilizers that are allowed and used under organic farming standards include, compost and mulch, that are beneficial not only to the crop being grown, but also to the soil.

Organic coffee, or for that matter any organic crop, benefits from the natural nutrients that they absorb from the soil, thereby greatly enhancing their taste. Organic farming is often closely linked with fair trade practices, and ethical trading opens up avenues for responsible consumers to shop for goods that conform to the norms that fair trade supports.

Essentially, this enables producers in developing countries, to maintain better trading conditions, in turn providing solutions for sustainable living.

Organic coffee reduces these risks because of the lack or reduction in synthetic substances used in its plantations. Shade-grown coffee ensures the preservation of nutrients that are present in the coffee naturally, by reducing sun exposure that bleaches important compounds in the top soil. Here are the main benefits of consuming organic coffee:

• High in antioxidants, vitamins, and mineral content
• Free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, so low risk of chemical ingestion
• Natural energy booster - organically-grown coffee contains caffeine in its purest form
• Higher levels of antioxidants as opposed to conventionally-grown coffee translates into better defense against a wide range of diseases

The benefits of shade grown organic coffee are many. Traditionally, all coffee used to be shade grown, but newer hybrids of coffee introduced to increase the production, were found to tolerate sunlight better. As requirements increased, farmers cut down the trees which provide shade, stripping forest cover to meet demand and depleting natural soil reserves.

This in turn, affected the availability of animal habitat, causing severe decline in animal and bird population in addition to already serious environmental issues. Shade-grown coffee benefits the soil by maintaining forest cover, which in turn maintains bird and animal habitat, and reduces soil erosion.

In terms of taste, it is by far superior; as the beans mature slower, and the taste is more intense. Shade-grown coffee is often organically grown.

Strange though it may seem, organic products are more expensive than others, despite the fact that they rely far less on synthetic chemicals. This increased cost is linked with the economies of scale, as well as the time and effort that organic farming involves. Many people feel that, this is a small price to pay for the betterment of the environment.