If you're here, it's because terms like "organic," "environmentally-friendly," and "fair-trade" intrigue you, and you want to know more about what they mean.

Organic is a classification created by the FDA that essentially means that a food product has been produced naturally. In terms of coffee this means that farms are growing coffee trees using natural methods, fertilizing the soil with natural fertilizer only, and harvesting the coffee and preparing it for shipping without using chemical cleaners. And when that coffee gets to us, we keep things natural by adding nothing to the coffee when we roast it. So all that flavor you taste is what's present in the natural sugars and oils of the coffee beans.

Coffee is an agricultural product, and that means that the quality of the environment affects the quality of the coffee. Our coffee comes from two suppliers, Bellwether and Sweet Maria's. Both of these companies are committed to only buying coffee beans from farms that use environmentally responsibly farming methods. But what are those methods? Well, without getting too deep into the science of farming, it all boils down to how farms manage and recycle waste products, maintain biodiversity, and care for the health of the soil.

Environmentally-friendly farming methods reuse things like waste water and plant matter to create natural fertilizers that they can spread back onto the farmland. They address biodiversity by practicing agroforestry, where coffee trees are grown alongside other trees that help maintain ecosystems, ground temperatures, and soil nutrient cycles, as well as increasing carbon capture through photosynthesis. And lastly, these farms use natural fertilizers made from animal waste (something my dairy-farming grandpa used to call "honey") in carefully measured amounts to ensure that the soil is as healthy as possible.

But caring for the environment doesn't stop with farming practices. On the production side of coffee roasting, there have been incredible innovations that reduce the impact of coffee roasting on the environment. One of those innovations is the Bellwether Series 2 Electric Roaster, which we use. Traditional roasters are gas powered and require catalytic scrubbers or afterburners to reduce emissions. The problem is that the cost on the environment to produce these emissions reduction methods outweighs the benefits. The better solution is efficient electric roasting run off solar energy, which is what we use.

Fair-trade is a certification handled by several global organizations that seeks to ensure greater equity in profits for marginalized producers and workers.

Coffee production has long been an exploitive industry, with large companies often buying farms from the families that run them, then leasing the land back to them in a deal that is indentured servitude in everything but name. This exploitation has resulted in a dramatic shrinkage of people willing to work on these farms, which threatens to collapse the entire industry.

Creating sustainability comes with a lot of challenges, but it is entirely possible. Bellwether in particular is a wonderful example of how possible it is to change coffee production for the better. In 2022, they expanded their Living Income Pricing program to include their Brazilian producers. They decided to pay an extra $0.10 on every pound of green coffee, provided that the extra profit was passed on directly to the farm employees at the farms that grow their Brazil Parceiros do Cafe beans. The result changed the lives of almost 300 hard-working Brazilians. And if Brazil Parceiros do Cafe sounds familiar, it's because our Brazil coffee is made with those beans.

The Bottom Line

When you buy Porch Coffee, you're directly supporting fair-trade practices that uplift farm workers, ensuring they earn a sustainable living. Every cup is crafted with care, using eco-friendly methods that respect the earth. By choosing our coffee, you can enjoy incredible, natural flavor while making a positive impact on the environment and the livelihoods of hard-working individuals. Taste the difference that responsibility can make—order your bag of Porch Coffee today!