Saving the rainforest, one sip at a time
Coffee in its Arabica form is a thirsty, shade-loving tree, mostly found in the tropics within regions rich in biodiversity.
Consciously grown, it can support native trees towering above it, continuation of habitat teaming with life and requiring only its composted fruit returned to the soil for fertiliser.
Sadly, all too often, forests are stripped, coffee inter-planted with guavas and bananas for shade and additional income sources, biodiversity suffers, species move out of the area and chemical additives are added into the soil to promote good harvests. Conventional coffee has become one of the most chemically treated agricultural products in the world. And as humanity’s demand for coffee keeps growing so too does the land required for its growth.
Climate change is significantly threatening the future of coffee; farmers speak first-hand of increasingly challenging conditions, stronger sun, poorer soils and erratic rainfall.
As a consumer, what should you look for when buying coffee?
Begin with certified coffee; Fairtrade coffee farmers typically use much less chemicals in the growing of coffee compared to conventional coffee farmers. And because they’ve come together to create cooperatives, you are often basically buying coffee from loads of people with big back gardens, who farm by hand and have teamed up together to sell their coffee to international markets.
When you buy Fairtrade Organic coffee, you are not only ensuring its been grown as naturally as possible, you’re also making sure more money makes it’s way to the growers, the domino effect encourages other neighbouring farmers and cooperatives to move in this more positive direction too.
Look beyond certifications and buy from companies who have also invested time, energy, love and money into benefitting other related causes.
Finally, lands and farmers deserve to be credited for their hard work and you deserve to know where you coffee comes from. All too often, companies hide the country, region and people who have produced the coffee and this needs to change.
Puro Coffee
Puro Fairtrade Coffee is available in more than 40 countries, find your local Puro at purocoffee.com
If you’re in the UK and you want Puro for your home or home office then you can now order from Hands on Coffee.
If you’re in the UK and you’re a café, restaurant, hotel, or actually any business that makes / drinks / sells coffee and shares in our Earth Optimism, then let’s talk and be a force for good, together. Contact us online through Puro Fairtrade Coffee.
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