Organic / BIO certified coffes
All coffees in this category hold a EU organic food certificate, which we — as a certified participant in the organic food chain — are legally authorized to roast and package for you.
The organic food certificate primarily guarantees that at every stage, the beans are kept separate from conventionally grown (non-certified) coffees, and that the plantation does not use pesticides, herbicides, or any other crop protection agents that are not permitted in organic farming.
Certified organic coffee cultivation benefits the natural environment — since farmers are not allowed to use artificial fertilizers or any pesticides, all the fauna and flora associated with the plantation remain unharmed. Farmers are in effect required to use exclusively natural cultivation methods — applying appropriate cover crops, planting shade trees, and supplying clean water through natural (irrigation-based) methods — practices that do not devastate the natural environment.
What is organic coffee?
The biggest difference between organic and conventional farming is the absolute prohibition on the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or any other means of influencing plants in ways that are not 100% natural. What does that look like in practice? Take pests and parasites as an example — in conventional agriculture, they are combated with chemical sprays. On organic plantations, farmers must deal with them through methods such as planting species that repel particular pests, regulating sunlight exposure and soil moisture, or constructing physical barriers in or above the soil to prevent pests from reaching the coffee plants.
Another example is the ripening rate of coffee cherries — on industrial plantations, fertilizers are used to force the bushes to fruit at a specific time, so that harvesting machines — when the scheduled harvest window arrives — can collect as many ripe cherries as possible. On organic plantations, farmers cannot do this, meaning the harvest (most often done by hand) takes place in multiple passes, as growers can only pick ripe cherries and must leave the rest on the bushes to be collected, for example, two weeks later.
How much does organic coffee cost?
In the specialty segment, the price of certified organic beans does not differ greatly from their “conventional” counterparts. In specialty coffee, pricing is typically driven by harvest size, farm reputation, and the Q-Grader score of the beans — with the organic certificate often serving as an added value rather than the primary price driver.
The situation is different in the so-called commodity segment, i.e. industrial coffee. Here, price differences are much more noticeable (sometimes +100%), which stems directly from yield volumes — if farmers cannot artificially boost the productivity of their coffee plants, the yield per hectare is significantly lower, and the price rises accordingly. On top of that, without access to pesticides, farmers far more frequently face pest infestations and plant diseases, which further reduces yields and drives prices up.
Is BIO coffee really BIO?
Yes, without a doubt. The green leaf certificate provides a guarantee covering both the cultivation and the entire supply chain. When you purchase coffee bearing the EU organic green leaf certification, you are guaranteed beans that were sourced 100% naturally and that — from the plantation all the way to the roastery — have only passed through the hands of people who are part of the certified chain.
Can coffee without a certificate still be BIO?
It can, particularly in the case of small farms in Africa or Central America, where either there is no need to intervene in the growth of the coffee plants at all (thanks to the so-called terroir), or the farmers simply cannot afford agricultural chemicals — let alone the cost of annual organic audits. However, such coffee cannot be marketed or sold as organically grown coffee.
