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Coffee

What To Look For

When possible, look for coffee bearing as many of the certifications below as possible.

Fair Trade Certified

The "Fair Trade Certified" label is a third-party certification administered in the U.S. by TransFair USA, a member of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and it means that coffee beans were purchased directly from growers or their cooperatives at a price higher than the commodity market rate. Both growers (including producer groups and cooperatives) and importers can be certified, and certification ensures that the price paid per pound of beans never falls below $0.10 more than the current market price. Currently, Fair Trade-certified growers are paid the FLO-established price of at least $1.21 per pound, $1.51 if it's certified organic (more than double the market rate). Certification also imposes some environmental-protection standards on growers, including a ban on the most hazardous pesticides such as DDT, methyl parathion and lindane (For more on these pesticides, see "The Backstory"), and the use of integrated pest management techniques, such as growing coffee under shade canopies. Fair Trade-certified importers must also provide pre-financing credits to growers when needed to help them comply with certification requirements. The higher wages allow farmers to invest in health care, education, community development and environmental stewardship.

Fair Trade Federation

Not a third-party certification, the Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is a voluntary membership organization that accepts growers as well as roasters and retailers based upon their commitment to, among other things, paying farmers at least the local minimum wage and protecting natural resources. While the FTF does not set specific environmental standards, they do encourage members to implement practices that help preserve biodiversity. Members must reapply annually and provide documentation about material sourcing and labor policies. Although not as reliable as TransFair, FTF coffee retailers and roasters pay at least the current FLO price.

Certified Organic

"Certified Organic" coffee must be grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on land that was free of such chemicals for three years prior to certification. To be certified organic, the farm must also utilize a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients and control for pests. The USDA's National Organic Program is the primary organic certifier in the U.S., but you may also see a USDA-accredited certifier such as Quality Assurance International, that abides by USDA's criteria.

Bird Friendly

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) certifies organic coffee as "Bird Friendly" if it is also "Shade Grown," which describes coffee grown under the rain forest canopy. The next best thing to a natural rain forest, traditional shade-grown coffee farms support many species of insects, mammals and reptiles and serve as a resting place or winter home for migratory birds. Biologists have found over 150 species of birds living in the shade of traditionally managed coffee and cacao (chocolate) plantations in Chiapas, Mexico, a number exceeded only in undisturbed tropical forests. A 2008 SMBC study found that bird-friendly farms harbored at least 20 different species of forest birds compared to less than 10 in non-bird-friendly farms. In fact, across all forest-dwelling species, Bird Friendly-certified farms had a higher degree of biodiversity than uncertified farms. Shade farms also reduce the need for pesticides by maintaining a natural balance between pests and their predators. Currently SMBC only certifies coffees from Latin America.

Rainforest Alliance Certified

Combining aspects of the certifications above, the Rainforest Alliance (RA) focuses on how farms are managed rather than how beans are traded, covering all aspects of production including environmental protection, worker rights and welfare and the interests of local communities. Certification requires that at least 40 percent of the coffee-growing plantation has to be covered in shade at all times in areas where the original natural vegetative cover is forest, which allows for wildlife preservation and a reduction of pesticides, but they do allow the use of some agrochemicals when pest-related damages would be greater than the farmer could cope with economically. They do, however, prohibit pesticides that are banned by the EPA, the EU and those that are on the Pesticide Action Network Dirty Dozen list and a few other international environmental program lists. RA-certified coffee farms must also pay workers at least the local minimum wage and prohibit the employment of children under the age of 15. While only a minimum of 30 percent certified content is required for products to display the "Rainforest Alliance Certified" label, retailers are required to state the percentage of certified content next to the label.