by Barnaby Meins

Created on: May 13, 2007

Ever heard of organic vegetables or organic fruits? Well, these days there are many different kinds of organic products out there in the market including coffee!

Organic coffee as its name implies is basically coffee grown and produced without the use of chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. They are said to benefit the health of the consumer and the environment in large. For the consumer this can reduce the intake of minute harmful chemicals and the use of chemicals can have a negative impact on the soils and the surrounding ecosystem since coffee is grown in regions like the tropical forests. However, organic coffees are typically lower yielding than non-organic ones.

Organic coffee is essentially grown using techniques and resources that have little impact on the environment. This is accomplished by the use of organic production systems which naturally maintain and replenish soil fertility, thus reducing the need to use toxic and permanent pesticides and fertilizers, at the same time building biologically varied cultivation.

The meaning of organic can be broadened to include coffee production processes which place an emphasis on recycling, composting, and protection of the environment, all which play a vital role in sustainability that are both ethically responsible and can be cost effective.

==The meaning of "certified organic"==
Third-party certification organizations approve certain techniques and resources that organic farmers can use in organic production. In the United States, for coffee to be sold as "certified organic", it must be grown and produced according to U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an organization accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These requirements for organic coffee production include:

1. It must have been grown on land without synthetic prohibited substances like pesticides for three years.

2. The farmer must implement a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent the depletion of soil nutrients, soil erosion and pest control.

3. There must be an adequate buffer between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.

The most common certification organization is the Organic Crop Improvement Association which charge $350 for certification

==Certified organic labels on organic coffee==
Organic coffee products carry the USDA organic seal. As mentioned, it appears on coffee that has been certified as organic by a certification agency and contains at least 95% organic ingredients. The coffee

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