http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/ History of Organic Coffee Healthy organic coffee has been around ever since coffee was discovered growing wild and ever since it was first grown. However, the history of organic coffee of the certified variety starts in 1990. The Organic Foods Production Act was passed in 1990. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production and handling operations. The reason that organic coffee certification as well as certification of other foods came into being is that farmers learned that they could increase production by using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Because there was no clear way to differentiate between products grown by an organic method and those grown by more modern methods a need arose to certify food as organic. The law states that for coffee to be certified as organic the soil in which it is grown must be free from prohibited substances for at least three years and have been verified as such. There have to be clear boundaries between land on which organic coffee is grown and land where pesticides, herbicides, and prohibited chemical fertilizers are used. This is so that drift of substances from adjacent land will not contaminate the organic plot. Organic coffee certification requires a specific and verifiable plan for all practices and procedures from planting to crop maintenance, to harvest, de-husking, bagging, transport, roasting, packaging, and final transport. Procedures must be in place to insure that there is no contamination of healthy organic coffee with regular coffee produced on soil exposed to contaminants. Who Does the Checking? Once there was a set of regulations in place to certify organic coffee the problem was that aside from Hawaii no one grows organic coffee in the USA. And the USDA does not run around Latin America where three fourths of the organic coffee in the world is grown. Thus there are certifying authorities who act on behalf of the USDA. One of these is Bio Latina. These folks office in Lima, Peru but they tramp all over Latin America certifying various organic foods including coffee. One issue for small producers is that the $500 a year certifying fee is too steep a price unless they can get connected to a buyer who will pay the organic rate instead of the regular coffee rate.

1. History of Organic Coffee
By: www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

2. Healthy organic coffee has been
around ever since coffee was
discovered growing wild and ever
since it was first grown.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

3. However, the history of organic
coffee of the certified variety starts
in 1990. The Organic Foods
Production Act was passed in 1990.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

4. It requires the Secretary of
Agriculture to establish a National
List of Allowed and Prohibited
Substances which identifies
synthetic substances that may be
used, and the nonsynthetic
substances that cannot be used, in
organic production and handling
operations.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

5. The reason that organic coffee
certification as well as certification
of other foods came into being is
that farmers learned that they
could increase production by using
synthetic
fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides,
and fungicides.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

6. Because there was no clear way to
differentiate between products
grown by an organic method and
those grown by more modern
methods a need arose to certify
food as organic.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

7. The law states that for coffee to be
certified as organic the soil in
which it is grown must be free
from prohibited substances for
at least three years and have
been verified as such.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

8. There have to be clear boundaries
between land on which organic
coffee is grown and land where
pesticides, herbicides, and
prohibited chemical fertilizers are
used.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

9. This is so that drift of substances from
adjacent land will not contaminate the
organic plot. Organic coffee
certification requires a specific and
verifiable plan for all practices and
procedures from planting to crop
maintenance, to harvest, de-
husking, bagging, transport, roasting,
packaging, and final transport.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

10. Procedures must be in place to
insure that there is no
contamination of healthy organic
coffee with regular coffee produced
on soil exposed to contaminants.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

11. Who Does the Checking?
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

12. Once there was a set of regulations
in place to certify organic coffee
the problem was that aside from
Hawaii no one grows organic
coffee in the USA.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

13. And the USDA does not run
around Latin America where three
fourths of the organic coffee in the
world is grown. Thus there are
certifying authorities who act on
behalf of the USDA.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

14. One of these is Bio Latina. These folks
office in Lima, Peru but they tramp all
over Latin America certifying various
organic foods including coffee. One
issue for small producers is that the
$500 a year certifying fee is too steep a
price unless they can get connected to
a buyer who will pay the organic rate
instead of the regular coffee rate.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

15. Just As Good As Organic
Certification
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

16. There are two organizations that
provide much the same assurance
of quality as USDA certification.
These are UTZ and Rain Forest
Alliance. This history of organic
coffee as regards these
organizations is this:
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

17. There is more to organic coffee
than good taste and a lack of
impurities. When a grower goes
organic he practices sustainable
agriculture. That is good for his
land and good for the land and
eco-system in general.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

18. Growing shade grown organic
coffee under the canopy of an
undisturbed forest is good for the
birds and the watershed. Working
with UTZ and Rain Forest Alliance
growers abide by good child labor
practices and good business and
farming practices.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/

19. The history of organic coffee
continues as these organizations
help growers prosper, find
buyers, and lead better lives.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/903/history-of-organic-coffee/