Country Spotlight: Guatemala and ASOBAGRI Fair-Trade Coffee

We’ve just received a fresh order of Fair-Trade, green coffee beans from Huehuetenango, Guatemala!  Located far north of the capital, the coffee beans were grown by the Asociación Barillense de Agricultores, also known as ASOBAGRI.

ASOBAGRI is a perfect example of a successful Fair-Trade cooperative.  It began in 1989 as a collection of 20 coffee and cardamom farmers who wanted to help improve their community.  Despite having to deal with political violence and other factors that hampered their initial progress, ASOBAGRI managed to grow and thrive.

Today, ASOBAGRI has over 900 members that all grow high-quality, shade-grown organic coffee that utilizes organic compost for all-natural flavor.  Plus, over 200 more future members are in the process of making the transition to growing organic coffee.  More importantly, ASOBAGRI gives back to their community.  Over 160 children have received ASOBAGRI scholarships to attend school at all levels (including university).  They also give out school materials and provide tutors.  Furthermore, the cooperative provides financial support and emergency care to families in need, such as after a natural disaster.

ASOBAGRI’s success comes not only from the fantastic coffee growers, but also from the coffee buyers like you.  Neri Molina of the ASOBAGRI cooperative says, “Fair Trade allows small farmers to have greater access to the coffee market and opportunities for growth. Participating in Fair Trade signifies a high commitment to quality, productivity and the environment, as well as support for farmers and their families. Our coffee producers would like consumers to understand their Fair Trade purchases help improve the lives of small farmers here. They have the power to help us.”

You have the power to help ASOBAGRI and other Fair-Trade cooperatives.  All you have to do is order Fair-Trade Guatemalan Coffee or any other Fair-Trade Coffee.  It’s a piece of cake, and both you and the coffee growers benefit!  Order your Fair-Trade Coffee today and make a difference in a community!

Go Green…Order Coffee!

Earth Day is coming up this Sunday (April 22)! For decades, people have celebrated this day as a way to call attention to the wonders of the world. There’s so much to love about our unique and amazing planet, from the tiniest microorganisms to the largest wonders of the sky. Whether you’ve never thought about Earth Day or you consider yourself the world’s biggest tree-hugger, there are plenty of things you can do to help protect the environment! There’s a simple way we can help you celebrate Earth Day…order one of our fantastic organic coffees!

Organic coffee provides you with all-natural flavor because the coffee beans aren’t treated with man-made chemicals.  Herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals aren’t used on these beans!  While that results in incredible flavor for you, it’s even better for the environment.  When these chemicals enter the ecosystem, they often have negative consequences.  Water contaminated by the chemicals becomes unfit to drink or use, and plants that use that water often suffer.  With organic coffee, you’re protecting the environment simply by making the green choice!

Enjoy your Earth Day!  Start the day with an organic coffee, and then go spend the day outside!  You could:

• Go for a hike in your local park
• Have a picnic
• Plant a tree or a garden
• Help clean up litter around your town

And much more!  There are so many easy things you can do to make a difference in the world; if everyone makes a little change for the better, it’ll quickly add up to a big difference.  After all, you can “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

What’s your passion when it comes to protecting the environment?  Share your thoughts; we’d love to hear them!

About Organic Coffee

Organic coffee has been propagated, grown, processed, transported, stored and roasted without coming in contact with any potentially harmful chemicals.  When grown organically, there are no pesticides or herbicides on the plants, in the air or in the soil anywhere near the coffee plantation.  This protects the health of not only the consumer, but the health of the farmer, the workers and the environment.

As consumers, we have to remember that the outer shell called the fruit, the bean is is tucked safely inside, is thrown away. Still after that, we dry, grind and cook the bean at very high temperatures, but do not actually eat the bean itself meaning that very little, if any at all, chemical residual has made it into our coffee mug.

Farmers who could not afford pesticides and found ways around using them originally grew what we now call organic coffees. Their quality was often spotty, but their idea sparked a revolution. Today we have progressive international organizations that teach coffee growing communities how to grow amazingly delicious organic coffee as they monitor the process very closely. The farmers in turn receive more money, better resources and the community and environment is protected from potentially harmful chemicals.

Anyone can sell organic coffee, but only Certified Organic Coffee Handlers and Processors can legally roast organic coffees in house. Why do you want to buy from certified handlers and processors? If your source for organic coffee is not a legally certified handler, they are purchasing their beans pre-roasted and pre-packaged from another source, meaning they spent days maybe even weeks roasted and prepared before they were shipped out, losing their fresh flavor and aroma.

Your coffee handler should buy organic beans in the raw state. They should then be roasted and packaged on site in the warehouse, prior to shipping to monitor quality control. CoffeeAM is a certified Organic Coffee Handler and Processor by the Georgia Crop Improvement Association Organic Certification Program (GCIAOCP) and we abide by the standards established by the National Organic Program, and have many incredible organic coffees to choose from.