Can you smell it? That first cup of coffee brewed as soon as you make your way to the kitchen? Can you taste it? That rich warm flavor sliding down your throat signaling that you are definitely not going back to bed? Drinking coffee is one of the most enjoyable morning rituals we have.  More (+)

      Considerably less enjoyable: knowing that many of the chemicals used on coffee farms are carcinogenic and that the way most coffee beans are grown and harvested wreak havoc on the environment. To increase production, commercial coffee farmers switched from shade-grown to sun-grown coffee beans, which began a chain of harmful ramifications, including loss of shade trees, the use of chemical weed killers to eliminate the weed growth encouraged by the sun and pesticides to combat worms left by loss of bird habitat. In fact, coffee is one of the crops most frequently sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer.
      Why go the organic route? Natural organic coffee beans are shade-grown, which protects soil from erosion, allows habitats to remain intact and lets the beans grow more slowly, resulting in a richer and more robust flavor. Our coffee is also fair trade certified, which means that no farmers or workers were taken advantage of, and are paid their fair share. Doesn’t that coffee smell and taste just a little better knowing that you are preserving the earth, treating others with dignity, and saving yourself from harm? Better take a second cup. The kids will be up any moment.   Less (-)