Coffee is one of the world’s favorite beverages, making it one of the world’s most widely traded commodities and creating many different types of brews with individual tastes. Unfortunately, however, its immense popularity has also given way to conventional farming techniques that damage both earth and human health in its production process.

Conventional farming uses hazardous chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that pollute water sources, harm organisms and degrade soil quality. Conventional growers also utilize synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified crops. As a result, coffee production has been linked with soil erosion and biodiversity loss; choosing organic coffee could help mitigate some of these negative impacts.

Organic certification requires farmers to comply with stringent environmental and sustainability standards when growing, processing and handling beans – enforced by USDA-accredited certifiers. While attaining and maintaining organic certification can be costly for both producers and consumers alike, the investment pays dividends in both instances.

Comparative to conventional coffee, organic coffee is free from harmful chemicals. Most significantly, organic farmers utilize natural methods for managing pests and weeds such as using cattle manure or coffee pulp as fertilizer or hand weeding the fields; animals eating invasive species is another proven effective tactic to keep weeds at bay. Furthermore, this kind of coffee cannot contain genetically modified plants.

Organic coffee provides many other advantages for humans and the environment, including reduced chemical exposure. Farmers who switch to organic farming practices enjoy better working conditions and higher wages while protecting both the health of the surrounding community as well as protecting its own future generations.

While coffee may be a seed-bearing berry, many don’t consider what happens to its seeds before reaching your cup. Coffee beans are actually roasted seeds that retain some of the chemicals used during production – including toxic residues from herbicides (glyphosate), organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates that cling tightly to non-organic coffee and remain in your drink even after roasting has taken place. A 2022 narrative review published by Frontiers in Public Health found non-organic coffee could contain residues from these substances used during production as well.

Organic farming reduces synthetic chemicals used in farming, thus minimizing water pollution, soil erosion and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, drinking organic coffee allows you to experience its full flavor without any unwanted residues left by roasting processes; however, keep in mind that all coffee still contains naturally occurring acrylamide which must be considered when considering whether organic coffee is worth its extra cost for you and your health concerns.