Starting the day right is important for many of us and buying organic coffee ensures your daily cup is free from harmful chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional production, while helping support farmers and farmworkers.

Conventional fertilizers and pesticides used on crops pose a grave environmental risk, seeping into soil and water sources and poisoning fish and wildlife, while having harmful side-effects for human health such as disrupted hormones, respiratory ailments, skin damage and more. Organic farming practices prevent the spread of these toxic chemicals through an ecosystem as these prohibited in their production process.

Organic coffee stands apart from non-organic by avoiding use of pesticides and herbicides to protect it from insects, diseases and weeds. Unfortunately, pesticides have proven hazardous both to human health and the environment alike – they have an adverse impact on nearly every system within your body, including your nervous, digestive, endocrine and reproductive systems – not to mention linked with higher risks of cancer and chronic illnesses.

But it is important to remember that organic does not equate to pesticide-free; rather it abides by legal limits of less than 5% pesticide use. Wash all produce thoroughly before eating to minimize any possible residue from pesticide use and minimize potential health risks from potential residue left over from washing. Furthermore, organic is no guarantee of improved overall health; in fact a recent study demonstrated no difference in vitamin C levels between organic and non-organic food items.