Coffee is a beloved beverage enjoyed worldwide. While this beverage can help keep us alert and focused, it also contains caffeine and sugar – therefore it is important to monitor how much you’re drinking. Recently organic coffee has gained increased attention as its production process avoids chemical pesticides and herbicides; yet its increased cost may leave some consumers questioning its worth; the answer lies within how you drink your cup of joe.

Before becoming organically certified, crops must go three years without artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides to be eligible for sale as organic. This ensures the soil stays healthy without further degradation from synthetic chemicals. Organic farming practices also involve rotating crops with non-organic fields to avoid soil erosion and depletion of nutrients.

Organic farmers go beyond simply forgoing synthetic fertilizers and herbicides when managing weeds: instead they employ manual techniques like hoeing or slashing to control them without resorting to chemical herbicides; in addition they encourage beneficial insects that outcompete harmful ones to keep pests at bay.

Organic coffee offers superior beans with more flavor and nutrients compared to non-organic varieties, while being safer for workers due to no toxic chemicals being used during production. Although organic coffee may cost more, its increased investment into our environment, farmers who cultivate it and the consumer makes it worth your while.

Organic coffee’s advantages extend well beyond its economic worth. As the world’s largest importer, the United States can leverage its purchasing power to promote environmental and worker rights abroad – one way of doing this being purchasing organic, fair trade or direct trade coffee products.

There is an array of organic and fair trade coffee brands on the market, making research essential. Look for USDA organic seal or Rainforest Alliance or Bird Friendly labels as they indicate which values your purchase supports. By being informed, it will increase the odds that you buy coffee that benefits yourself, your community and planet alike.