In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Mark Inman of Sustainable Harvest to talk about coffee certifications. They discuss each of the recognized certifications, explaining what they mean and the standards the farmers have to follow to gain each of them.

Understanding all of this will help you to choose a coffee that fits in with your values and the way you want to live your life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Organic coffee is about more than chemical free farming. It is designed to support the environment.
• ROC certification encourages a more advanced level of organic farming.
• For small farms, it is cost prohibitive to go through the certification process.
• If you see certifications that are different from those discussed in the show, the chances are they are misleading or even fake.
• Rainforest Alliance is focused on farm safety and the preservation of biological species.
• Fairtrade certification creates a minimum floor price to ensure small farmers can make a profit. Coffee is severely underpriced.
• Fairtrade America is different from Fair Trade USA.
• Carbon neutral certification is still being developed.
• Direct trade is not as good as it sounds. Mark explains why.

BEST MOMENTS

‘USDA organic is an offshoot of just the organic certification. ´

‘There are a handful of chemicals that are systemic that go into the root system and attack the oils of the coffee.’

‘Coffee continues to be a crazy good foodie bargain.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

USDA’s National Organic Program standards : (https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program)

Rainforest Alliance standards: alliance.org/">https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

Bird Friendly Standards: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/bird-friendly

Fair Trade International (Fair Trade  America) - https://www.fairtrade.net/standard

Fair Trade USA - https://www.fairtradecertified.org/business/standards

GUEST RESOURCES

Website: https://www.sustainableharvest.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustharv/ on Instagram for Sustainable Harvest

Mark Inman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norcalglobetrotter/ on Instagram for Mark Inman

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com

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