Many good reasons for really good coffee

Finding your way through the coffee label jungle

Are you familiar with that? In our overcrowded world of goods, you quickly lose track of what’s going on. And you look for orientation aids in the thicket of consumer goods in search of sensible products. However, you recognize soon that the world of quality seals is also quite a thicket.

“Sustainable”, “organic”, “eco”, “fair trade”, these are the dazzling promises on many, at least equally dazzling, packaging. A large number of quality seals may look good on the shelf, but on closer inspection they are often more confusing than enlightening. Many claims and promises sound “somehow similar”, but in fact, they’re not. And no matter which seal is involved, many of the performance promises and quality criteria are not transparent, or not really clearly defined. Sometimes there are no legally binding guidelines, or the whole seal is, on closer inspection, more green-washed marketing than truly green morality. And thus, quasi a “homemade” affair, rather than objective criteria.

And of course, there’s always someone for every quality seal who says: “Yes, but …” if you want to inform yourself on the Internet. It’s a bit like the symptom analysis on “Dr. Google”. Not particularly recommendable, maybe you better ask your doctor or pharmacist. Because after the “Dr. Google” research one feels usually clearly worse.  And this was quite similar for us when we dived into “quality seal research”.

But, where there is shadow, there is also some light. And thus, for example the German Stiftung Warentest gives a good assistance with regard to quality seals.

Is everything somehow “organic” that we work with? No, not necessarily

Not everything that comes into our kitchen and our breakfast buffet is “organic”, but we attach great importance to the topic of sustainability. And this means that if, for example, a “conventional” product was produced under fair conditions for all those involved, this is more important to us than, for example, an “organic” coffee harvested under inhumane conditions. We buy many foods locally or regionally, and also seasonally. Not only “organic”, but also conventional, but in any case, fair produced. From suppliers in the neighbourhood, where you can actually see where the goods come from. In short, we don’t buy everything based on a certain seal or “quality proof” which is tagged to it. But for selected products we actually attach great importance to this kind of orientation guide, especially for those products that we can’t buy directly from the producer. Like coffee, for example.

“Fair trade”. Why is that important to us?

Sustainability also means social responsibility and justice. And that also means a fair wage for those on coffee plantations who make sure that the coffee is eventually served in our cups. Without child labour, with fair wages that offer producers a livelihood. Because we are aware that it is always someone who pays the bill, especially when it comes to supposedly favourable offers. And far too often it is the producers in the countries of cultivation or origin who pay the bill. The people on the plantation or in the factory. For the cheap T-shirt or the exotic tea, but also for the incredibly cheap strawberries or mangoes, also those which are labelled as “organic” goods. Or just the coffee. That’s anything but fair. And really reason enough to decide against.

Stiftung Warentest comes to the conclusion that the “FairTrade” seal, for example on our coffee, stands for an overall good implementation of important social and economic requirements. Fair wages, sustainable, responsible management. Reason enough to choose such a product. Our coffee is not only “FairTrade” certified, but also bears the EU Organic Seal. All the better, because that trustworthy stands for the renunciation of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, without genetic engineering, and all this under regular control.

Five good reasons for FairTrade coffee.

The Utopia platform comes up with five good reasons for choosing FairTrade coffee, preferably in combination with the organic label. It is

1. healthier: FairTrade promotes environmental protection and – with an “organic surcharge” – organic farming among producers
2. fairer: FairTrade supports guaranteed minimum prices and measures for fair working and wage conditions.
3. important for the creation of a world market. Coffee is the basis of life for about 125 million people worldwide. And coffee is the second most valuable export good for developing countries.
4. more sustainable. FairTrade strives to bring together reasonable ecological, economic and social requirements. Conveys resource conservation, environmental protection and waste avoidance as well as compliance with working conditions.
5. luxury we can pay for. And should pay for, anything else would simply not be fair.

A very good combination. And by the way, we have a sixth reason for our coffee. It is

6. delicious! Yes, our coffee tastes really good. As filter coffee brewed by hand, or as whole bean, freshly ground and as Caffe Crema or Espresso from the machine. Or as cappuccino, coffee latte or latte macchiato. As Americano or French latte.

To sum it up, our “Reason No. 6” actually belongs at the top of the list. Taste for yourself!