Sustainable CoffeeWhat do you mean by sustainable?sus·tain·a·ble adj. Capable of being continued indefinitely. In 5 years, I want to be drinking even better coffee than I am today. I also want to be doing it with a clear conscience—knowing that I have contributed positively to every facet of the coffee trade. What do you mean by holistic sustainability?
If any one of the links on this long chain is not sustainable, specialty coffee will not be a sustainable endeavor. Therefore, in the interest of good stewardship, we labor to ensure that our coffees are grown using responsible agricultural practices, just & safe working conditions at origin, and are roasted & shipped in the most eco-friendly manners possible. Who are you anyway?UTOPIAN Coffee was founded by two cousins who really wanted to build something together. We are passionate about people and freakishly passionate about coffee. Thus, UTOPIAN was born. I agree with those priorities. What can I do?Great question. The primary thing you can do is slightly change your mindset. Despite, that people joke about it, coffee is not really a necessity. It is a luxury--especially world-class coffees like UTOPIAN. However, for many, coffee is their livelihood. Simply recognizing that your luxury is another's livelihood, and allowing that to direct your buying habits goes a long way toward ensuring holistic sustainability/responsibility in specialty coffee. Drink deeply & enjoy. |
The specialty coffee trade is an extremely complex organism. Coffee is obviously an agricultural product—and not one indigenous to the States (generally speaking). Additionally, to varying degrees, it provides income to nearly a billion people around the world. The tree is tended at origin, cherries are harvested, processed, dried, bagged, driven to port, shipped to the states via freighter, driven to the importer’s warehouse, shipped to us, roasted, bagged shipped to you, brewed, & enjoyed.