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Environmentally Responsible Coffee

© Katherine Austinson

Our hats off to a new coffee roaster's site, Green Mountain Coffee. They are among the few roasters that have made a company policy to put the safety of the environment first! More and more companies are becoming aware of the need to safeguard the earth's environment while promoting their industries. The coffee industry is taking an early lead in environmentally friendly processing.

Green Mountain has grown into a leader in the specialty coffee industry, since beginning in 1981 as a small cafe in rural Vermont. It does business through supermarkets, convenience stores, offices, and restaurants. With its roots in Vermont, the company is very well established in New England. Even with the explosion of neighborhood cafes, the majority of all coffee is still consumed in homes and much of that coffee is purchased from the local grocer. So Green Mountain covers all the bases.

But back to this environmental policy thing - Green Mountain focuses on operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. According to Grist Magazine, "coffee growing in Central America has spawned many abusive practices, from the mistreatment of employees to the heavy use of pesticides. And new coffee fields are commonly created by clear-cutting forests, leading to the destruction of key bird habitats." Green Mountain introduced a line of bird-friendly, certified organic coffees in April 1998. They call it the Stewardship Coffee line, and participating growers must meet specific criteria and demonstrate commitment to the environment, their workers and quality coffee.

Green Mountain also has an extensive on-site recycling program. Beyond that they send their employees to coffee farms all over the world to evaluate the management and quality of the coffee they roast. They maintain "strong relations with the growers of six Stewardship coffees in Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala and Sumatra. In 1997 Green Mountain funded construction of a beneficio and hydro plant for 16 coffee-farming families in Peru. In 1998, the Company provided funding for a Coffee Kids micro-lending project in Huautsco, Veracruz, Mexico. This project has already grown to include over 270 participants."

The blends that are available in the Stewardship line are:

La Minita Tarrazu 12 oz

La Minita Tarrazu Dark 10 oz

Guatemalan (Dos Marias) 12 oz

Organic Mexican Select - 12oz

Organic Peruvian Select - 12oz

Organic Sumatran Reserve 10 oz

Kona Mountain Estate 12 oz

Organic House Blend - 10oz

Organic Viennese Cinnamon 10oz

Try out these environmentally friendly blends. Let me know if you find other roasters promoting earth friendly beans. Let's support these avant-garde roasters!