Coffee sustainability is something that might not be in your conversation at the breakfast table with your family this holiday season, but honestly it should be. There are so many intricate moving parts to making sure coffee is sustainable from a farming, roasting and brewing perspective.
Farming
Social sustainability in coffee is very important. Many coffee-producing countries have high levels of poverty and lack social infrastructure. This means that coffee prices are directly linked to education, housing, food, healthcare, and many other basic necessities. Many of the tools needed to produce coffee become out of reach when coffee prices fall too low.
In an effort to build new and existing relationships in the coffee world, Alek Daily and his team members have worked hard to keep their brand as sustainable as possible. “In our mission to provide single origin coffee, we have made a commitment to always use multiple micro lots to give a chance to grow and develop new coffee farms relationships,” Alek said. “We want to help each part of the coffee chain increase knowledge of trade prices, quality, processing methods, and the right coffee equipment to use to decrease waste.”
Roasting and Production
There are many ways to make sure the roasting process is as clean an environmentally conscious as possible and most of it comes in the production and distribution choices of the vendor. One way is to ensure that the coffee is coming from organic family farms. This will ensure as little carbon as possible is used. Although during the roasting process, carbon monoxide and dioxide are released. There is not much that can be done to reduce these emissions besides roasting for as short a period of time as possible. Delivery and packaging is also another way to reduce carbon emissions into the air. Some companies, if able too, deliver via bicycle and package in biodegradable bags to help the environment.
Brewing
Brewing is another piece to the puzzle. Today, many people go for convenience when brewing their coffee. This means using plastic single brew k-cups. These can be extremely detrimental to the environment when considering the production of waste. If you are looking to reduce plastic waste in your coffee brewing process, these will be the first to go.
There are many other ways to stay green and Alek and Hill Tree Roastery recommends brushing up on your coffee knowledge to stay up to date. “By doing their own research on fair trade family based farms supported by local roasters, buying from a local roaster can help them keep the coffee supply chain strong and build upon a growing culture,” Alek said. “They can also learn from their local cafes and roaster’s education on how to make coffee more efficiently at home.”
So there you have it folks! There are so many ways to stay green for the holidays. Just remember that Hill Tree Roastery always produces the best organic single origin coffee!
Tessa Meriwether - Staff Writer
Tessa is a coffee aficionado, multimedia journalist, and graduate of the University of Texas in Austin currently working as a freelance journalist in Lubbock, TX. To learn more, click here: http://www.tessameriwether.pressfolios.com
Sources:
https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2018/11/sustainability-in-coffee-what-are-the-main-issues/