Which Brand of Organic Coffee is Best? Can You Eat Organic Coffee Beans Directly? Organic Coffee Bean Price List

Organic Coffee Bean Certification

Organic coffee beans are not only a healthier choice - they also protect the ecosystem and keep the natural environment in balance.

Professional bodies inspect every process and environment each year, from soil and coffee trees through roasting and transportation. Only when every condition passes can organic certification be granted.

Japan Organic & Natural Foods Association (JONA)

Founded in 1991, the Japan Organic & Natural Foods Association (JONA) has devoted itself to certifying organic agricultural products and organic processed foods. With the mission of maintaining and improving the natural and living environment, JONA promotes the development of organic agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture through its organic food certification business.

Organic Crop Improvement Association International, Inc.

The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) is one of the global leaders in organic certification and operates as a non-profit third-party organization, providing a range of organic research, education, and certification activities. Its certification covers organic farmers, processed-food manufacturers, and retailers across the United States, Africa, Europe, and Pacific Rim countries.

EU Organic Certification ECOCERT (ECO)

ECOCERT is Europe's most representative and authoritative organic agriculture certification body. Generally, the ECO designation means the production process has been certified by ECOCERT.

ECOCERT F-32600 AB certification is stricter still. Known as AB certification, it imposes more complete, comprehensive management on organic farms and therefore offers greater assurance for agricultural products.

ECOCERT F-326000 certification is the strictest standard under the ECO umbrella. Products must declare the percentage of organic ingredients they contain, so unless a producer has genuinely top-tier processes and manufacturing, ordinary products do not usually pursue it.

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), established in 1972, is a non-profit third-party organization whose members span the globe. Its goal is to promote more environmentally conscious, ecologically balanced organic farming worldwide. It gives members organic information exchange, interaction, and promotion services, while setting the basic rules for globally authoritative organic certification - effectively safeguarding the quality and reliability of organic products everywhere.

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - Bird Friendly

After decades of research in Central America, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) found that coffee grown under shade provides habitat for many bird species. Balancing ecological conservation with agricultural development, it designed a model that minimizes the impact of human activity on nature. Shade-grown coffee earns the Bird Friendly label from the Smithsonian when it meets conditions including organic standards, canopy height, foliage coverage, and bird counts.

The Smithsonian recognizes these standards and evaluates Bird Friendly certification at the same time it inspects farms for organic compliance. Farmers voluntarily pay for the inspection, which is independent of the Smithsonian Center, and they benefit by charging higher prices for their coffee. Currently, 18 farms in North and South America are Bird Friendly approved.

Despite its benefits, the Bird Friendly label occupies a small niche in the American coffee market, which is dominated by mass-market brands sold in grocery stores.

Bird Friendly coffee accounts for a small share of organic coffee - and organic coffee itself makes up only about five percent of the specialty coffee market.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the gentle, low-impact farming behind organic coffee appeals to you, the cup to match is a balanced medium roast - and FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate fits beautifully. A rare Yellow Bourbon from Mogiana, Brazil, it is roasted medium to reveal cream peanut, chocolate, toasted bread, and sugarcane, with a quietly sweet, rounded cup that works by pour-over, moka pot, or espresso machine alike.

For a fruit-forward alternative, the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy blend unites a Costa Rica honey-processed coffee with Panama washed Geisha; medium roasted, it carries orange-blossom honey character and rounded sweetness into cold brew, pour-over, and espresso. And the FrontStreet 2013 natural Typica from Yunnan - nuts, brown sugar, black tea, and dried apricot at a medium roast - offers that same harmonious style at outstanding value by pour-over, cold brew, or drip machine.