The Development History of Organic Coffee | Is Organic Coffee Good | Why People Buy Organic Coffee Beans at Premium Prices

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What is Organic Coffee?

Organic coffee is coffee produced through organic farming methods. To understand organic coffee, we must first understand organic farming, a concept that originated in 1924.

In 1924, a group of farmers concerned about the future of agricultural development sought help from Dr. Rudolf Steiner, who was renowned in Germany at the time. Steiner subsequently delivered a series of lectures on ecological and sustainable approaches to agriculture, advocating for methods that increase soil fertility and produce healthy products without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. His main concept was that crop cultivation should not pollute the environment, destroy ecosystems, and should provide consumers with healthy and safe products.

According to this concept, all chemicals used in organic farming, including fertilizers and pest control substances, should come entirely from nature, not from laboratories or factories. For example, as nitrogen fertilizer, nitrates from natural mineral sources are considered organic, while nitrates manufactured by chemical plants cannot be considered organic.

The Green Revolution in Contrast to Organic Farming

However, in 1924, the global trend in agricultural development was toward industrialization and commercialization, with yield improvement as the primary consideration. Consequently, the concept of organic farming did not receive much attention. It wasn't until 1940, through the efforts of American playwright and publisher J.I. Rodale, that organic farming gradually became known to the world, but it was still far from "widespread acceptance." One important reason was that in 1940, the Green Revolution was gaining momentum, with farmers using large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to expand production. The successive emergence of "miracle wheat" and "miracle rice" pushed this wave to its peak.

In 1953, American scientist Norman Borlaug developed "miracle wheat" in Mexico, with yields five times that of traditional wheat varieties, transforming Mexico and India from wheat importers to wheat exporters (Borlaug received the Nobel Prize in 1970 for this achievement). In 1968, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) developed "miracle rice" in the Philippines, with yields increasing by at least 2.5 times.

By the 1970s, this wave had finally engulfed coffee as well.

Sun-Grown Coffee Cultivation Technology

Anyone with some knowledge of coffee knows that coffee trees, as shrubs, are tropical plants. However, whether Arabica or Robusta varieties, in their native natural environments, they grow under the shade of tall trees, because coffee trees neither need nor can tolerate excessive sunlight.

Botanical research has found that for coffee trees in equatorial regions to perform photosynthesis, the optimal sunlight ratio is only 20%-25%. Beyond this ratio, upper leaves no longer absorb sunlight, but it passes through and is absorbed by lower leaves. This excess sunlight can indeed promote flower bud formation and produce more fruit.

During the peak of the Green Revolution in the 1970s, scientists developed sun-grown coffee cultivation technology, enabling coffee trees to grow without shade trees. Many coffee farmers were therefore encouraged to cut down shade trees and grow only coffee as a single crop, which not only expanded the planting area but also increased the yield per tree. Associated problems, such as insufficient soil fertility and increased pest damage, were resolved by spraying large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides.

The Choice Between Shade-Grown and Sun-Grown Coffee

Shade trees offer numerous benefits for coffee trees, such as:

(1) Blocking excess sunlight;
(2) Protecting soil and water sources;
(3) The cool environment under shade trees can reduce pest damage;
(4) Minerals from deep soil layers can be brought to the surface through dead branches and fallen leaves, increasing topsoil fertility;
(5) Providing habitat for birds and bats, which helps control certain pest populations;
(6) Lowering the temperature around coffee cherries, thereby slowing fruit maturation and developing more complex flavors.

However, cutting down shade trees certainly increased coffee production, but it came at a considerable cost: Earth's ecosystems were affected, natural resources gradually depleted due to overuse, and consequently, coffee quality began to decline. Moreover, farmers became dependent on chemical product prices with no power to resist. These negative effects became apparent after the energy crisis erupted.

Artificial herbicides and pesticides have never been inexpensive. For a recent example: from 2007 to 2008, the prices of such products in many regions worldwide more than doubled.

The Energy Crisis Promoted the Development of Organic Coffee

The first energy crisis occurred in 1973. Since then, people have begun to realize that Earth's various resources are finite. In agriculture, once the environment is polluted, not only are ecosystems destroyed, but productivity also declines accordingly. How to maintain environmental quality and living standards while ensuring sustainable development has become an important issue for humanity. Consequently, many countries successively established organic agriculture regulations and implemented certification systems, and agriculture began moving toward organic and sustainable directions.

Coffee, as an important part of agriculture and also a major international commodity, could not remain outside this trend. After the 1970s, the momentum of the Green Revolution waned, and many coffee farmers returned to traditional methods: planting coffee trees under shade trees, replacing some or all chemical synthetic fertilizers with organic fertilizers, preparing natural pesticide sprays or creating traps to lure pests, and cultivating natural enemies that can control diseases and pests, among other practices.

Oak trees are an excellent choice for shade trees.

Why Are People Willing to Pay More for Organic Coffee?

However, meeting all the requirements for organic coffee is not easy. Besides increased labor costs, coffee yields are significantly lower compared to "non-organic" coffee that uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Although coffee can be sold at higher prices due to improved flavor, the increase may not necessarily compensate for the losses. At this point, the organic certification system demonstrates its effectiveness, because once labeled "organic," people are naturally willing to pay more for it.

Why are people willing to pay more for organic coffee? Surveys show that those who buy organic coffee usually have one of three motivations:

(1) Believing that organic coffee is safer;
(2) Believing that organic coffee has better flavor;
(3) Believing that paying a little more can help coffee farmers and protect the Earth's environment.

Does Organic Coffee Meet People's Expectations?

Is Organic Coffee Safer?

The marketing claim for organic coffee, "no pesticide residues, no artificial chemicals," is certainly attractive. But in fact, whether coffee is organic or non-organic, raw beans almost never contain any artificial chemicals.

One example illustrates this: In 1993, a large-scale analysis was conducted on 60 samples of raw coffee beans from 21 countries. Results showed that only 7% of the beans contained trace amounts of pesticide residues. Moreover, even if residues remained, during the roasting process at the "first crack" point - with temperatures averaging between 204-209°C Celsius - almost all non-organic chemical residues completely evaporate. Therefore, "safety" cannot be considered the exclusive domain of organic coffee.

Does Organic Coffee Have Better Flavor?

Because organic coffee is generally grown under shade trees, the shade creates a cool microenvironment, lowering the temperature around coffee cherries (by as much as 4 degrees), which slows fruit maturation and allows for the development of more complex compounds. In terms of flavor, it indeed surpasses sun-grown coffee.

However, shade-grown cultivation is not exclusive to organic coffee. Other certified coffees, such as sustainable coffee (closely related to organic coffee), are mostly also grown under shade trees and can produce similarly superior-flavored coffee. The restrictions for sustainable coffee are not as strict as those for organic coffee, and certain approved artificial chemicals are permitted. From this perspective, "flavor" is not exclusive to organic coffee either.

There are exceptions to shade-grown practices. For example, the famous coffee-producing region of Kona in Hawaii doesn't require shade trees because natural cloud formations provide appropriate sun shading daily.

Can Organic Coffee Truly "Help Coffee Farmers and Protect the Earth's Environment"?

Since "safety" and "flavor" are not exclusive to organic coffee, we must say that the expectation that aligns best is (3) - helping coffee farmers and protecting the Earth's environment. However, the current "organic certification" system still has significant shortcomings, which somewhat diminishes these expectations born of moral sense and social responsibility.

The Criticized "Organic Certification" System

The organic certification system is criticized primarily for the following two issues:

(1) Many coffees labeled "organic certified" actually do not meet the regulations. For example, inspectors from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) typically visit coffee plantations for only one day per year, and unless someone files a complaint, they generally do not conduct soil tests or tissue tests. As for the days outside of inspection visits, only the coffee farmers themselves know whether they are violating regulations.

(2) Certification fees are too high. Taking Costa Rica as an example, for a 3-4 hectare coffee plantation, the annual certification fee costs $700 - and this is just for local Costa Rican certification. If applying for additional USDA certification, the costs are even higher. Therefore, some poor small-scale coffee farmers whose cultivation methods clearly meet all "organic" standards cannot obtain certification because they cannot afford the annual fees.

For example, in famous coffee-producing countries like Ethiopia and Yemen, farmers use the most primitive "organic" cultivation methods because they cannot afford pesticides and fertilizers, yet coffee labeled "organic certified" from these two countries is virtually nonexistent. Conversely, there are also many plantations that have obtained certification but are, in fact, not genuinely compliant.

Besides these two most criticized points, there are of course other shortcomings, such as inspectors frequently accepting bribes and relaxing inspection standards, but we won't discuss those here.

Choosing Between Organic and Conventional Coffee

For example, we all know that Kenyan coffee is famous and has produced many high-quality specialty beans. But if a coffee farmer in Kenya wanted to practice organic coffee cultivation, would it be possible? Probably not -

Because almost the entire territory of Kenya has mold that threatens coffee trees and can cause them to wither and die, pesticides must be used regularly to ensure productivity. However, if insisting on organic cultivation that eliminates pesticides, the only solution would be to plant new tree varieties that can resist this mold.

But then another problem arises: The typical blackcurrant and blueberry aromas, bright and splendid acidity, and rich flavor that give Kenyan coffee its excellent reputation are the result of the combination of its unique tree varieties and specific terroir - which is why Kenyan coffee prices can be significantly higher than those of its neighbor Tanzania. If new tree varieties were used, it would obviously be impossible to produce equally exceptional flavors.

So whether to prioritize results or methods, choosing organic or conventional - this requires consumers to decide for themselves.

The Path of Organic Coffee

Difficult, long, yet necessary

Although promoting organic coffee is full of challenges, in the long run, it remains a path that must be taken. Especially in recent years, as global warming has accelerated, coffee has been greatly impacted, and conditions in many areas originally suitable for coffee cultivation have begun to deteriorate. Experts point out that organic agriculture inherently has a mitigating effect on warming phenomena, and organic coffee cultivation, particularly the practice of planting shade trees, is one of the good strategies to slow global warming.

I sincerely hope that one day, all coffee will be organic coffee, so that at least it won't be like today, when I face the choice between "good flavor" and "organic" and can only select one, often making a decision yet feeling a trace of guilt in my heart.

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