COFFEE CERTIFICATIONS EXPLAINED: WHAT THEY MEAN, WHY THEY MATTER

Are you shopping for ethical and sustainable coffee? Understanding the various coffee certifications is a great place to start.

Certifications can be confusing. There are a surprising number of them, all with varying criteria. Some are more rigorous than others, and some require expensive fees. Some protect the environment, while others protect people.

So how can you best use certifications to guide your coffee shopping? Read this ultimate guide to find out.

There are many certifications for coffee out there to confuse consumers, but some carry more weight than others. Here are four certifications you should know when shopping for the best beans.

• Organic-certified
• Fair trade
• Rainforest Alliance (merged with UTZ)
• Bird-friendly

Certified Organic Coffee

An organic coffee certification is given strictly based on farming practices. It has no socioeconomic or other environmental standards. 

The main requirement for certified organic coffee is that no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides are used on the land. There also needs to be a buffer between organic coffee beans and any adjacent non-organic crops. And the farm needs to show a plan for sustainable farming, including the prevention of soil erosion. 

In the U.S., the Department of Agriculture is responsible for certifying USDA organic coffee, with several agencies responsible for carrying out actual verifications. 

The main problem with organic certification is that it can be expensive or complicated to obtain, making it challenging for farmers in poorer regions. However, once obtained, producers can typically demand a better price for their coffee.

Related: Organic vs non-organic coffee

Fair Trade Certification

Fair Trade is one of the more complicated certifications, which has caused it to fall out of fashion in recent years. According to Jennifer Yeatts of Higher Grounds Trading Co., coffee buyers now prefer to establish long-term relationships directly with producers (1).

The concept of fair trade coffee holds a lot of potential, but the execution has been somewhat fraught. The idea is to pay producers fair wages by guaranteeing a minimum price, as determined by an independent organization based on local norms. This promotes global equity and alleviates poverty. 

Unfortunately, there are too many certifying organizations, which is confusing for coffee farmers and consumers alike. Even within the U.S., you’ll find coffee certified by Fairtrade America, Fair Trade USA, and Fairtrade International – all of which have different standards.

Fair Trade certifications make no demands around environmental sustainability, and a coffee doesn’t need to be organic to be certified Fair Trade. However, the fair trade model does guarantee higher prices per pound for certified organic beans.

Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffees

The Rainforest Alliance is an NGO that certifies many agricultural products. In 2017, they merged with another certifier, UTZ, and the two came out with a new set of criteria in 2020.

The NGO is interested in sustainable farming practices from both an environmental and socio-economic standpoint. They care about how the coffee is grown, how the local environment is protected, and the treatment and working conditions of farm workers.

For more information on the mission of the Rainforest Alliance, check out this video:

Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee need not meet any specific criteria, like organic farming or shade-grown. Rather, it’s a holistic certification awarded for overall sustainable agriculture practices. Farms are scored on how many criteria they meet and receive the certification if they achieve a high enough score. Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing which criteria were met.

Bird-Friendly Certification

Ecologists developed the certification for Bird-Friendly coffee at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. It is one of the most difficult to obtain, with a set of strict standards for coffee production.

The criteria are numerous, including a certain height of tree canopy, shade cover, biodiversity minimums, and even a priority for native plant life. Plus, the coffee must be certified organic. Unlike the Rainforest Alliance certification, a farm must meet all the criteria to qualify.

Like the others, this certification requires a fee to obtain, but the collected fees are used to support bird conservation research.

What About Direct Trade Coffee?

Direct trade is not an official certification, but it’s worth discussing here as it is quickly outpacing Fair Trade in the global coffee industry.

In the direct trade model, coffee roasters or buyers develop direct relationships with coffee producers – a system with numerous benefits. Direct trade relationships foster better communication by shortening the coffee supply chain, leading to improved coffee quality. 

By eliminating the need for third-party certification and the associated fees, direct trade puts more money back in the hands of producers.

Final Thoughts

Coffee certifications can be a useful way to learn how your coffee was produced. They provide important information regarding growing conditions, sustainable practices, and environmental standards. However, as I hope you now realize, the certification system is not without flaws. Use this information as a starting point to guide you toward sustainable coffee choices, but don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper.