The term ‘Organic’ encompasses a wide array of applications, from agriculture to livestock practices to food production methods. To better understand the term and some of the ways it is applied, we have compiled a brief glimpse at the Organic process and, more specifically, Organic coffee and tea.

When you see produce, meat or dairy products labeled “Organic,” it means they have been grown and processed according to a series of strict standards that put an emphasis on growth without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and genetic modification. Organic practices often enhance environmental stewardship through soil and water conservation and by encouraging the use of renewable resources. Some of these standards and the benefits of adhering to them include:
• Organic farming methods protect the health of both the local eco-system and the consumer by prohibiting the use of manufactured chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Federal regulations also prohibit the use of genetically engineered seeds or the use of waste-water in Organic irrigation methods.
• Organic livestock management methods promote the health and humane treatment of animals. They are fed only Organically-grown feed, they have regular access to the outdoors and fresh air, and are not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones, which can have a residual effect on the products we consume.
• Organic food processing methods ensure the integrity of the Organic product. Federal regulations governing the use of the ‘Organic’ label prohibit the use of radiation or genetically modified ingredients and disallow almost all synthetic preservatives.

Organic Coffees and Teas:
Coffee is one of the most heavily treated agricultural crops. Some of the chemicals used on non-Organic coffee include DDT, (which is outlawed in the U.S., but is still widely used in many developing nations where coffee and tea are grown) malathion, neurotoxin benzene hexachloride and a slew of other horrible-sounding chemicals. The toxic cocktail created by these chemicals not only ends up in your latte, but the vast majority of it is absorbed into the environment and finds its way back into the water table and the water we drink; into the atmosphere and the air we breathe; and into the soils and the food we eat.
Implications of supporting chemically-sprayed coffees and teas:
• Non-Organic production methods have led to contaminated drinking water in many coffee-producing regions which, in turn, have led to increased incidence of cancers, birth defects and developmental problems in children whose young immune systems are unable to cope with the high level of toxicity from these pesticides.
• Water contamination leads to a decrease in the population and biodiversity of water-life.
• Synthetic fertilizers are typically made of fossil fuels and come at both a high environmental cost and the global economic impact of the petrochemical industry.

How a Bean Becomes Organic:
There are a number of independent agencies which monitor and test the growing and processing methods of Organic coffees and teas; ensuring that their methods uphold the federal and internationally regulated use of the ‘Organic’ label. Members of these agencies will visit the farm to both educate the farmers in Organic techniques and to inspect the farm’s adherence to Organic standards.

Why You Should Buy Organic:
For the person who is consuming the Organic product there is the obvious health benefit of not having residual amounts of pesticides in your system. This is especially important with coffee and teas; because of their fragile nature they are not heavily washed, only rinsed before they are used to create your drink.

For the farmers who grow our coffee and tea, the benefits of Organic cultivation are unquestionable. They will not have chemical fertilizers and pesticides running off and contaminating their water supply and other food sources. There is irrefutable scientific evidence that chemical pesticides such as DDT cause birth defects and cancers, yet they are still widely used around the world.

Organic produce is not allowed to use genetically modified seeds and plants which are just starting to come to market, but which have not gone through stringent scientific study, and could have a serious long-term impact on either our food sources or our health.

Finally, the soil used to grow Organic products absorbs 35% more carbon dioxide than soil treated with chemicals. This is a crucial step in starting to help mitigate the problems caused by global warming.

Organics at the Lost Bean:
To find the highest quality products, you first need to look at the source. Every coffee bean and tea leaf is the sum of everything that goes into growing it. In addition to the health benefits of not having herbicides and fungicides in your cup, Organic coffees and teas absorb all of the natural nutrients from the soil which gives them the richest, fullest flavor possible. When chemicals are substituted for natural nutrients, the sweet subtle nuances of their tastes disappear, and are replaced with the tinny, metallic bitterness of the chemicals.

At the Lost Bean we believe that it is our responsibility to leave a light footprint everywhere we go. We don’t want to sell our products at the expense of an already-fragile ecosystem or the health of the people who drink our coffees and teas. We don’t want to drink a latte filled with a bunch of chemicals and we couldn’t, in good conscience, ask our customers to either.