| When thinking of coffee beans and the | | | | harvesting rate, and use direct sunlight to raise |
| environment they grow in, most people | | | | crops. In order to make room for non-organic |
| automatically think of sprawling, commercial | | | | coffee, many farmers even chopped down their |
| coffee crop plantations in the middle of nowhere. | | | | trees to create plantation room. In the United |
| They may believe sunlight is the main nutrient for | | | | States, approximately 2 million acres of lands |
| all types of coffee. However, different coffee | | | | dedicated to organic and non-organic coffee had |
| crops share different growth and harvesting | | | | its shade trees removed. The only farmers who |
| procedures. The two main types of coffee | | | | spared their shade trees for organic coffee were |
| growth: shade grown (organic coffee) and direct | | | | the ones too poor to afford fertilizers and |
| sunlight (traditional coffee) are on the opposite | | | | pesticides needed for production. |
| sides of the spectrum when it comes to | | | | With the transition from organic coffee to 'sun |
| production. | | | | coffee' growing coffee began to sacrifice the |
| In the past, all coffee was shade grown and bore | | | | environment. Soil erosion and nutrient depletion |
| some resemblance to organic coffee. Most kinds | | | | became the norm as more chemical fertilizers |
| of coffee refuse to sprout majestically under | | | | were sprayed onto the ground. In addition, |
| direct sunlight and thrive best under sun blocking | | | | producers were adamant at removing rainforest |
| trees. Shade grown coffee benefited from fallen | | | | land in the search for non-organic coffee soil. |
| leaves which help to mulch the soil to retain | | | | Today, there are only a few countries that are |
| moisture. In addition, shade trees provide homes | | | | making the switch to producing full time organic |
| for birds, which act as pest control. With few | | | | coffee, including Ethiopia, Panama, Mexico, and El |
| fertilizers and pesticides used as recently as 30 | | | | Salvador. Bigger countries like Costa Rica and |
| years ago, coffee was a hallmark of healthy | | | | Brazil continue to be mainly non-organic coffee |
| production. | | | | producers. All in all, organic coffee has derived its |
| In the 1970's, new hybrids of coffee crop began | | | | history from the spoiled environment its |
| to sprout. Farmers began to learn new ways of | | | | non-organic counterpart specializes in creating. |
| producing more coffee beans, slowing down the | | | | |