Cuban Organic Shade-Grown Coffee from Merchants of Green Coffee
by TreeHugger on 05.19.05
This could get confusing: yesterday we read about Green Mountain Coffee Growers; today its Merchants of Green Coffee. The major difference- its from Cuba and Americans can't buy it.
For decades, American sanctions against Cuba have left farmers without the access or means to pay for chemicals and machinery required for modern coffee production. Now, with the market for organic coffee taking off, Cuban shade-grown, organic coffee is turning out to be hugely popular in Japan and Europe.
Coffee production is a major cause of rainforest destruction, as trees are cut down to accommodate sun-grown trees and to provide firewood for drying ovens. Without much fuel, In Cuba they still dry coffee in the sun on concrete pads- a process that takes 20 workers two weeks when you could dry them in a wood-burning dryer in 24 hours. Pruning and weeding is done by machete, and the coffee is grown among banana and grapefruit trees, planted to diversify the plantings and create the right shade conditions.
World Wildlife Fund Canada and CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency) created a program where we can buy coffee with 25 cents per pound going directly to programs and sustainable equipment like solar driers. "Its more than just buying organic. This is about putting your latte toward a structured program to maintain high environmental standards in Cuba while improving the conditions of working farmers there" says David Zavislake of Merchants of Green Coffee, a Canadian importer. ::Merchants of Green Coffee from ::Greenliving by ::LA
Where can I purchase coffee to show my support for the World Wildlife Fund Program?
Thanks for pointing it out- the link to Merchants of Green Coffee is fixed- if you go to their site you can find out what stores carry it and you can order it online as well (but not for export to the USA)
Warning! I had successfully given up coffee for yrs, then got hooked on organic, shade grown cuban coffee. it's so good, I've kicked up to 4 cups a day & trying to cut back down. The other coffees just don't make the grade. even have visitors marvelling tht they never thought they'd drink black coffee on its own & enjoy it so much.
For decades, American sanctions against Cuba have left farmers without the access or means to pay for chemicals and machinery required for modern coffee production.
That's quite an accusation to throw off so casually. I suppose Cuba being a communist dictatorship has nothing to with its coffee production problems?
Mark,
The embargo means that it is almost impossible to import oil and chemicals into the country. That, along with the collapse of the USSR are the main reasons.
Cuba being "a communist dictatorship" doesn't seem to keep it from having the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, the most doctor and school teacher (IIRC) per capita, etc.
In this case, it is really about the embargo.
the link to the coffee merchants doesn't do much for the cuban shadegrown as they don't list any cuban coffees on their website! One fantastic cuban roast is "end the embargo on cuba" by Thanksgiving coffee, they have it in regular dark roast and decaf- it is one of my all time favorites and is shade grown, organic too!