Organic Teas and Coffees are these days readily available to the consumer, being sold in most supermarkets, coffee shops, cafes and beverage vending machines in the UK and beyond.  The demand appears to be on the increase, with the Soil Association reporting a 1.7% increase in the UK organic market in 2008.  With the demand increasing, more producers may try to jump on the organic bandwagon, and it is important to retain the integrity of organically certified produce.  So how exactly are coffee and tea supplies certified as organic and what standards should they meet?  How do you know that the coffee you buy for your coffee machine is really organic?

The Soil Association are one body which offers organic certification within the UK, and other worldwide members of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the Organic Crop Improvement Association provide certification to producers globally.  The standards which the products have to reach to be officially certified as organic do not vary much across these bodies.  This should reassure the consumer that when they choose to purchase organic coffee from a café or coffee vending machine, that what they are getting is actually organic.

So, what are the standards that the produce must meet to be certified organic?  Firstly, there must be no presence of pesticides or other inorganic substances within the soil in which the produce is being grown.  With regard to pest control, the introduction of predators and parasites and developing the habitat of natural predators of the pest are allowed and actively encouraged by certifiers.  Even when harvesting takes place, it is important that any bags or other receptacles have not been contaminated with inorganic substances.  All of the post harvest processing must also be factored into the producer’s organic planning, or if it is carried out off-site it needs to be done so at an organically certified facility.  The certification is of course much more complex than simply these points alone, and you can find out full details of standards from the web sites of organisations such as the Soil Association.

All the procedures followed which make a tea or coffee plantation organic can lead to a better tasting cup of tea or coffee.  Also, if your tea or coffee supplies come from an organically certified producer you can feel good in the knowledge that you are also doing your bit for the environment!  You can obtain organic produce from most retailers now, and some employers introducing it within their office drinks vending machines, with organic and fair trade produce being readily available from many vending machine suppliers.  It remains to be seen how much more the organic produce market will grow, but it seems that demand continues to rise, and with this in mind the certifiers will have to thoroughly ensure that consumers maintain faith in organic standards.

The author works with coffee supplies and vending machine suppliers, she knows all there is to know about the coffee vending machine.