This year we celebrate 21 wonderful years of roasting outstanding organic certified specialty coffee in Melbourne.
We are proud to be one of the longest standing organic coffee roasters in Australia. In fact, even before we had our organic certification we served naturally growing organic coffee in our stores!
We're lucky to collaborate with incredibly knowledgeable and passionate organic coffee farmers and cooperatives across Africa, Asia and both Central and South America. They’re dedicated to using the most sustainable and regenerative farming practices out there.
Our top-notch green coffee buying and quality control team work tirelessly to ensure every bag of green coffee that arrives at the Jasper Coffee roastery meets our high standards for exceptional quality and taste. After cupping hundreds of samples throughout the year, only the finest and most suitable make it into our blends and single origin offerings.
To top it all off, earlier this year we won the champion trophy for "Best in category: Organic Coffee" at the prestigious Royal Adelaide Coffee Show.
More on that here: Jasper Coffee wins "Best Organic Coffee" award
But why should you care about organic coffee? What is it about organic coffee that speaks to our values?
Organic farming isn’t stuck in the past or behind the times and it’s definitely not low-tech. It’s a vibrant tradition of farming practices that have been around for thousands of years, continually updated with innovative techniques!
Organic farming makes the land healthier and the soil more fertile, which increases both quality and quantity over the years. It also decreases farmers' exposure to toxic chemicals.
Organic coffee production is not easy.
Organic farming can often be more difficult, expensive and time consuming for growers, so why do they do it? Mixing compost and hand-weeding is way more work than just spraying chemicals, but it's worth it. The long term benefits of enriched soil, less damage to the surrounding environment and ecosystem and healthier people are all worth striving for. On top of this organic coffee often demands a higher price for the grower, as the market is strong with so many people now drinking and eating organic products.
One of the toughest parts of organic farming is managing pests and diseases. It’s all about prevention! Keeping the right shade, drainage, and soil health helps keep pests and plant diseases at bay.
But sometimes, farmers face a tough choice if a major disease strikes, like a nasty coffee leaf rust outbreak. They might have to choose between losing their whole crop or using chemicals and losing their organic certification. This recently happened to our growers in Honduras Copan Ruins—they lost a big coffee crop that takes up to four years to grow back into bearing fruit.
Organic farming: saving the world one clean river at a time!
By ditching synthetic chemicals, organic farming keeps our waterways clear and pollution-free.
These days, with climate change in the spotlight, farmers and consumers are waking up to the bigger picture of non-organic methods.
Organic farming is all about loving the soil, which does wonders for the ecosystem—some reports even point to increased carbon storage in the soil, though am sceptical.
Is Organic coffee healthier?
While many chemical-free products are a bit of a health boost for your body with all-natural goodness. Coffee is a somewhat special, roasting at such high heat burns off most chemicals regardless. So, picking organic coffee is more like giving a high-five to farmers' health and a thumbs-up to the environment in developing countries. Allowing ecosystems to build for longevity rather than short term gain.
Saying that… doing organic correctly is no joke. To be a certified organic coffee roaster takes a lot of time, effort and teamwork. This year Jasper Coffee will be certified for 21 years running, under the banner of the ACO Organic certification. ACO is the strongest and most respected organic certification available in Australia.
Organic farming: where soil gets the VIP treatment!
Organic practices enrich the soil with natural nutrients, making it the ultimate spa day for dirt.
In order to maintain such a long standing certification we are regularly audited to ensure we maintain organic practices throughout our supply chain and coffee roasting facilities. Organic product is kept separate from other coffee, organic cleaning processes must be used at all times and no cross contamination of organic and non organic product is possible. This means we must purge coffee packing equipment to ensure non organic coffee particles do not mix into the next round of organic packing. (don’t worry that purged coffee doesn’t go to waste, we use it in our own cup of coffee on site, its still good!)
But can't just about anyone say they use organic coffee?
Well, not if they really mean it...
With our certification comes standards and process that enables you to trust in the quality of care taken by our team as well as the growers who maintain the coffee crops.
ACO (Australian Certified Organic) is the strongest organic certification body in Australia, with strict measures in place that all who carry the logo must abide by.
With this certification you can drink your coffee in peace, knowing that the beans from harvest to cup has been monitored and organically processed without harmful chemicals being used anywhere along the supply chain.
Always look for the ACO bud logo on coffee to make sure it is certified organic to a very high standard.
Organic products keep harmful chemicals out of the environment, preserving the natural balance of local ecosystems. Plus, organic farming often use eco-friendly practices like recycling, composting, and maintaining soil health with natural methods.
Water conservation is organic farming's secret superpower!
With better soil structure and water retention, organic farms use less water, making every drop count.
When you choose coffee that’s grown in environmentally responsible ways, you’re helping to sustain our planet by preserving the natural balance of our ecosystem. You’re showing that you care about the environment in all your choices, even your coffee. Plus, you’re supporting small farmers and helping sustainable farming practices become the norm, one farm at a time.
You’re making a positive impact on the health and living standards of coffee farmers, their families, and communities worldwide. By choosing organic options, you’re boosting the demand for chemical-free alternatives and spreading the word that these options are better for everyone.
- Jasper Parker Trenfield
