Hi, Alinna:

It's wonderful that you take the time to be concerned about this! We
are, too, and work hard to make sure our coffees are grown in a way
that
is environmentally sensitive, and harvested in a way that promotes fair
market prices and the development of small farms and cooperatives.
Here's some information about that:


The majority of our coffees are shade-grown, because high quality
arabica beans can't be grown any other way, and that's all we use. This
is of particular concern in Central America, where clear-cutting by
some
coffee plantations has greatly damaged the environment, and we do not
do
business with such plantations.

We have one certified fair trade coffee, which is called Fair Trade
Blend. However, the majority of the farms and cooperatives we do
business with are small, sometimes single-family owned for generations,
and do not meet the criteria for fair trade certification. We arrange
longterm contracts with our suppliers, at fair trade prices or above,
which is the only way to secure the high quality beans we're interested
in, and which also greatly benefits our suppliers, who are thus assured
of being well paid even the standard market price for coffee falls.

We have one certified organic coffee, which is Gaia Organic. Again,
because the certification process is both long and expensive, many of
our suppliers(even if they are organic farms) cannot obtain such
certification. However, in many areas of the world, farmers still use
old-fashioned organic methods of farming because that is the local
cultural standard. Our Sumatra, Ethiopian Fancy, Arabian Mocha Sanani,
and Sulawesi-Kalosi are all grown with organic farming methods,
although
not certified as organic.

I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any other
questions, and we'll always be happy to answer them. Have a great day!


Best wishes,
Amanda Conrad
Peet's Coffee & Tea
800-999-2132
www.peets.com

LOVE THEM. LOVE THEIR IDEAS. LOVE THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES.