The Hard Truth About Organic Coffee
When I first started Adventure Dog Coffee Company, I thought organic coffee was the ethical choice. The idea of pesticide-free, environmentally friendly farming sounded like a no-brainer. I proudly sought out organic-certified beans, believing I was making the best possible decision for my customers and the planet.
But as I dug deeper into the coffee industry, I realized something unsettling: organic doesn’t necessarily mean ethical, sustainable, or even better quality. In fact, many of the same issues we see with industrial organic farming in the U.S. apply to coffee farming worldwide.
After years of research and countless conversations with smallholder farmers, I made a decision—Adventure Dog Coffee no longer prioritizes organic certification. Instead, we source coffee through regenerative, relationship-based, and transparent farming practices that have a bigger impact on the environment, farmers, and the quality of your cup.
Let me explain why.
The Problem with Organic Certification
The organic label has become a marketing buzzword in the coffee industry. While it still holds value in certain cases, the reality is that organic certification often benefits large-scale industrial coffee farms rather than the small, independent farmers who actually grow the highest-quality beans. Here’s why:
1. Organic Certification is Expensive and Exclusionary
For small coffee farmers—especially those in remote regions of Ethiopia, Guatemala, Colombia, and other coffee-growing countries—the cost of organic certification is prohibitively high. Many of these farmers already grow coffee without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, but they can’t afford the certification fees.
The result? They’re excluded from the organic market, even though their farming practices are more sustainable than many certified organic operations.
2. Organic Coffee Can Still Be Grown Unethically
A USDA Organic sticker doesn’t guarantee fair wages, ethical treatment of workers, or sustainable land management. Large coffee plantations that earn organic certification can still engage in deforestation, exploitative labor practices, and soil depletion—as long as they avoid synthetic chemicals.
If we truly care about sustainability, we need to look beyond a single label and ask: Is this coffee grown in a way that regenerates the land and supports the people who produce it?
3. Organic Farming Can Be Bad for the Environment
Here’s something you don’t hear often: Organic doesn’t always mean better for the planet.
Because organic coffee farmers are restricted from using certain fertilizers, they often need more land to produce the same yields as conventional farms. This can lead to deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
Additionally, organic farms that don’t practice regenerative agriculture often struggle with soil depletion, leading to lower-quality coffee over time.
What’s Better Than Organic? Regenerative & Relationship-Based Coffee
So if organic certification isn’t the gold standard, what is? At Adventure Dog Coffee, we prioritize regenerative, direct-trade, and transparently sourced coffee that makes a real impact.
1. Regenerative Agriculture
Rather than just avoiding synthetic inputs, regenerative coffee farming actively restores soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystems. This includes: ✔️ Shade-grown coffee that preserves native forests
✔️ Composting and natural soil enrichment
✔️ Water conservation practices
✔️ Carbon-sequestering farming techniques
Regenerative farms don’t just produce better coffee—they also help fight climate change and ensure long-term sustainability for farmers.
2. Relationship-Based Sourcing
We believe relationships matter more than labels. Instead of relying on third-party certifications, we work directly with smallholder farmers and trusted importers who prioritize:
✅ Fair wages & ethical treatment of workers
✅ Transparency in pricing
✅ High-quality, sustainably grown coffee
Many of the farmers we source from have been growing coffee using organic and regenerative methods for generations—without needing a costly certification to prove it.
3. Exceptional Flavor & Quality
At the end of the day, great coffee starts at the farm. When farmers focus on soil health, biodiversity, and careful harvesting and processing techniques, the result is a cup that is cleaner, more complex, and naturally flavorful.
Instead of prioritizing an organic label, we look for coffee that is grown with care, roasted with precision, and brewed to perfection—without cutting corners on ethics or quality.
The Coffee You Can Feel Good About
I started Adventure Dog Coffee with the mission of providing exceptional coffee that makes a real difference—for farmers, the environment, and of course, your morning cup.
When you choose Adventure Dog Coffee, you’re not just getting high-quality, ethically sourced coffee—you’re also supporting a better way forward for the coffee industry.
Try one of our responsibly sourced, small-batch roasted coffees today. Because real sustainability isn’t about chasing labels—it’s about supporting farmers who do things the right way.