100% ORGANIC
BETTER FOR YOUR BODY
Almost all coffee is grown in third world countries with no regulations on crop spraying.  The chemicals found in traditional coffee include DDT, DDE, BHC, Lindane, Dieldrin and Heptachlor.  These and other sprays being used today are either banned, heavily restricted or not registered for use in North America because of health reasons. If it doesn't say organic, it is likely laden with trace amounts of these organochlorines and suspected carcinogens.  Trace amounts add up and are permanently stored in fatty tissue in your body.  Traditional tea is even more dangerous as the fragile leaves are never washed before they steep in your cup.  Our organic espresso, coffee, tea and cocoa is milder and smoother because it is free of harmful pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

100% FAIR TRADE
BETTER FOR YOUR SOUL
Large coffee corporations are abusing millions of farmers who grow coffee.  Prices paid to farmers for their beans have dropped over 50% in the last four years and now coffee costs more to produce than it pays. It is  estimated 25 million coffee workers have lost their livelihood due to unreasonable price points. Maxwell House, Folgers, etc. may pay approx. 25¢ for the $4 can of coffee in the supermarket.   A farmer who grew the beans for your “latte ventes” may see less than $200 a YEAR for their efforts. Fair-Trade ensures livable wages, community development, health and education for coffee farmers and their families.  Fair-Trade certified coffee distributors pay the farmers a minimum of $1.29 per pound.  Our supplier, Dean's Beans, pays even more.  In addition, 10% of all the roasted coffee we buy goes directly back to the communities who grow and harvest it... over $5000 from just our small store alone.  Beware of marketing and tokenism: if the coffee or tea merchant isn’t 100% Fair-Trade then it is blatantly continuing a cycle of poverty and despair. Seattle’s Best: .5%,  Starbucks: 2%,  Green Mountain: 15%, 
Saratoga Coffee Traders: 100% Fair-Trade

100% SHADE GROWN
BETTER FOR THE PLANET
Coffee naturally grown in the shade tastes better and is ecologically superior. The trees create a sanctuary for resident and migratory birds who in turn act as natural pest control.  This sustainable type of farming maintains soil quality and can yield healthy crops for up to 50 years.  Sun grown coffee devastates the soil, destroys rare plant and animal life, fuels global warming, requires chemicals to grow, increases erosion, lacks flavor and only yields crops for 10 to 15 years.  Non-Shade Grown coffees lead to a cycle of ecological destruction and despair for all creatures--including humans.