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Certified Coffee

LMZ is committed to providing its clients access to a wide variety of soluble coffees and is eager to promote the growing Certified coffee market. Certified coffees include those that are committed to environmental and sustainable agriculture concerns, such as Organic and Rainforest Alliance coffees; as well as social justice concerns, such as Fair Trade coffees. Following are further details about those programs, with links to the respective organizations that trademark and/or regulate those certification programs.

USDA Organic Coffee
Organic coffees are grown, harvested, and processed according to strict standards that, among other rulings, restrict the use of chemicals or artificial pesticides, insecticides or fertilizers. Organic agricultural methods, as per the National Organic Standards Board, "…promote and enhance biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and ehnace biological harmony." Coffee farms that have been properly certified to sell their coffee into the U.S. undergo periodic inspections and have: been free of synthetic pesticides and other banned chemicals for at least 3 years, created a buffer between organic and non-organic crops, and applied a sustainable crop rotation plan. In the United States, the Organic program is adminstered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program and certifications are given by certification agencies accredited by the USDA.

Fair Trade Coffee
Fair Trade is a non-profit social justice program committed to paying farmers and growers in producing countries above a pre-defined level of compensation for their goods. Beyond compensation, the Fair Trade program strives to create sustainable businesses in developing countries, from which farmers and growers are able to improve their economic conditions and those of their communities. Coffee is one of several products with which Fair Trade is involved, which includes cocoa, bananas, tea, honey, cotton, sugar, wine, and so on. In the United States, the program is regulated by TransFair USA.

Rainforest Alliance Coffee
The Rainforest Alliance is a New York based non-profit organization with a global reach. The Alliance is committed to conserving biodiversity of coffee farmland and promoting sustainability in agriculture, forestry, tourism, as well as the prevention of child labor. In order to achieve Rainforest certification, coffee farms must reach a minimum of 40% shade with natural forest coverage. Additionally, the Sustainable Agriculture Standard Rules call for protection of a minimum of 12 native species as well as preservation of all natural waterways. Additional requirements of the program can be found on their website.