Cool beans

At 8,000 feet, the air is pure and clear in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico where steep, green hillsides are plushly carpeted in maize fields, banana plants, and coffee trees. Here, in the rich, volcanic soil, the trees break out in red berries that, when mature, produce $250 million in prized altura coffee each year.

Unfortunately, due to the volatility of the coffee market, a lack of equipment and technical know-how, and profiteering middlemen, these Chiapas campesinos, many of whom farm on less than seven acres, live on about $3 a day — less than the price of one Venti latte at Starbucks. ...

Fair Trade practices are viewed as one solution to the coffee crisis, which persists despite rising international prices and demand. Fair Trade principles prohibit forced child labor and provide living wages for farmers, while sustaining their communities. And there are environmental benefits, as well: Although sun-grown coffee produces greater yields, Fair Trade coffee is shade-grown, which eliminates the need for clear-cutting and preserves delicate ecosystems. And since many farmers can’t afford pesticides and other chemicals, there is an ample supply of organic Fair Trade coffee.

Organic farms help to plough in rich returns

KOCHI: Here is some good news for the health buffs and die-hard greens. Organic farming in the country is gradually becoming a movement and those who practice it, a force to reckon with.

The natural progression of organic wines

Not so long ago, folks interested in organic foods and wines had little to choose from; "organic dining" meant a bowl of brown rice and a glass of uninspired wine.

In recent years, though, as demand for organic choices continues to grow, wineries have responded with quality and variety. Still others, committed to the advantages of natural growing methods, are bottling organic wines while leaving "organic" off the label.

Another commercially-available source for organic tea

Bigelow, Inc. has introduced certified Organic Green Tea and Organic Decaffeinated Green Tea, a healthy experience for consumers and the environment, to its more than 50 varieties of specialty teas. Bigelow has put its delightful organic green tea in airtight, flavor-protecting fresh packs to ensure a smooth, all-natural cup each time it is brewed.

The 96-cent daily grind - the real effects of fair trade coffee

Perhaps you're reading this over a cup of coffee. Maybe a Starbucks coffee. Maybe you even paid extra for Shirkina beans, a fair-trade variety that sells for the conscience-soothing premium price of $10 (U.S.) a pound in North America. The employees of Ethiopia's largest coffee processing factory and the small family farmers — all 86,762 of them — who grew the Shirkina beans would like to thank you.

Panel discusses benefits of fair trade coffee

Some would consider the idea of choosing a more expensive coffee simply because the label says “fair trade” to be ridiculous. But many people are doing just that, and a panel of speakers experienced in the coffee industry and fair trade came to Seattle University on May 10 to explain why.

Organic wine - it's around you, but it might be hard to tell

"People will sleep better not knowing how their sausage and politics are made," Otto von Bismarck said — and he might have added wine to the list, though one sees the Iron Chancellor as more of a beer man. The production of wine grapes in recent decades has become a festival of chemicals — pesticides, fertilizers — from which many of us instinctively avert our gaze; we like wine, we want good wine, and when we get good wine, we are not inclined to ask any questions. Still, there is growing evidence that a paradigm shift is under way, to judge by the public relations emphasis that winemakers around the world are placing on organic and biodynamic grape production and on the broader if slightly hazier theme of sustainability.

Can vegan diet fuel an athlete?

Lots of organic-eaters are also vegetarians or vegans. Here's an athlete that insists that protein is no problem on a vegan, whole-foods diet. So what did you eat yesterday? Bradley Saul, a former pro-cyclist and founder of Organic Athlete, stopped in Tucson last week to talk about his organization...What he had munched on that day: half of a case of strawberries, two heads of lettuce chopped into a salad, some oranges and about 50 small dates.

Square One Organic Vodka Debuts

It's not just about organic wine...Square One(TM) Organic Vodka (www.squareonevodka.com) premiered on May 15th, 2006 at a party at Frisson restaurant, just in time for the 200th anniversary of the cocktail (The New York Times, May 12, 2006). Wine and spirits industry veteran Allison Evanow, a Marin County resident who bartended her way through her MBA program, created Square One as a top-shelf artisanal spirit, produced in a socially conscious manner, yet also superior in its flavor profile and stunning in its sustainably-created packaging.

How to know if a product meets fair trade guidelines

Can you really help cure social and environmental ills half a world away just by switching the brand of coffee you drink, or the type of wood you use for home renovation projects?

That's the promise of the "fair trade" movement. And the answer, proponents say, is yes.

Organic food - a German trend goes global

Organic products are not just for eco-freaks nowadays. Supermarkets have discovered the trend too. Germany is a world leader in the organic food movement.

This time it is the other way round. The trend does not come from the United States, but is moving from Germany across the Atlantic. Germans are known for their environmental consciousness and the demand for healthy, untreated food - and increasingly have imitators throughout the world. Healthy food is not just a fad for "lentils fans."

Organic wines make a natural progression

For the past four years, a group from the Sierra Club in Denver has hosted an annual tasting featuring organic and other eco-friendly wines. Last month, on Earth Day, the dinner attracted even more people than Eddie Hackstaff, the group's treasurer and wine guru, had expected. "Interest is so high. A lot of people didn't realize that so much of it is out there in stores," Mr. Hackstaff says, adding that the group's verdict was clear: "They're good."

Organic landscapers brew 'compost tea'

It's becoming a universal truth in many horticultural circles: Organic gardening beats reliance on chemical fertilizers. Chemicals, many organic farmers say, might accomplish growth spurts and higher crop yields, but when it comes to taste, smell, and health, organic is preferable.

Here's a biodynamic winery that's figured it out

Here's a California Central Coast winery that was first organic, then went fully biodynamic. Its 2003 Califa Estate Pinot Noir was rated a coveted 96 by wine writer Robert Parker. Not too shabby!

Biodynamics is Voodoo... Or Not?

Here's an installment of the wine videoblog that I brought up a few days ago, this time about biodynamic wine. Despite being trendy, biodynamics is actually a time-honored organic approach to winemaking that respects the entire ecosystem of the planet. Counter Vegetarian Restaurant has just released a videoblog they shot of a recent masterclass in biodynamics held by the founder of the modern biodynamic movement, French winemaker Nicolas Joly of La Coulee de Serrant.

"Organic" isn't just a new-age trend

Organic husbandy is happening in the wetlands of Hollagaru village in Shimoga district of Karnataka. The high production of arecanut, paddy, vanilla and coffee has changed the fortunes of the local farming community. Read how Indian farmers reap rich dividends by going organic.

What do sheep have to do with organic wine?

Instead of growers spending hundreds of man-hours toting around weed-eating machines or using hundreds of gallons of industrial herbicides, these four-legged nibblers do the job of several workers in less time, with less environmental damage, and often for significantly less money than it would cost to use humans, according to their proponents. Read more...

Why is it so hard to find organic wines?

You can find wine made with organically-grown grapes, but it's harder to find truly organic wines. This article explains why.

Looking for that all-organic vacation?

Scottsdale, Arizona now boasts the first all-organic resort in the United States. With an organic menu, cooking class and produce already available, The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa recently began its transformation into an all-organic resort. The resort will soon begin implementing large-scale gardens on the grounds that will produce a variety of produce, herbs and spices for the resort’s kitchens and provide an organic in-room dining menu to guests. Currently, resort guests and local residents can enjoy Scottsdale’s first all natural farmers market at the resort’s festival marketplace, el Pedregal. On Friday evenings from 4 to 7 p.m., the el Pedregal Fresh Marketplace exclusively features seasonal produce from local farmers that is either certified organic, non-certified organic in practice, Natural GrownTM or pesticide free.

New Videoblogs on Organic Wines and More

Counter Vegetarian Restaurant and Organic Wine and Martini Bar, one of New York's premier vegetarian bistros, has recently launched a new series of succinct, informative videoblogs about cuisine, wines and cocktails. Not only about the food, Counter is also dedicated to promoting sustainability, supporting small local organic farmers, and artisanal winemakers who eschew pesticides and practice earth-friendly viticulture.