Brewing a better cup of coffee
Customers come to Side Track Coffee in Opelika, Alabama, for the coffee and the welcoming ambiance. The shop is also among others in the area that aims to pour a sustainable cup of coffee, which has become more of a challenge in a warming world. (Photo source: Laura Sitterly)
As a barista in Auburn, Alabama, coffee isn’t just a way for me to earn money. I find joy in my first sip of coffee and relief in my afternoon matcha latte pick-me-up. I also like being part of the coffee community. Those of us who’ve worked behind the counter for a while make an effort to memorize the names and orders of regulars. As soon as I recognize a customer walking through the door I start to pour their 12 oz. drip coffee so it’s warm by the time they approach the register. One of my favorite regulars recently gave me a sticky note with a playlist of indie albums she thought I’d enjoy.
Coffee is typically brewed using one of two types of beans. Coffee scientists are trying to change that by cultivating wild varieties that are easier for small coffee growers to harvest and less of a burden on the environment. (Photo source: Laura Sitterly)
We show our love for coffee by drinking a massive amount of it—an estimated 450 billion cups worldwide every year. But that may change if we don’t alter our current production practices. By 2050, global warming is expected to reduce global yields and halve the amount of coffee-suitable land, according to the 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC also highlights worsening socioeconomic conditions and increasing poverty levels among coffee farmers.
Among the best coordinated efforts to grow a better cup of coffee is the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, which is made up of nonprofits, companies, governments, and researchers. Dreamed up by Starbucks and Conservation International, it was launched during the 2015 Paris climate meeting. Its goals include developing a steady supply of coffee from many different sources, implementing sustainable agriculture techniques, finding ways for coffee growers to adapt to weather changes, adopting techniques that rely on forest cover, and raising wages for local producers.
“Undercutting labor and the preservation of the environment is never the answer.”
One effort that’s getting attention is the push for varieties of coffee that can withstand heat or be grown in the shade. Robusta, among the world’s most popular coffee, is grown in the sun, which makes it a major source of deforestation since forest has to be cleared to make room for the plants.
Researchers Aaron Davis and Catherine Kiwuka have discovered that Liberica, a wild coffee variety grown in Uganda, is a hardier alternative. Not only is it resilient enough to better withstand global warming, it can be grown successfully by small farmers. Davis and Kiwuka, who are part of an experiment to introduce it to the world, also think the robust aroma and taste will also allow farmers to command higher prices for the crop.
Corporations can and should also play a role, according to Sandra Taylor, founder and president of Sustainable Business International. Taylor, who helped lead the early sustainability efforts at Starbucks, recalls CEO Howard Schulz’s desire to do something groundbreaking. One outcome was the introduction of a sustainability report to measure a company’s financial success. Starbucks now manages for a “triple-bottom-line,” says Taylor, which includes “environmental responsibilities, social responsibility, and also economic viability.”
Customers can also support the Coffee Sustainability Challenge. Asking for organic, pesticide-free, ethically sourced coffee can get a movement going—coffee growers struggle to survive on their 10 percent earnings of retail coffee. You can do your bit to minimize waste by bringing a reusable mug. Opt for plant-based milks, which are less carbon- and water-intensive than cow milk. Compost used coffee grounds—they infuse the soil with extra nitrogen. And support your local roasters.
At Well Red Bookstore, the coffee shop and bookstore where I work, we buy our beans from Non-Fiction Coffee, a local supplier in Pelham, Alabama that prides itself on sourcing green coffee beans from farmers in South America and working with fair trade partnerships in Asia and Africa. Well Red’s owner, Richard Tomasello, also collects the shop’s recyclable waste and personally delivers it to the local recycling center in Auburn.
Mama Mocha’s Coffee Roastery, the only solar-powered roastery in Auburn, is also famous for its many blends. It also cultivates direct relationships with suppliers. “Having a relationship with the farmers is preferable for true transparency in sustainable trade,” says owner Sarah Gill. (Photo source: Sarah Gill)
Another local coffee shop pushing for greater sustainability is Mama Mocha’s Coffee Roastery, which is renowned among the students at Auburn University for its good coffee. Led by Taylor and Sarah Gill, it’s the only solar-powered roastery in the area, it composts used coffee, and it gets its beans from a variety of green sources, including Royal Importers from New Jersey. It also cultivates direct relationships with local farmers. “Having a relationship with the farmers is preferable for true transparency in sustainable trade,” says Sarah.
Down the road, Side Track Coffee positions itself as a welcoming coffee shop by leaving its doors propped wide open, rain or shine. Owner David Bazilia uses entirely compostable materials, sources its coffee from six small local roasters, and prioritizes bringing locals onto the team.
It was in the course of chatting with local coffee shops about their sustainability efforts that I discovered one of them, One Bike Coffee, stocks beans from a family farm located in one of the world’s hard hit coffee growing regions.
Brothers Christian and Beau Brodbeck produce mountain-grown coffee for the seven-acre Cafe La Tranquilidad in Guatemala, and have taken the Sustainable Coffee Challenge to heart. Their coffee is shade-grown, which means the entire process relies on preserving the forest canopy. One acre of the farm is devoted entirely to being a wildlife refuge. “We have several endangered bird species that come and visit our farms, such as the national bird of Guatemala, the quetzal, as well as colorful parakeets and toucans,”says Christian.
The Brodbeck family, pictured here on their coffee farm in Guatemala, focuses on doing what’s right for the long-term health of the coffee community. “Undercutting labor and the preservation of the environment is never the answer,” says Beau Brodbeck. (Photo source: Beau Brodbeck)
The Brodbecks make it a priority to ensure safe water is available to the community, through their involvement with Doctors Without Borders, while also providing jobs for locals. Impoverished workers often resort to subsistence farming, which involves clearing large sections of native forests.
“We have a good relationship with our workers,” says Beau. “We pay them a living wage and we’re mindful that when it comes to cutting costs we’re committed to never cutting it out of wages.”
Since reporting this story, I’ve started talking with more of my regulars about where their coffee comes from—even if they don’t ask. But most are interested and want to find out more about what they can do. I’m guessing that joining the larger coffee community is an appealing part of what inspires people to take action.
We’re keen on keeping the focus on doing what’s right, says Beau Brodbeck, rather than just making more money. “Undercutting labor and the preservation of the environment is never the answer.”
Laura Sitterly is a Stone Pier Press News Fellow from Upstate New York
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