Cafédirect, the UK's leading 100% Fairtrade hot drinks company, is supporting the Soil Association's Organic Fortnight 2008 (6-21 September 2008).
The theme of this year's campaign is "love your planet, choose organic", aiming to raise awareness of the environmental, health, and social benefits of organic farming.
Cafédirect actively encourages and supports its growers to make the conversion from conventional to organic farming. It pays higher premiums for organic products, providing an incentive for farmers to make the switch. As Victorico Velasquez Morales, coffee grower, CESMACH Co-operative, Mexico explains, "Last year the extra premium we received from Cafédirect for our organic Palenque coffee was used to pay a better price to all our organic producers. This year the agreement is to do the same".
As well as paying an extra premium for organic and gourmet coffee beans, Cafédirect also reinvests, on average, 60% of its profits into its growers' businesses and communities. This support helps strengthen farmers' organisations, develop their knowledge and expertise and enables them to build a sustainable future for themselves and their families.
Don Toño is a founding member of the Juan Sabines Gutierrez co-operative in Mexico. He is part of a pioneering wave of farmers that produce organic coffee for Cafédirect. "I am convinced that organic production creates a future for us. We need to conserve the land otherwise we wont be able to produce any coffee in the long-term. The problem is that to produce coffee organically, it takes a lot more effort and time. Through support from Cafédirect, we have been able to develop practical methods for organic farming."
An example of one of these methods is organic composting. Here Don Toño shares his secret organic compost recipe, all the way from Mexico. Why not try it in your garden at home?
Mix 50kg of cows manure with 2 litres of cows milk, 2 kg of brown sugar, 100g of oxygenated water and (the secret ingredient!) 5kg of ground chilli. "Chilli not only stops diseases from developing, but our coffee plants give much more fruit with this special organic mix", explains Don Toño.
Organic Fortnight gives everyone the perfect excuse to enjoy organic products like Cafédirect's range of delicious organic Fairtrade hot drinks. Choose from:
Cafédirect Organic Mount Elgon gourmet coffee beans
Organically grown on the lush slopes of Mount Elgon in Uganda, these hand-picked beans have a fresh citrus-sweet flavour and a full, well-rounded taste. RRP: £3.19 for a 227g pack. Available from Morrisons
Three star Gold winner in the 2008 Great Taste Awards
Cafédirect Organic Machu Picchu gourmet coffee beans and gourmet fresh ground coffee
Hand-picked Arabica beans, grown on the lush foothills of the Andes are expertly roasted to create a really full-bodied taste with a nutty flavour and dark chocolate overtones. RRP: £3.19 for a 227g pack. Available from most major supermarkets
One star Gold winners in the 2007 and 2008 Great Taste Awards
Cafédirect Organic Palenque gourmet fresh ground coffee
Grown on the misty highlands surrounding the ancient Mayan city of Palenque, Mexico, the aroma of this coffee combines two of nature's most heavenly flavours - chocolate and honey. RRP: £3.19 / most major supermarkets
One star Gold winner in the 2008 Great Taste Awards
Cafédirect Organic Medium Roast fresh ground coffee
Sourced from Cafédirect's growers in Africa and Latin America, it is a coffee full of bright clean flavours with the slightest hint of spice. RRP: £3.09 for a 227g pack. Available from the Co-op
One star Gold winner in the 2008 Great Taste Awards
Organic Decaffeinated freeze dried instant coffee
Made from 100% organic Arabica beans, gently decaffeinated with a natural process, this coffee is roasted for a medium-bodied, slightly nutty flavour that you'll enjoy all day long. RRP: £3.25 for a 100g jar. Available from most major supermarkets
One star Gold winner in the 2008 Great Taste Awards
To find out more about Cafédirect's work with its growers and its products visit www.cafedirect.co.uk
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Love your planet, choose organic - choose Cafédirect
