Coffee is grown mostly in what we might call third (is there a fourth?) world countries. Traditional life-styles and customs are usually the first victims of greed and imperialism.The people in these areas are often engaged in political and economic struggles to achieve independence and autonomy. Gadsden Coffee Co. supports these struggles by seeking out and roasting traditionally farmed coffee that can be confirmed to have one or more of the following traits; fair trade, co-op, organic, eco-certified, or bird and wildlife friendly, those that are shade grown without chemical residues from fertilizers and pesticides.

                Shade grown coffee helps the environment by supporting a much wider diversity of wildlife. In Central America, for example, it is estimated that there are 97% fewer species of migratory birds present on coffee plantations using modern agri-business practices which, besides the intense application of chemicals, include clear-cutting of the forest and jungle canopy, and the virtual elimination of many entire eco-systems. Furthermore, small farmer/grower cooperatives which use traditional growing methods are on the rise in many regions, raising the standard of living for entire communities, and especially important to the consumer, raising the standard of quality of fine coffees available to small specialty roasters such as ourselves. We at Gadsden Coffee Co. pride ourselves on supporting an environment-friendly, farmer-friendly aspect of the coffee industry while producing the finest quality specialty coffees available to today's coffee drinkers.

                Our Organic coffees are certified organically grown by the OCIA or other internationally recognized certifiers. Designations such as shade grown, sustainable, fair trade and co-op owned are also used by our green coffee buyers and these are also either certified or the result of personal inspections of coffee growers. All coffees are guaranteed to be fresh and of the highest quality possible by all the folks at the Gadsden Coffee Co.