I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of coffee. Nothing against it, I just haven’t picked up the appreciation for that bitter taste. I’m trying really hard to keep it that way until grad school, if I can. So needless to say, I didn’t exactly come for the tasting. And unfortunately, this post isn’t going to end with my perception of coffee being forever shifted by the revolutionary tastes and aromas of Gimme! Coffee. It pretty much tasted like all of the other coffees I’ve had. But again, my palate hasn’t developed to distinguish the finer differences in ground up bean dirt.
All that aside, I was very pleased with the presentation. They made a point to mention all of the efforts made by the company to not only be sustainable, but fair trade. They’re environmental efforts included shade growth providers, which is what I was really hoping to hear, as it’s a lot better for the environment than traditional growing methods. For anyone unfamiliar with the method, the coffee plant naturally grows in shadier conditions. Therefore, coffee plants can be planted under rows of other types of trees. Not only does this allow the soil to last longer, it also reduces the long-term impact on the surrounding ecosystems.
The other idea they really pushed was the idea of “relationship” coffee, which I had not heard of prior to this event. It carries the same ideas as fair-trade, but focuses on building a relationship between the farmers and distributors. It also differs in the idea of fair-trade that there is less pressure on the farmer to purchase expensive certifications, which limits many farms from being able to call themselves fair-trade.
Although for the foreseeable future I won’t be drinking coffee, I would still recommend it to a friend! Few people really look at the impact that such a heavy habit like coffee drinking has in the long-term, and responsible coffee companies like this are aiming to change that! So if you want to do your part, throw out that K-cup, and pick up a bag of Gimme! Coffee!
Or just throw out that K-cup. Seriously, those things are terrible.
I am in IARD 4011 and we have been having lots of conversations revolving coffee and what you mentioned about relationship coffee, shade grown, fair trade, etc. We are looking to import coffee from some community partners in Ecuador and companies like gimme are the perfect retailers for us because of their responsibility. Therefore, I absolutely agree with what you said. We NEED to lower the demand for cheap coffee because we have no idea of the harm we are having on developing communities. Thanks for sharing!
I looked into that class now that you mentioned it, and it looks really interesting. Has your organization made any contact with local retailers? I think it’s great that there are more retailers these days trying to address the issues!