What is organic coffee? Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems reload and preserve soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and construct biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers use only techniques and substances allowed in organic production.

What does it mean to be certified organic? In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be created in accordance with U.S. standards for organic manufacture and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. prerequisites for organic coffee production include:

1. It must have been developed on land without fake pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years.
2. There must have been a sufficient barrier between the organic coffee and the nearest conventional crop.
3. The farmer must have a prolong crop rotation plan to avoid erosion, the exhaustion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.

What is the size of the U.S. organic coffee market? Organic Trade Association data shows that organic coffee sales in the United States totaled approximately $89 million in 2005, up 40.4 percent from the previous year. Data collected by AC Nielsen during 2005 demonstrated organic coffee sales grew 54 percent through Nov. 6, contrasted to the same period in 2004, while non-organic coffee sales swelled only 8.5 percent. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), at least 56 percent of U.S. forte coffee firms sell certified organic coffee.

Given the existing popularity of Starbucks and other specialty coffees, it may be surprising that U.S. per capita coffee use is only half of what it was in the mid-1940s. Man, was I surprised when I found this out. You would think with all the Starbucks and their competitors on every corner that coffee consumption had gone through the roof. ERS's food availability data, a alternative for consumption, show a rise and fall in coffee consumption over the past century. Per capita availability of coffee in the United States peaked in 1946 at 46.4 gallons per person, compared with 24.2 gallons in 2005.

Data on per capita coffee accessibility are starting to mirror the mounting popularity of specialty coffees. Declining supermarket sales of coffee have been offset by increases in coffee use away from home. Private market research data show sales at coffeehouses increased by 97 percent between 1998 and 2003. Per capita coffee availability has risen almost 20 percent since its recent low in 1995. Fashionable coffee shops appear to have hit the mark for prosperous coffee drinkers desire for a cafe atmosphere that serves diverse, eminence coffee and coffee beverages, such as lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and frozen coffees.

So why would I want to consume organic coffee? I guess the bottom-line is that it is liberated of chemicals. Lord knows I put enough chemicals in my body from eating processed foods. I am your typical American, overweight, and enjoy eating foods that are preserved with preservatives that I can't even articulate. My daddy would tell me of the times when he lived on a farm and how they used what they had to preserve their foods. Anyway, ingestion of coffee that is organic seems like a good idea. I guess I will have to go out and purchase some so I can experience the joys of drinking organic coffee. At least I am not one of the people who are contributing to the fewer consumption of coffee in the United States.