At Poverty Bay, we have strong, long-lasting relationships with our farming partners. In spite of market demands pushing for fair-trade, organic “certification”, we continue to support our coffee farm collectives. We know that their land has never been chemically treated and we promote the natural, slow growth of coffee beans called Shade Grown Coffee, which enhances the quality and flavor of the roasted coffee beans. 40 years ago all coffee beans were shade-grown, but the coffee industry boom has made the demand for coffee to be higher than the rate at which it can grow naturally, in the canopy of the Rainforest. Therefore large corporations began to clear the land to make room for their 100,000 acres of open, ‘sun-roasted’ coffee farms.

We also bypass the middleman and buy direct from our farms, also known as Direct Trade Coffee. This supports grower’s autonomy and honors a way of life they have maintained for hundreds of years. A sustainable farming approach offers a diversified multi-crop lifestyle, protects the natural habitats of an average of 150 species of migrating birds and minimizes the environmental harms created by ‘technified’, cleared farms. Additionally, we support a greener world by using the latest in environmentally-sound recyclable packaging, storage, soy printing and biodegradable display containers and shipping.

Every drop of Poverty Bay Coffee supports a positive social cycle and feels as good as it tastes going down.