Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals.

But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% of the world’s coffee grown organically?

The fact is, going organic is hard. Much harder than growing coffee conventionally.

In this episode I show you the story of one of Central America’s most successful organic coffee cooperatives, RAOS, and the four big hurdles that stood in the way of their early founders who all dreamed of converting their farms to organic.

This story changed my understanding of farming and is now the reason I choose organic specialty coffee whenever I can.

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Dive deeper into organic coffee

Learn more about Sustainable Harvest’s Most Valuable Producer programme, their cupping app Tastify, and explore their range of certified organic and Fairtrade coffees

Explore RAOS (Cooperativa Regional Mixta de Agricultores Organicos de la Sierra)'s story for yourself

Are you a coffee farmer? Get in touch with Lalo Perez Varaona

Connect with my very knowledgeable guests

Lalo Perez Varaona - LinkedIn
Jorge Cuevas - LinkedIn
Andrea Futterer - GEPA website
Osman Contreras - LinkedIn
Roberto Rene Gonzales - Farm website

The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations

BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
ROEST
Sustainable Harvest
Mahlkönig

The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

Organic Coffee, Part 2: Why don’t we see more organic coffee farms?