A Little Further South Coffee is committed to a sustainable coffee chain. We’re now involved in the Sustainable Coffee Challenge which seeks to make the coffee the first sustainable crop. It’s a big effort and is supported by many in the industry.

Since we work directly with farmers via coffee purchases, and also through the Curibamba Coffee Project, this is a natural fit for us.

Here’s a link to an article about the Challenge:

Unveiled last December during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge has a stated goal of making coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product.

Source: The Sustainable Coffee Challenge Roadmap: What is It? | Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine

Through our work with the only Biodynamic certified farm in Peru, Chacra D’dago, we’ve seen the amazing difference that a biodiverse, self sustaining environment can make with food production & of course, coffee.

A biodynamic farm is self contained, using their own fertilizers in a fertile “loop” that is not only sustainable, but coupled with rare plants and microbes, provides trace elements that are not often present in traditional farms.

What’s exciting about the challenge is the aspect of economic viability as part of the sustainable goal for coffee. While markets may go up and down, costs remain fixed & for their long term viability, every farmer needs to be a recognized part of the overall supply chain.

Every consumer, whether they be coffee aficiando, roaster, or importer can help by searching for ethically sourced, environmentally friendy coffees.

It’s a new endeavor, and many questions lead to yet more questions. The enormity & the possiblility of the impact that it could have is both daunting and inspiring. As we move ahead with this effort, we’ll keep you posted…