Coffee roasters and importers met with environmentalists and other groups last week and agreed to develop a labeling system for Mexican coffee that would assure consumers that the beans have been grown in an environmentally conscious way and that the growers have been treated well and paid a fair price for their work. The new effort could eventually create a single label for “sustainable coffee.” Certification is now haphazard or non-existent, though demand for eco-friendly and fair-trade coffee is rapidly expanding. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has had great success with its organic brands. Starbucks, which teamed up with Conservation International in 1998 to help bring eco-friendly coffee to market, has also found that its eco-friendly varieties have sold well and hopes to offer more for sale this summer.
