It's About the Quality of the Beans
As with wine, the taste of coffee depends on the quality of the fruit, and the way
that fruit is transformed into a beverage. The finest coffee beans grow at high
elevations, in the shade of other trees, in an ecologically diverse forest.
Unfortunately, large-scale coffee producers have done away with shade-grown coffee,
and instead created vast plantations of "sun" coffee. But coffee trees do not grow
well row-upon-row in the open sun. It's unnatural for the species; creates unhealthy,
vulnerable trees; and an overwhelming dependency on chemical fertilizers and
pesticides. These megaplantations simply do not have the natural conditions necessary
to create great-tasting coffee. In recent years, the quality of coffee sold on the
market has declined dramatically.
MGC, in its efforts to secure a reliable supply of high quality coffee, has
established a network of like-minded companies, and independent growers throughout
Latin America, who supply superior "raw" coffee beans grown and processed under
ecologically sustainable conditions. It's About the Freshness of the Coffee
Procuring high quality coffee beans is a lot like harvesting high quality grapes:
they're a crucial ingredient, but by no means guarantee a high-quality end product.
Great-tasting coffee also relies on how soon the coffee is brewed after roasting.
Fresh roasted coffee, like fresh baked bread, has a very short shelf life. Coffee
beans stay fresh for a maximum of five days after roasting, regardless of packaging!
Coffee is the 2ndmost popular beverage in the world next to water,
yet the overwhelming majority of coffee drinkers have never tasted a truly fresh cup.
They don't know that fresh coffee is naturally sweet, and has no bitterness. They
don't know that if they drank fresh coffee regularly, they would no sooner add cream
and sugar to it than they would to their favourite red wine. Fresh coffee, consumed
one to three days after roasting, is dramatically superior in taste to any other
coffee. Freshness is the key to enjoying the sweet and many distinctive regional
flavours of coffee. Definition of Freshness
Roasted coffee is fresh, and best, if consumed within:
- 5 days after roasting
- 3 hours after grinding
- 15 minutes after brewing
It's About Raising the Bar
Merchants of Green Coffee delivers superior coffee taste and experience via complete
tree-to-cup management of the supply chain: (1) we establish direct access to, are a
primary source of, the highest quality fair trade, organic and shade-grown coffee
beans on the market; (2) we introduce specialty coffee drinkers to the superior
taste of freshly roasted, freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee; and (3) we work to
restore consumer access to fresh coffee with technology and in collaboration with the
industry. Sustainable Coffee Program
The Sustainable Coffee Program (SCP) was established by Merchants of Green Coffee in
1999 to facilitate the production and sale of sustainable coffee - a direct link to
farmers growing quality coffee. Sustainable coffee is defined as: purchased from the
farmer at a fair price, grown organically in a biodiverse ecosystem, and processed
with eco-friendly technologies and methods.
MGC has pioneered sustainable coffee certification and is the first and only company
with coffee certified under the United Nation's Global Eco-labeling Initiative via
the Government of Canada's Environmental Choice Program. SCP coffees are grown and
processed on traditional, high elevation coffee farms under a canopy of shade trees,
in harmony with nature and people.
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