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Drinking Responsibly
Ancora encourages coffee lovers to be thoughtful and responsible coffee consumers. Here are some "Drink Responsibly" actions we employ at Ancora:
- Our employees only consume from reusable cups and plates while on-the-job....no paper or plastic products permitted.
- We engage in vigorous behind-the-counter recycling practices, including plastic milk jugs
- Ancora makes available spent coffee grounds to gardeners
- Ancora gives away burlap green coffee bags for mulching and other uses
Understanding Coffee Certifications
Certified Organic Coffees
It's a distinction we're proud of...Ancora Coffee is among the nation's very first coffee roasters to earn Organic certification from the USDA. As a Certified Organic Roaster, we are responsible for ensuring our coffee's quality from raw green beans to roasted coffee. Rigorous inspections and detailed audits guarantee the integrity of Ancora's organic coffee production.
At the other end of the Organic story is the farm. It's not easy for coffee growers to earn Organic certification. In order to qualify for consideration, farms must operate at least three years without using synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Instead, farmers committed to organic agriculture replace chemical fertilizers with composting. Additional, organic and sustainable practices including the introduction of certain insects and diligent hand-weeding practices to replace insecticides and herbicides.
For more information visit the Oregon Tilth Organization’s website on Organic Products and Certification.
Fair Trade Coffees
Fair Trade is an economic system designed to protect coffee farmers in third world nations. Minimum coffee-selling prices are determined to financially protect coffee farmers, especially small family farmers, from the fluctuating global market. Selling prices are calculated to guarantee farmers receive enough profit to cover costs, support their families and re-invest in their land and farms.
Ancora purchases fair trade green coffees from importers and brokers who maintain fair trade certification under standards developed and maintained by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization International (FLO). This is the international group responsible for defining the membership criteria for fair trade cooperatives and for overseeing fair trade certification and auditing worldwide. For more information visit www.fairtrade.net.
Did you know that only beans produced by cooperatives can earn fair trade certification? This limits selection! Many family farms and regional mills produce delicious sustainably-grown heirloom Specialty beans but are not eligible for fair trade certification -- simply because they’re not part of a cooperative. Ancora pays prices much higher than the fair trade floor price for these world-class coffees. We are proud to support these families.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the ability to protect and enhance people’s quality of life by following practices that balance economic prosperity with protection of the earth’s natural systems. At Ancora, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainability by sourcing and roasting the world’s great coffees, which are inherently grown in a sustainable manner.