Human Interest
By Going Green, A Gourmet Coffee Company Honors The Spirit Of A Musical Legend
Posted: 6/8/2011
This delicious coffee is shade-grown under the canopy of rain forest−preserving trees without the use of chemicals, pesticides or additives.(NAPSI)—Bob Marley always said he would one day return to Jamaica to farm. Now that his son Rohan Marley has fulfilled that dream—by co-founding and serving as chairman of private family company Marley Coffee and its publicly traded entity Jammin Java—the Bob Marley legend lives on. Rohan Marley is committed to honoring his father’s legend and philosophy of life.
What began in 1999 as an effort to develop a small organic coffee farm with sustainable farming practices has turned into an expanding and environmentally conscious business venture. Consider, for example, Marley Coffee’s Jamaica Blue Mountain® beans. They are shade-grown under a canopy of rain forest−preserving trees without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or other additives. Biodiversity and organic farming methods make for healthier soil, prevent water contamination, provide habitat for migratory bird species, and form a critical component of coffee flavor. The natural beauty of the Marley Coffee farm in Jamaica combines with the harmonious vision fueled by the Rastafari standards of Ital, standing for all things pure, true and vital-a socially aware philosophy guiding the Marley family.
Additionally, bags of Marley Coffee and Jammin Java bear the seals of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Organic Crop Improvement Association, as well as the Fair Trade Certified logo. The latter is an assurance that the farmers who source the companies’ beans are receiving a fair living wage. In fact, farmers on the Marley Coffee farm in Jamaica earn twice the average national wage. When farmers become impoverished, they are often left with no choice but to increase yield by using inexpensive, low-quality chemical fertilizers and pesticides. By investing in their farmers’ well-being, the companies are also investing in the well-being of their farms and trees.
“We are excited to be pioneering one of the first certified organic, sustainable coffee farms under the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement in the Blue Mountains,” says Mr. Marley. “My father had a deep respect for nature and humanity that helped guide his life. Accordingly, we strive to support communities and the environment through organic, sustainable and ethical practices. It is our hope that the Marley Coffee farm will inspire other Jamaican farmers to join the organic movement, by showing them that sustainable farming can be not only profitable but more affordable than conventional farming.” |
