What is "certified organic"?
To be "certified organically grown," an independent, third-party certifying program must determine that a coffee is produced without the use of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or other potentially harmful chemicals.
Who certifies Thanksgiving?
All of our organics are certified by third party organizations like OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association). OCIA is the largest producer-owned certification organization in the world. It has nearly 40,000 producer members and 300 corporate members in 35 countries. Over 40% of its membership is from developing countries.
How is Thanksgiving certified?
OCIA maintains an organic audit trail from farmer to consumer. Each lot of coffee can actually be traced to a specific farm.
Farmers must:
· Provide strict resource management
· Use only allowed materials
· Maintain farm/processor history (maps) and documentation
· Adhere to specific crop culture practices.
Finally, a lab analysis is performed prior to shipment.
We also have our factory inspected and certified. Many companies don't go this far. In fact, there is only one other company with a certified factory in northern California.
As you can see, certification is a whole systems approach from field to shelf.
