Organic VS Non Organic: Does it Really Matter?
- Restore Vitality
- Dec 22, 2025
- 5 min read
Let me tell you a little short story…
A long time ago… I used to be a Starbucks regular. The End.
When I started learning more about holistic nutrition, I became more conscious and aware of things that the general population doesn’t know or care about. Coffee was one of those things.
I am one of those people who truly care about the quality of everything I put in my body, including coffee. Especially because consuming good quality organic coffee in moderation can have a lot of benefits for your health as it contains loads of antioxidants. Did you know that it can also help your focus, memory, brain function and energy levels?
There are tons of studies out there that confirm this. However, I know some of you reading this may think “But I have heard coffee is bad for you.” And yes, it most certainly can have negative health affects if you are consuming poor quality coffee. Especially because it is contaminated with mycotoxins, which are created by molds that grow on coffee beans.
These mycotoxins can make your coffee taste bitter, and can cause a host of other health effects, like fatigue, brain damage, hypertension and even cancer. This may sound extreme but there are studies linking it together. Dave Asprey, the creator of Bulletproof Coffee, wrote a great article about this and he links to many research studies.
He even talks about a study that showed that almost 50% of regular coffee is brewed with mold on it. Think about it. If you are a daily coffee drinker, maybe even multiple cups a day, you are consuming mold with every sip if you are drinking poor quality coffee.
Usually cheaper coffee is correlated with poor quality but even some expensive brands of coffee can be lacking in quality, especially if it’s not organic.
Non organic coffee is sprayed with hundreds of chemical pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides just like non organic conventional crops! So not only do you have to worry about the mold content, but you have to be wary of chemicals too. This is why the health risks are as serious as cancer and damage to the nervous system and reproductive system.
And that’s not all you guys….
Non organic conventional coffee causes deforestation, which leads to the destruction of wildlife and vegetation.
There are two different ways to grown coffee beans: SUN grown and SHADE grown.
Let’s talk about sun grown real quick. DID YOU KNOW…that 2.5 million acres have been cleared in Central America alone for monoculture coffee plant growing. This deforestation affect a huge variety of species that rely on trees and shade to live! For example, migratory birds who now cannot find a suitable home for the winter months. Not only this, it wipes out edible and medicinal plants for the local people in these countries.
As if this isn’t bad enough, this monocrop of coffee plants are grown close together to produce more and increase income for the corporations. All the while, the actual farmers receive a tiny fraction of the profits.
So if the health and environmental reasons are not enough to convince you to buy organic coffee, also consider this…
Farmers who produce certified organic coffee beans are usually fair trade compliant which means higher wages for the employees.
Lets go over SHADE grown coffee next.
There are actually 4 methods for shade grown coffee, some better than the others.
Rustic - the most eco-conscious where coffee plants are grown in intact forests with a little bit of clearing of low level plants; chemical fertilizers and pesticides rarely (if ever) used
Traditional polyculture - shade from native and cultivated trees to produce coffee plants; chemical fertilizers and pesticides rarely used
Commercial polyculture - typically uses shade from all planted (not necessarily native) trees and a more extensive clearing is done to make room for the coffee plants; uses some fertilizers and pesticides
Shade monoculture - more significant impact to the landscape because of lack of species involved; coffee plants grown densely; chemicals commonly used; the worst shade grown method but still better than sun grown
Unfortunately there is one more element to be mentioned to add to the environmental impact of coffee growing, and that is the waste that comes from the more convenient methods of drinking coffee: buying coffee out and at home quick k-cups.
DID YOU KNOW… that about 52 BILLION paper cups are used each year in the United States alone for to-go coffee. I mean… does this blow your mind the way it does mine??? And paper cups are not more eco or better for the environment, as we’ve been led to believe.
Plus…at home, rather than brewing coffee, people have switched to using the quick and convenient K-cups. Every year billions of k-cups are bought and disposed of. These k-cups are not easily recycled because they contain a specific type of composite plastic that is a blend of materials which cannot be easily separated. When the plastic of these pods finally break down, it will leach into our lakes, rivers, oceans and drinking water. Of course there is the alternative re-usable K-cup but it’s not as popular to use because it needs to be cleaned…
My point in bringing the later topic up is simply to make you aware of how your daily choices can impact the environment. Can we be more mindful about drinking coffee at home, using reusable k-cups, bringing our own beverage container with us to coffee shops, etc?
When choosing your coffee brand, really do some research into the company and see if it checks off any of the things I have talked about in this post. My argument here is not that everyone should drink coffee or that it’s good for everyone because I think some people have to be careful with their caffeine intake. What I’m simply saying is to invest in good quality organic coffee that will support the environment, hard working farmers AND your health. If you are interested in learning about whether you should drink coffee or not, check out this short video by Dr. Axe.
Here are a couple of my favorite quality brands of coffee:
SO... If you are a coffee drinker, do yourself a HUGE favor and invest in organic better quality coffee.
I bet you will notice a difference in how you feel! Even if you don’t notice a difference, your body definitely will thank you.
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