Recently, our Middleford Coffee team has spent time reading up on the chemical properties of coffee. This includes all of the components of caffeine, acidity (ARTICLE ON ACIDITY), and many other soluble compounds. It gets pretty insane the more you study because you realize why coffee makes you feel the way you feel after drinking it and how it manipulates your body to simultaneously stimulate you, inspire you, dehydrate you, and cause you stress - checkout https://clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/the-caffeine-article to learn about how oxygen flow is blocked and brain activity is increased, subtly "tricking [your body] into believing it is in a threatening situation".
(Image from Nationalcoffee.blog)
Since having these conversations, we've delved deeper into all the aspects of what's behind our cup of coffee, asking what the true cost of drinking coffee is, on all levels. From the physiological cost (like caffeine and acidity), to the physical/financial cost, to the agricultural/environmental cost, to the cost on humanity, and beyond.
On our Instagram we posted a series of stories to convey a message about the cost of production for green coffee and important factors that contribute to a commerce system that is flawed in how it causes suffering and corruption. This is important to acknowledge for we seek to value people through Middleford Coffee, and we wouldn't be following our mission if we didn't hold true to valuing the farmers and producers. Now, as we transition to featuring a new roaster who's not only following B-Corp Certification (LEARN MORE HERE), but they are also generating their own intentional regulations based on relationship called "Fair For All", we want to get behind this message and communicate vital factors behind the cost of the cup.
(From our @Middlefordcoffee Instagram story feed)
If you're interested in discovering more about this important topic, we'd encourage you to listen to the untold stories behind the cup of coffee on the Filter Stories Podcast (HERE), visit Olympia Coffee's website (HERE), read up on the cost of production of coffee, and finally we hope you'll ask what the true cost is of your delicious cup of brown water.