Green Methods = Better Coffee

Thought I'd start the day with a little coffee, well a story about coffee at least. Growers in Ethiopia are finding that environmentally-friendly methods are producing better beans for farmers, beans that can be sold as premium, thus fetching higher prices for the growers. The big difference is in letting the beans grow among native trees - this makes for a more labor-intensive harvest than clear-cut fields, but allowing the coffee beans to grow in the shade of trees produces less-bitter, higher-quality beans and uses less water. And better prices have led to better lives for the farmers, think about that over your morning cuppa joe.