FAQS
1. What is the Rainforest Alliance?
The Rainforest Alliance is an independent, nonprofit organization with more than 20 years experience in the development and promotion of standards in sustainable forestry, farming and tourism.
2. What are Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee farms?
Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee farms ensure that the environment is protected and that farm families have a secure and decent income as well as access to education and medical care.
3. What does Rainforest Alliance certification mean to farm owners and farm workers?
During the certification process farmers learn to be more efficient, reduce costs and improve their management approach. Workers and their families benefit from decent living conditions and a cleaner, safer and more dignified workplace where their rights and well-being are respected.
4. How do farms earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal?
Only farms that meet specific and holistic requirements balancing all aspects of production are awarded the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal. To qualify for certification, farms must comply with the ten principles of the Sustainable Agriculture Network standard, which covers the management of farms of all different sizes. To maintain certification, farms are inspected annually. Learn more about a Rainforest Alliance farm audit.
5. Does the Rainforest Alliance ensure a competitive price for farmers?
The Rainforest Alliance and the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ program do not set a guaranteed price for crops. The program works within the free market and farmers earn a better income from farming through better farm management, which means controlling costs, gaining efficiencies and often increasing production and improving product quality.
6. What makes Rainforest Alliance certification particularly effective?
Rainforest Alliance certification is built on the three pillars of sustainability -- environmental protection, social equity and economic viability. No single pillar can support long-term success on its own, so we help farmers succeed in all three areas. Since 1992, when it began in Costa Rica, the certification program has spread to 25 tropical countries around the world where more than two million farmers, farm workers and their families are directly benefitting from our work. Learn more.
7. Does coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms taste better?
While Rainforest Alliance certification does not guarantee quality, coffee beans grown on well-tended farms with healthy soils and clean water generally produce great tasting coffee.
8. Where can I buy Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee?
Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee is available in tens of thousands of retail stores around the world and on hundreds of websites. Just look for the little green frog. Shop like you mean it!
