COVOYA IS NOW LICENSED TO SELL REGENERATIVE ORGANIC CERTIFIED® COFFEES
“Imagine a world in which farmers, brands, policymakers, educators, researchers and individuals come together to create a healthy food system that respects land, animals, empowers people, and restores communities and ecosystems through regenerative organic farming.”
-Regenerative Organic Alliance
“Globally, soils have the potential to sequester up to 3.4 gigatons of carbon (GtC) per year, enough to offset human-emitted carbon emissions. When combined with other initiatives like reforestation, the annual carbon capture in soils and forests could reach 5 GtC, leading to a significant reduction in atmospheric C02 levels.”
-Mark Inman, Covoya Director and Senior Trader, writing for Roast Magazine
Covoya is excited to announce receipt of our License from the Regenerative Organic Alliance, allowing us to import and sell coffees that are Regenerative Organic Certified®, and all-encompassing certification embracing a holistic approach to agriculture focused on three areas, known as The Three Pillars:
Soil Health
- Builds Soil Organic Matter
- Conservation Tillage
- Cover Crops
- Crop Rotations
- No GMOs or Gene Editing
- No Soilless Systems
- No Synthetic Inputs
- Promotes Biodiversity
- Rotational Grazing
Animal Welfare
- Five Freedoms
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from fear & distress
- Freedom from hunger
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease
- Freedom to express normal behavior
- Grass-Fed / Pasture-Raised
- Limited Transport
- No Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
- Suitable Shelter
Social Fairness
- Capacity Building
- Democratic Organizations
- Fair Payments for Farmers
- Freedom of Association
- Good Working Conditions
- Living Wages
- Long Term Commitments
- No Forced Labor
- Transparency and Accountability
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To be truly regenerative, a system must consider all players in the farm system — from the soil microbiome to the animals to the workers. After all, farmers are the stewards of our lands, and with the power of regenerative organic agriculture, can completely change the direction of our future.”
-Regenerative Organic Alliance
Rather than create a competing certification with separate standards (and separate but duplicate audits), Regenerative Organic Certified® incorporates existing certifications into its program criteria. For example, USDA Organic certification—or its international equivalent as recognized by the National Organic Program—serves as a baseline requirement for earning Regenerative Organic Certified®.
Recognizing that reversing/replacing industrial methods that have devastated our soil and climate is a journey, the Regenerative Organic Alliance has created a tiered system that encourage continuous improvement. If at least 10% of production meets the criteria to be Regenerative Organic Certified®, and 50% by year five, the certification level is BRONZE. If at least 50% of production meets the criteria to be Regenerative Organic Certified®, and 75% by year five, the certification level is SILVER. When 100% of production meets the criteria to be Regenerative Organic Certified®, the certification level is GOLD.
“Regenerative organic agriculture is a collection of practices that focus on regenerating soil health and the full farm ecosystem.”
-Regenerative Organic Alliance
“The coffee industry is uniquely positioned to play a key role in this growing movement, as most coffee is grown by smallholder farmers, and coffee itself relies on a rich biodiverse environment to thrive. Coffee is one of the products that can, with a few changes in growing practices, be farmed regeneratively, reaching carbon-neutral to carbon-negative status in a very short period.”
-Mark Inman, Covoya Director and Senior Trader, writing for Roast Magazine
Covoya will receive its first Regenerative Organic Certified® coffee in August, a naturally processed coffee from the Procafe Cooperative in San Juan del Río Coco, Nicaragua.
In a bonus episode of The Exchange podcast below, Todd Mackey and Mark Inman talk with Casey Wojtalewicz from Canyon Coffee. Canyon Coffee was an earlier adopter of Regenerative Organic Certified® coffees.
