Skipping your breakfast for a cup of Bulletproof coffee to get your calories, as crazy as it sounds, does seem to work for some people. While some argue about the lack of nutrients, some do feel its impact on their weight loss journey. But there is one question that might have crossed your mind more than once.
Is Bulletproof coffee organic? Bulletproof coffee is not organic. The company calls its coffee ‘Passively Organic’ but one can’t be sure of the nature of their coffee beans. Although they procure the coffee beans from Rainforest Alliance certified farmers, there is no proof that fertilizers and pesticides weren’t used during the growth and harvesting stages.
If you’re looking for organic alternatives, check them here.
What is Passively Organic?
On their website, Bulletproof coffee states that their coffee bean is ‘Passively Organic.’
Well, to be honest, there is no such thing as passively organic. Bulletproof coffee is not organic and they use the term ‘passively organic’ as a marketing gimmick to pass their coffee beans as organic.
Why is Bulletproof Coffee ‘Passively Organic’?
Bulletproof claims that they meet all their organic standards but without organic certification. Hence the usage of the term, passively organic.
They call their standards pretty high because they procure their coffee beans from farmers who are a part of the ‘Rainforest Alliance‘.
Since these farmers are ‘Rainforest Alliance Certified’, Bulletproof makes a bold statement that their coffee, perceived to be high quality, nearly organic.
What is Rainforest Alliance Certified?
The ‘Rainforest Alliance’ is aimed at creating a more sustainable world by safeguarding nature and improving the lives of farmers and forest communities in the process.
When a farmer sticks to the guidelines offered by the Rainforest Alliance and manages to pass the audit, he becomes a Rainforest Alliance Certified farmer.
When I read through the Sustainable Agriculture Standard in the Rainforest Alliance website, it was clear that using of fertilizers and pesticides is not prohibited.
Though they recommend minimal use of pesticides and as farmers to stick to the best practices, it is clear that the resulting product is not organic by any means.
Why Does Bulletproof Coffee Not Have Organic Certification?
Bulletproof coffee gets its coffee from the farmers in Guatemala and Colombia.
In most cases, the suppliers are small farmers who don’t have a lot of financial resources at their disposal.
Under the circumstance, it would be a huge waste of money to get an organic certification as it is super expensive. For some, it could cost them more than what they make for an entire year.
Even if they did get the certification, they will have to raise the price of their coffee which might put them out of business. This will give the bigger farmers to swoop in and capture their market share. So it’s not a great decision, from their end, to go for the organic certification.
Instead, they go with the Rainforest Alliance certification which keeps the product quality and also looks after the environment and its farmers.
Paraphrasing Dave Asprey, he went to the mountains and checked the quality of the cherries himself. He checked what goes into the soil, and after talking with the farmers face to face, here is quite sure that the coffee beans are of very high quality giving them the loose term, ‘passively organic’.
Though I can’t believe everything Dave says, it is up to you to whether trust his words or not.
Organic Alternatives To Bulletproof Coffee?
If you want to drink a coffee that is truly organic, there are many options available.
Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse Coffee is certified organic and fair-trade coffee.
The coffee comes in different flavors and roasts. Picking an option that suits your style is easy.
The brand is one of the cheapest organic coffee brands on the market which is great news for your wallet.
Subtle Earth Organic Coffee
If you’re looking for a low-acidity organic coffee, then this would be a good place to start.
The coffee is made from 100% Arabica beans and gives you a rich chocolatey flavor at a price point that is not too expensive.
In addition to these two coffee brands, you can find many organic coffee products with a simple search on Amazon or en eCom site of your choice.
The good news is that with organic coffee and a solid bulletproof coffee recipe, you can replicate what vegan Bulletproof coffee offers.
Add a tablespoon of MCT oil (or coconut oil) and a tablespoon of grass fed butter (or ghee) to your coffee to make it very similar to the final Bulletproof coffee. You can call this your version of butter coffee or keto coffee.
Related Reading: Ghee in Coffee
Is Bulletproof Coffee Organic? – Closing Thoughts
On paper, Bulletproof coffee is not organic.
Even in the company’s own words, Bulletproof coffee is only ‘passively organic’.
Dave’s usage of the term organic is based on the fact that farmers in Guatemala and Colombia don’t use fertilizers and pesticides as most farmers can’t even afford them and also because they are a part of the ‘Rainforest Alliance’.
This is a weak argument and doesn’t make Bulletproof coffee organic. But we do agree that the quality of beans is a lot better when compared to other non-organic coffee brands on the market.
So we can say that they have good quality control and make sure that their end product is something they are proud of.
But are they fully organic? No, they aren’t.
If you have any questions on this topic, so let us know and we’ll get back to you as quickly as humanely possible.