Let’s start here:
We love organic farming. My sister even runs a permaculture organic farm in Wellington Colorado. Fancy! We love healthy soil, clean water, and ecosystems that aren’t gasping for breath. But the honest answer to “Are your beans certified organic?” is: probably not.
And here’s why that might be a good thing, and not what you're expecting.
Organic certification is a great idea with some real-world flaws.
To get certified, a farm has to navigate a long list of requirements, audits, and costs that can be downright brutal especially for small producers in places like Colombia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia. Some of the most conscientious farmers in the world are already using compost, shade trees, hand-weeding, and zero pesticides, but can’t afford the sticker and signal of getting the accreditation.
The result? A lot of high-quality, sustainable coffee never gets the “organic” label. That label often favors large farms with export-ready infrastructure, rather than the smallholder producers we love working with.
So what does Wimp do instead?
We source exclusively from importers who know their farmers, walk the fields, and taste the lots. People like Osito, Azahar, Know Where Coffee, and Covoya. These are companies that work with producers who care deeply about the land and the coffee they grow. We’re talking fifth-generation family farms, reforested plots, biodiverse shade canopies, and lots picked by hand with ridiculous precision.
That’s why you’ll see names and details on each bag, because it matters who grew your coffee. The people behind Hachiko, Kahlo, and Coltrane aren’t anonymous. They’re expert-level farmers who grow the kind of beans you don’t want to over-roast.
What about pesticides? Or chemicals in the decaf process?
We don’t use methylene chloride (a chemical solvent banned in Europe and soon California, but still used in commercial decaf). We'll never use it! Instead, we use:
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Swiss Water & Mountain Water decaf — Clean, water-based, and chemical-free. Great for darker roasts and smooth body.
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EA Sugarcane decaf — A naturally derived process using ethyl acetate made from sugarcane fermentation. It’s clean, safe, and retains fruity, floral brightness.
Bottom line: It’s not about the label. It’s about the love.
We care about what’s in the cup, sure—but also who grew it, how they were treated, and whether we’d feel good serving it to our own kids. Certification can help, but it’s not the only path to integrity.
And when we say we give a damn, we mean it. Not just about taste, but about people. That includes the folks growing the beans and the folks drinking them.
(That’s you.)
