What makes Café Mam so special...

Café Mam (say 'mom') coffee is grown by fair trade cooperatives of native Mayan farmers living in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala. The growers, primarily of the Mam, Tzetzal and Mochó peoples, are organized according to egalitarian democratic ideals that emphasize hard work, responsibility to the cocooperative, and high standards. The cooperative’s programs provide countless benefits to outlying native communities.

The farmers believe that by taking care of the soil, they are taking care of the entire bio-system. Their beliefs and sustainable approaches to agriculture benefit their communities in many positive ways. Café Mam farmers seek to conserve and rebuild the natural environment and work toward a higher quality of life for their families.

Each purchase of Café Mam coffee helps support goals of:

• Honoring and healing the earth

• Self-sufficiency and political independence

• Sustainable development of rural communities

• Child welfare, including education & nutrition

• Defense of indigenous cultural identity

• Education in organic agriculture

• Promotion of progressive groups

Royal Blue Organics (RBO) is a family-owned and operated business located in Eugene, Oregon. RBO is run by an empowered team of awesome individuals who are dedicated to creating positive change in the world. RBO started as an organic blueberry farm called Royal Blueberries, which grows delicious blueberries that are sold and consumed locally. RBO expanded and blossomed into the coffee business of Café Mam.

RBO seeks to encourage indigenous farmers to better their social and physical environment by paying a fair trade or better rate for a high-quality product, to offer this high-quality product to consumers across the globe for a reasonable price, and to provide a right livelihood to the wonderful folks who work here.

Intrested in knowing more? Read:"Team Mam," "The Roots of Café Mam," and "Royal Blueberries"

The farmers of Café Mam coffee encourage growth by practicing terracing, composting, and regenerative pruning. They must also plant leguminous shade trees and establish a seedling nursery before their harvest is classified as organic. Beneficial insects are used to control one of the most damaging coffee pests, la broca, a tiny beetle. The farmers use biological remedies for plant diseases and pests.

Each sack of coffee has an 'audit trail' to ensure that it does not contact any chemicals in the growing, cleaning, drying, milling, bagging, transport, shipping, import customs, USDA inspection, warehousing, roasting or packaging process. The entire process is certified 100% organic by Oregon Tilth. In many years of residue testing, no pesticides or herbicides have ever been detected. Café Mam's decaf, 'Swiss Water Process', is also a certified organic process. We feel confident in stating that our coffee is free of contaminants.

The cornerstone of Café Mam's social responsibility has been our recognition of a living-wage based coffee price. The price per pound of coffee paid to the farmers has been calculated to sustain and support a family in the region. Café Mam supports farmers who have made a commitment to better their social and natural environment.

Café Mam beans are Fair Trade Certified™ by TransFair USA, an independent certifying agency. Fair trade guarantees livable wages for farmers and their families, improving their opportunities for better healthcare, housing, and education. By choosing this Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, you are directly contributing to the livelihood of coffee growing communities. To learn more about our commitment to fair trade, read "Fair Trade: Changing the World with Every Cup."

Most high-yielding coffee trees are sun-grown and sprayed aerially. Such farming techniques destroy the forests, which are winter homes to millions of North American songbirds. Café Mam farmers preserve the jungle canopy by growing in the shade, which protects the biological diversity of plants and animals vital to the migratory bird population. Farmers build terraces to conserve rainwater and reduce run-off, which in turn prevents erosion, and protects paths and creeks.

Native Mayan farmers living in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico grow Café Mam (pronounced "mom"). The growers, primarily from the Mam, Tzetzal, and Mochó peoples, believe that by taking care of the soil, they are taking care of the entire bio-system. Their beliefs and sustainable approach to agriculture benefit their communities in many positive ways.A number of pesticides have been banned in the United States but are still used in third world countries.

Many non-organic coffee growers routinely use these poisonous chemicals. These toxins can contaminate the coffee, the growers, and the ground water where the coffee is grown. Banned pesticides reentering the United States on imported produce have been referred to as the "circle of poison." By using only organic farming practices, Café Mam farmers do not support the polluting chemical industry. "Rechazamos las technologias del muerte" (We reject the technologies of death), is a slogan taken from an ISMAM banner.

The principles of sustainability influence all aspects of our business. The exclusive use of certified organic coffee is essential. We are committed to using recycled materials or materials that are readily recycled everywhere we can.

The bulk of our coffee is packaged in glassine-lined (not plastic) Kraft bags, which is both recyclable and compostable. Our steel cans are made of recycled steel and can be reused or recycled. We also use recycled, unbleached boxes, and all of our paper is made from 100% post consumer recycled office waste.

To lessen our dependence on petroleum based economy and transportation, we are now fueling our main delivery truck with biodiesel, a clean burning diesel fuel made from vegetable oil.

As individuals, we not only strive to bring sustainability into the world through our work place, but also in our lives outside of work.

Royal Blue Organics donates two percent of Café Mam sales (over $130 thousand donated since our inception) to pesticide reform groups. We are also dedicated to helping many other social and environmental groups and causes through in-kind donations.

One of the major benefactors is the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP); a leader for more than 25 years in reducing poisons on our planet. NCAP publishes the quarterly Journal of Pesticide Reform. NCAP, a membership organization, is a great resource to obtain unbiased data on the effects and formulations of pesticides. They offer information on hundreds of pesticides and alternatives for many pest problems, and also provide direct assistance and referrals for pesticide exposure victims.

Interested in knowing some of the other causes we have supported over the years? Read "Supporting Non-Profits."

There’s a lot of love here and a lot of appreciation of each other at Café Mam. The love extends to the Mam peoples, the earth from which the coffee grows, the birds that make their winter homes in the native trees above the coffee, what we are doing, and what we are creating. At risk of sounding just plain corny, we would venture to say that this love is the secret ingredient that makes Café Mam taste better than anything else out there.

A big part of love is acknowledging and honoring all houses of spirit (animate and inanimate alike) that make something possible. Café Mam starts with a simple and revolutionary idea: Let’s care for and identify with the people who grow this coffee. And we don’t stop there. As much as possible, we make conscious decisions with the interests of the planet and all of her offspring in mind. So, for people who love coffee, can’t grow or roast their own, we give you Café Mam.

Fair Trade: www.transfairusa.org

Oregon Tilth: www.tilth.org

SWP Decaffeinated: www.swisswater.com

USDA Organic: www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm

Coffee Kids: www.coffeekids.org

NCAP: www.pesticide.org

Beneficial uses of coffee for fighting cancer: www.gerson.org

Co-op America: www.coopamerica.org

I am an existing Café Mam customer, what is my user name and password?
You do not automatically have a user name and password if you are an existing customer. You can create one either on the login page or when you check out for the first time. You also have the option to complete your order as a guest.

Do I have to order using this website?
No. You can send us an email or call us and we would be glad to process your order. Existing customers who are accustom to paying by check can continue to do so by emailing, calling, or sending in your order. If you want to pay with credit card, this website is the best way to do that.