New York, May 13 - Bodum coffee will be 100 percent organic and Fair Trade certified by August, the company president said on Tuesday.
"We don't want to go mainstream, we want to do something that is a bit specific and that's why we're doing Fair Trade and organic," Thomas Perez, president of Bodum USA Inc, told Reuters.
Fair Trade certification guarantees that specific economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of the product. Certified organic products are grown with little environmental impact while avoiding toxic chemicals.
Both certifications have become increasingly popular as consumers' awareness about agricultural production increases.
"It's an opportunity to stand out a little bit," Perez said about the company's decision to sell organic and Fair Trade coffee.
The core business of privately held Bodum USA is the French press and other coffee equipment, but the New York-based company added coffee to its list of products about seven years ago.
New York-based Dallis Coffee roasts Bodum's coffee.
"Bodum is converting its entire existing coffee business, which represents 30,000 to 35,000 lbs of high-end specialty grade, non-certified coffees to entirely certified organic and Fair Trade coffees," said Jim Munson, vice president of Dallis Coffee.
The coffee will be sold online and at Bodum Cafe and Home Stores in Europe, Japan and Australia. The listed retail price will be $5.95 per half-pound package of whole beans, Munson said.