Roasters do coffee with conscience

By Erin Allday, (SANTA ROSA) PRESS DEMOCRAT

SEBASTOPOL — Raising his voice over the grumble of a cappuccino maker in the corner, Mark Inman is talking about sustainable farming, the U.S. war on drugs and poverty in Central America — and how it all comes back to a cup of gourmet coffee.

It's an easy connection to make, Inman insists, leaning over his desk and sipping from a tiny cup of espresso made with beans roasted by his Taylor Maid Farms.

Sustainable farming helps keep growers out of the drug industry and above the poverty line, he said. If consumers only understood the impact they could have on South American farmers by paying more for their coffee, they would, Inman said.

"We don't want to guilt the soccer moms into buying organic coffee," said Inman, 36. "We want to make it easy for them to buy good coffee at fair rates. Coffee is a social vehicle and political vehicle, not just a food product."

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