What seems like a relatively new food trend dates actually back thousands of years. Although humans have practiced organic farming ever since evolving from hunters and gatherers, technological advances over the past 50 years have erased much of our agrarian knowledge. Coffee producers around the world ­ particularly small-scale ones ­ are helping to promote organic agriculture, however, either by preserving ancient traditions or by converting from conventional growing methods (i.e., eliminating the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.). To be able to sell their coffees in the U.S. as "organic," these farmers must be inspected and certified by an independent organization accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As processor of organic foods, Alterra also is certified by a USDA-accredited agency.