The Starbucks Decaf Lawsuit — And the Cup of Coffee That Made Us Question Everything

Recently, headlines began circulating about Starbucks facing a lawsuit alleging chemical residues in decaffeinated coffee.
Whether the claims are ultimately proven in court or not, the conversation has reopened something many people don’t realize:
Decaf coffee has long been one of the most chemically processed everyday foods.
And strangely enough… learning that years ago is what first sent us down the rabbit hole that eventually became our farm today.

Before We Grew Herbs, We Drank Coffee Without Question
There was a time when we didn’t think much about food processing.
Coffee was coffee and Tea was tea.

Then my husband Randy needed to switch to decaffeinated coffee.
We then asked the question, how do they remove the caffeine from the bean?

Why Decaf Coffee Is Back in the News
The recent lawsuit filed in the United States alleges that testing detected trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in certain decaffeinated Starbucks coffees. Starbucks has stated that its products meet safety standards, and the case has not been decided.
But regardless of the legal outcome, the discussion has reminded many consumers of something largely forgotten:
Some traditional decaffeination methods rely on chemical solvents.
For us, learning this years ago was a turning point.

How Conventional Decaf Coffee Is Often Made
Coffee beans naturally contain caffeine. To create decaf coffee, processors must remove it from green (unroasted) beans.
One widely used method involves solvents such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate, which selectively bind to caffeine molecules.
In simplified terms:
• Beans are steamed to open their structure
• A solvent extracts caffeine
• Beans are rinsed and dried
• Coffee is roasted as usual
Regulations limit residual amounts allowed in finished coffee, and manufacturers maintain that products remain within approved safety limits.
But discovering this process was the first time many of us realized:
Food could be technically safe… yet still heavily processed.
That realization changed how we began looking at everything we consumed.

The Swiss Water Method: Coffee Without Chemical Solvents
​Then we discovered the Swiss Water Process, a decaffeination method developed in Switzerland and now refined here in Canada.
Instead of solvents, this method uses:
• water
• temperature
• time
• carbon filtration
The process works by gently dissolving caffeine into water and filtering it out while preserving flavour compounds.
No chemical solvents are introduced.
It felt understandable. Transparent. Almost traditional.
And that mattered to us.

The Beginning of Our “Crunchy” Era
Looking back, decaf coffee was one of the first foods that made us pause and ask deeper questions.
If caffeine could be removed this way…
What about Teas? Skin care ingredients? Spice mixes?
We started reading labels differently.
Growing more ourselves.
Learning how drying, extracting, and preserving plants actually worked.
That curiosity eventually grew into fields of herbs, drying rooms, and products made as simply as possible.

Modern food systems are complex, and many industrial processes exist for efficiency and consistency.
The Starbucks lawsuit may or may not change anything legally.
But conversations like this remind us that consumers increasingly want to understand how their food is made, not just what it contains. 

Sometimes One Question Changes Everything
People often ask how we became so committed to growing and making things ourselves.
The truth is unexpectedly simple.
We asked one question about a morning cup of coffee.
And once you start asking questions about what’s in your cup, you begin asking them about everything else... your food, your skin care, your home, and your health.
Sometimes becoming “crunchy” isn’t a trend.
It’s just curiosity… followed by learning.
And occasionally, it starts with decaf.