Do you know if your coffee is 100%?

Forgers Colombian Coffee is no long 100% 😬

What a catastrophe in our household today when my mother and I discovered that our classic Folgers coffee (yes, I drink that, don’t come after me) was NO LONGER 100% Colombian!

When this bombshell hit, we rifled through the back stock we had stashed away and found a can from 2023. That one was labeled 100% Colombian. So, somewhere between 2023 and 2024, Folgers must have quietly dropped the claim. What does that mean? Likely, they’ve started blending their coffee with beans from somewhere else—maybe Mexico or Puerto Rico—where sourcing is cheaper and more accessible.

I’ve been scrutinizing labels for a while now, but I never thought to question Folgers’ ‘Colombian’ claim. When you dig deeper into the label, it just says ‘coffee’ and no other countries listed of where their beans are from. The FDA has become incredibly lax in holding big companies accountable for what they slip into our food, but this? This has me seriously concerned. How much of it is chicory? Chicory was a coffee substitute that folks in the impoverished southern states used to drink, and oddly enough, it’s making a quirky comeback. I think it’s catching people’s interest in the same way that loading up beers with hops made IPA lovers feel unique and adventurous.

I’ve always been a bit suspicious of big coffee producers like Folgers, but I didn’t have much evidence to back it up. They hadn’t made headlines for anything shady, and every time I checked, their coffee only listed ‘ground coffee’ as the ingredient. But now? I’m going to be meticulously double-checking every coffee I buy. That includes my beloved Café Bustelo, which still claims to be 100% ground coffee, though the label doesn’t divulge where the beans are sourced from. Interestingly, I found out it’s manufactured in Ohio… something to keep in mind.

Folgers might be seen as a basic coffee by some, and it’s been the punchline of countless jokes over the years. Don’t get me wrong—I’m well aware it’s not the crème de la crème of coffee. However, its nostalgic aroma always transports me back to my childhood and those magical mornings at my grandparents’ house. Coffee was the first thing I learned to brew, and I’d make it for my mom when I wanted to make her feel special. Coffee, even before I drank it, has always occupied a special place in my heart—Folgers in particular.

Sadly, given this revelation, I’m on the hunt for a new coffee that’s genuinely 100% Colombian. Maybe I’ll stumble upon something from a local roaster that’s reasonably priced enough to become my go-to. I can’t shake the feeling that this is just the beginning of a trend where companies subtly tweak and deceive their loyal customers into accepting an inferior product, all while leaning heavily on ‘brand loyalty.’ They’ll gradually alter packaging and ingredients lists without so much as a heads-up.

Read your labels, and go chase a stunning sunrise 🌅