ACQUIZHEN

Green Coffee – Coffea arabica

75 million years ago while dinosaurs still lived on Earth the Ethiopian Highlands began to rise from the plains of Africa. Although these mountains are close to the Equator their height creates a cooler climate, as well as catching the monsoon rains. These Highlands are the source of the Blue Nile whose waters form the Nile and are also where Coffee was discovered. Most of the plant contains caffeine but it is most concentrated in the seed. This favours the germination of the seed as it deters micro-organisms and inhibits the germination of other seeds nearby. Coffee was distributed outside of Ethiopia by the Arabs as they enjoyed the beverage produced from the beans. This has been reflected in its scientific naming as Coffea arabica.

Coffee is a small tree with shiny dark green leaves and fragrant flowers. Each plant may live to over 100 years old. It needs to be cultivated in the same mild and damp habitat it originated from - with no exposure to frost or temperatures over 24 °C and high but not constant rainfall.
The Coffee which is the source for the green coffee oil and coffee butter used by ACQUIZHEN is Rainforest Alliance Certified™.  This means that the Coffee is grown in a manner which supports and sustains the land it is grown on and the people who grow it. Grown in this manner Coffee can make a positive impact on biodiversity as it contributes to food resources as well as providing cover and improving soil stability. Coffee flower nectar is good for honey, and the bees which make it. The berries which encase the seeds are sweet and can be eaten by people. When the fruit pulp is removed during processing of the coffee bean it can be fed to livestock or composted as a fertiliser and mulch.

Green coffee oil is made by cold pressing untreated beans. The resulting oil is hydrating when applied to skin, it also helps restore the skin barrier and can decrease skin damage from UV radiation. In ACQUIZHEN’s Replenishing Day Cream it works to firm and regenerate skin. Green coffee oil is also included in ACQUIZHEN’s Gentle Exfoliating Mask so that while skin is cleaned and exfoliated it is kept moisturised.