NEW YORK – The North American organic coffee market topped 1.4 billion dollars in 2009, according to new data from Daniele Giovannucci. Even in a recession, Giovannucci found that organic coffee continued its reign as the single most valuable organic product imported into North America.

According to Giovannucci’s North American Organic Coffee Industry Report 2010, more than 93 million pounds of organic coffee were imported into the United States and Canada in 2009. “The 4.1 percent growth of the organic coffee market this past year is an important achievement for a higher priced product during a recession and when much of the conventional coffee industry has been stagnant,” said Giovannucci in a press release.

The average annual growth rate of 21 percent for organic coffee documented by Giovannucci in the five years from 2004 to 2009 dwarfs the estimated 1 percent annual growth of the conventional coffee industry.

“It’s not surprising that demand for organic coffee is growing. Consumers are increasingly knowledgeable about the attributes of organic coffee—its benefits not only to the environment and health but also to the livelihoods of the farmers who produce it,” said Christine Bushway executive director of the Organic Trade Association.