Yes. As the creators of the world’s first and only certified organic, non-GMO food service beverages, our drinks are uniquely crafted to bring out the best in every intentionally-chosen ingredient. We occasionally hear the question: why use sugar?

We are committed to ingredient and sourcing transparency, so it’s no secret that our beverages do indeed use USDA Certified Organic cane sugar. Tractor’s craft sodas and refreshers are meant to be one of life’s little rewards — a bold-flavored treat to be enjoyed when you’re out for a nice meal and want to wash it down with something equally special and just as delicious.

And sugar is only part of the story. What matters more than natural sweetness is the ingredients we won’t use, like high-fructose corn syrup, fruit treated with synthetic pesticides, synthetic flavors, food coloring, and, most of all, artificial sweeteners, which the World Health Organization has linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even mortality. Research shows that some artificial sweeteners like saccharin, and sucralose can change the composition of your gut microbiome and even induce glucose intolerance. If artificial sweeteners hamper the growth of good bacteria, you may wind up with an imbalanced gut, which can lead to symptoms like cramping, gas and bloating as well as a weakened immune system.*

Instead, we create drinks that lead with clean ingredients, combining real organic fruits with natural botanicals and unique herbs and spices from nutmeg and lemongrass to cardamom and coriander – tastes that are enhanced by a hint of natural sweetness. Those are the ingredients that deserve all the attention, and they’re what make Tractor beverages drinks to feel good about.

*Sources: Javier Ruiz-Ojeda, Francisco. “Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, February 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/.

Suez, Jotham. “Artificial Sweeteners Induce Glucose Intolerance by Altering the Gut Microbiota.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, October 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25231862/.

See where we’re pouring with our handy Tractor Locator.

We’re proud to do things the right way, which often means many or all of the above. Thumb through our drinks page to see each of our drinks’ certifications.

5 practices banned when farming organically include:

Most synthetic fertilizers
Sewage sludge as fertilizer
Ionizing radiation to get rid of pests and disease in food, and prolong shelf life
Genetic engineering of crops (GMOs)
Most synthetic pesticides

Source: “About the Organic Standards.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. February 2023. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards#Crop.

You may skip over the organic produce section when you’re grocery shopping, but what if we told you some studies show that organic produce has higher nutritional content and is richer in polyphenols with antioxidant activity than their conventional counterparts? These compounds from fresh fruits and vegetables are important in preventing cell death within the body that can lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses.

Source: Mayo Clinic Staff. “Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious?” Mayo Clinic, April, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880.

Pesticides used in conventional farming, like glyphosate (found in Roundup), Atrazine, and 2,4-D have been linked to diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, ADHD, hormone and endocrine disorders, and Autism. Residues of these chemicals are commonly found in non-organic foods and groundwater. Buying organic food doesn’t guarantee that there will never be any chemical residues in it. Some studies indicate that when chemical residues are present, there are dramatically lower levels in organic food compared to non-organic food. While government regulatory agencies set tolerances for agrochemicals in food, there is still much to learn about the long-term effects on our bodies from eating low levels over long periods of time.

With an increasing body of data linking illness to pesticides, it just makes sense to choose organic when shopping for yourself and the people you love to avoid these pollutants for the environment and your body.

Sources: Tasiopoulou, Stavroula. “Results of the monitoring program of pesticide residues in organic food of plant origin in Lombardy (Italy).” U.S. National Library of Medicine, September 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17763041/.
Nicolopoulou-Stamati, Polyxeni. “Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4947579/.

Did you know that conventional farming allows sewage sludge to be used to grow the food you might eat every single day? Sewage sludge is derived from the processing of human and industrial waste that enters sewer systems—basically anything that is washed down the drain, flushed down the toilet, or drained from the washing machine in both homes and businesses. While sewage sludge contains treated human waste which can serve as a fertilizer for crops, it may also contain heavy metals, pesticides, toxic solvents, and other contaminants that pollute the environment and end up in the food supply.

Source: Water Science School. “What is wastewater, and why treat it?” U.S. Geological Survey, June 2018. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/wastewater-treatment-water-use.