The coffee shrub is native to the rainforests of Ethiopia. Introduced to Brazil by the mid-1700s, coffee plantations today cover an estimated 7 million acres in the northern Neotropics from Columbia and Brazil to Mexico. Traditionally, coffee has been grown on the side of mountains, where it thrives in the shade of trees and provides habitat for both native species and wintering migratory birds.
In the 1930s, ornithologist Ludlow Griscom noted that the birds found in shaded coffee plantations varied little from those found in undisturbed forest. Since then, studies have confirmed that not only birds, but also mammals, reptiles, and insects thrive on shade coffee plantations. As rainforest in the Neotropics continues to disappear, shade coffee plantations have become a vital resource for birds and other wildlife.
But coffee grows slowly. Coffee bushes take 3 to 4 years to mature. Over the last 20 years, coffee growers have been replacing traditional varieties with new, high yielding, sun-tolerant varieties. Full-sun farming requires the removal of the forest and replaces it with a virtual biological desert. Without the forest birds to eat insects, and decaying materials to feed the plants, sun-grown coffee requires the heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers. At least half of the coffee grown in the Neotropics has been converted to full sun. You can read more about coffee plantations at Coffee and Conversation.
Buying shade-grown coffee is probably the most important thing you can do to help save the rainforest and protect migratory birds. A number of brands of certified shade-grown coffee are readily available. Many of the grocery stores in southern Ontario carry Kicking Horse coffee in their organic section. When you drink a cup of shade-grown, organic, fair-trade coffee, you are getting your day off to a good start! You can practically feel the glow of a halo as you contribute to these important causes! All by enjoying a great cup of coffee! What could be better?
Fair trade and organic coffees are not necessarily shade-grown. Look for the shade-grown certification to be certain. If you can’t find shade grown coffee in your local supermarket, try specialty stores and organic foodstuff sellers. You can also purchase shade-grown coffee easily online.
Some other brands I found locally include the following:
Foodsmiths coffee is packaged for a local organics store by Creemore Coffee Company. You can buy shade-grown coffee directly from Creemore Coffee at creemorecoffee.com.
You can buy shade-grown coffee from Salt Spring Coffee at saltspringcoffee.com.
Another online source is Birds and Beans Coffee.
Still drinking instant??? Most instant coffee is made from the poorest, sun-grown beans. If you purchase an inexpensive one-cup or small-pot coffeemaker, brewing the real thing is very fast. You can enjoy a better cup of coffee and help the birds with a minimum effort. Wake up and smell the coffee!
Ethical Bean is another great coffee company from Canada who’s coffee is shade-grown and bird friendly. I’m a big-time fan and buy it all the time online at amazon.
Melanie, thanks for the tip! I checked out the link to find out where it is available: http://www.ethicalbean.com/wheretobuy.php
I’ll have to look for Rocket Fuel!
Thanks for the very interesting post. I had never thought of this. Kicking Horse is available locally here in Calgary so I’ll check it out.
Steve, I’m sure you will enjoy it and it’s nice to buy a product you can feel good about using. I like Kicking Horse’s
Kick Ass blend.
[…] Shade the Coffee, Shelter the Birds Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) catching insects on the wing. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Boreal Birds […]
[…] Drink Shade-grown Coffee! There’s no easier way to help save rainforest. See Shade the Coffee, Shelter the Birds for more […]
Thanks for posting on this important topic! I just want to emphasize that there is no legal definition of “shade grown” so it is often used on labels without facts to back it up. The only actual shade certification is the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s “Bird-Friendly” certification. It’s trademarked by them but also used without permission. Look for the seal! Birds and Beans, which you mentioned, does carry real Bird-Friendly coffee.
Thanks also for linking to my site, Coffee & Conservation. There is a lot of background information in the User Guide; the link is right under the title.
Thanks for stopping by Julie, and thank you for the additional information! Smithsonian isn’t readily available if you just want to pick up something at your local grocery store, unfortunately. I guess you have to put some faith in marketers like Kicking Horse to be genuine in exchange for the convenience of having their product on the local shelves. Even checking for organic is a step up from just buying the cheapest coffee on the shelf.
So true. The cost of certification is borne mostly by the farmers, which is pretty unfair. Buying your coffee from a small, knowledgeable roaster who cares about the source of their coffee is one of the best things a consumer can do!
Thank you, I’ve just been looking for information approximately this subject for a long time and yours is the best I’ve discovered till now.
However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you certain concerning the
supply?
[…] more information about shade-grown coffee, see my Shade the Coffee, Shelter the Birds post. For plenty of information on many aspects of coffee and habitat, visit the site linked here: […]