What is Shade Grown Coffee

Posted on: 2016-08-22 2:41 PM

Shade-grown coffee (also called "bird-friendly") not only produces better beans and better lattes but it protects the native rainforests of Central and South America and migratory bird species in particular.
 
We should all look for fair trade, organic and shade grown coffee when we shop. Open sun grown coffee plantations harbor less than 5 percent of the bird and wildlife species as compared with a tree canopy plantation, which needs far less chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Many are indeed organic.
 
Consumers need to demand these "bird friendly" certified coffees in order to begin to reverse the ecological damage done to these forests. If Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, major coffee buyers, who have begun to utilize organic and shade grown beans, know that their customers care and will pay a bit extra for environmentally friendly coffee, and major retail market brands likewise promote this important "bird-friendly" crop, we can make a dent in the loss of rainforest.

If you know of anyone using or selling shade grown coffee please let us know.