About Bird Friendly Coffee
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has trademarked the term "Bird Friendly" in order to describe environmentally sensitive coffee grown under defined criteria, including a shade spectrum or shade gradient. Among other things, the criteria state a minimum percentage of shade cover, exclude certain genera as backbone trees, and promote diversity by limiting the proportion of Inga trees in the canopy. Buffer zones and living fences are encouraged, while removal of epiphytes is discouraged. At present there are about a dozen companies adhering to this particular certification.
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In fact, shade-coffee plantations are second only to undisturbed forest as the best habitat for birds in Latin America.
Here are some things that birders can do to clarify the coffee concerns:
1. Learn about the issues: shade-coffee vs. sun-coffee, certification, organic, fair-traded, sustainable. Becoming an educated consumer is the first priority. Most consumers-and that includes birders-will make responsible decisions when they are informed.2. Raise the shade-grown coffee issue among your local birding friends and organizations, whether at a bird club meeting, IMBD, or a birding festival.
3. Seek out and buy shade-grown coffee for home and work. If your local retailers and specialty stores do not carry Song Bird Coffee or another brand of shade-grown coffee, ask that they do.
4. Ask for shade-grown coffee when you are at restaurants and espresso stands.
5. Support organizations that work on these important coffee issues.
6. Start a coffee campaign network in your area to reach stores and the media about the importance of shade-grown, songbird-safe coffee.
Find Glossary of Coffee Terms or learn more about coffee bean processing.
Coffee Related Resources
Atlanta Audubon Society
Chapter of National Audubon actively promoting shade-grown coffee.Coffee Contact
Independent web resource on shade coffee, also interested in organic and fair-trade.Conservation International
Research and conservation advocate organization.Consumer's Choice Council
Association of more than 50 environmental, corporate, and human rights groups.Equal Exchange
Important importer and vendor of fair trade coffees, with a distinctive logo.National Coffee Association
Trade association whose consumer-oriented content.Organic Crop Improvement Association
Organic certification organization.Organic Trade Association
Umbrella organization for the organic industry.Quality Assurance International
Organic certification organization.Rainforest Alliance
Research and activist organization. Co-manages the "Rainforest Alliance Certified" branding program. They also run a coffee-hot-line e-mail discussion group.Seattle Audubon Society
Chapter of National Audubon and sponsor of the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign.Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Research organization which has developed a set of bird-compatible coffee farming criteria. For your Bird Friendly® inspection and certification, growers should contact one of the following agencies. All have signed agreements with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and can arrange for an inspector to visit your farm or cooperative.Specialty Coffee Association of America
Trade association which has endorsed sustainable coffee in its mission statement.Sustainable Harvest Coffee Co.
Importer and distributor.Thanksgiving Coffee Co.
Vendor of Song Bird Coffee, in association with the ABA. Uses its own points system to guide its buying and marketing strategies. Shade-grown coffee is awarded points on a sliding scale, as well as coffee that is fair-traded and organically-grown.TransFair USA
Monitoring group for fair trade businesses.
