Bird Friendly is a certification created by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC), which is part of the National Zoo based in Washington, D.C. Bird Friendly standards are the strictest of the third-party environmental standards. The SMBC has pioneered much of the research regarding the connection between birds, coffee and farming communities, using the findings to set standards to create healthy, producing forests. Certified coffees carry this seal.

What exactly does it mean for a coffee to be certified “bird-friendly” by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center?

Although there is no legal definition of “shade grown,” many coffees claim to be shade grown. The Smithsonian Bird-Friendly certification is ...

Originally all coffee was shade grown, produced under the tropical canopy of native rainforest trees.  In the 1970's sun grown coffee entered the marketplace, clearing off acres of land to pack coffee into rows that now required the use of chemicals and pesticides. These sun-drenched farms produced more beans, but at an environmental and economic cost. These sun coffee farms foster little habitat for wildlife while accelerating soil erosion. These new farms also put more coffee beans into the already overstocked coffee market while converting self-sustaining polycyultural coffee farms and sanctuaries into the monocultures, resulting in disappearing wildlife.

Fifty acres of rainforest disappear every minute, ...

Let’s talk about roasting coffee.

So, how long does a coffee bean need to roast?  Can it be too roasted? Not roasted enough?

How does one know when a coffee bean is “done”? 

Coffee roast masters use a variety of names such as City Roast or French Roast to identify the various degrees of roast.   Roast masters often use a recipe to highlight certain flavor characteristics.  A coffee bean’s origin, variety, processing method or desired flavor influence the recipe a roast master chooses.

The degree of roast can be determined by eye although this is not the most accurate method. As beans absorb heat, this color shifts – from yellow to ...

"Shade grown" coffee is grown under a canopy of various species of shade trees, often on small farms using traditional techniques. Shade grown coffee production methods provide food and shelter for songbirds in addition to a habitat for numerous other species of animals and plants.

For almost 200 years coffee has been grown in the shade of native forest trees, using the filtering effect of the leaves to protect the coffee plants from burning.

Sun Coffee

A new breed of sun-tolerant coffee has been developed over the past 30 years, and USAID and other international development agencies have encouraged coffee farmers to convert to a sun-grown system. Sun-grown coffee has higher yields, but requires chemical ...

Bolivian coffee is new to the world of specialty coffees, only now creating the infrastructure, technology, and skills needed to promote a quality product that supports economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Fair trade and organic initiatives, coupled with economic development projects  provide support and opportunity to coffee producers on a local, national, and international level.

Geography

Located in the western heart of South America, Bolivia covers an area of 1,098,581 square kilometers – roughly three times the size of Montana. Two ranges of the Andes Mountains stretch across western Bolivia, shaping the country’s three major geographic regions: the mountainous highlands and ...