We are often asked if any of our coffees are shade grown and as a result, don’t contribute to deforestation – and our answer is always “Every single bean is Shade grown!”
All of our coffees are certified Bird Friendly which means they are guaranteed to be shade grown in a diverse forest environment. They do not contribute to deforestation; they actually promote the preservation of forests and in a number of cases have actually contributed to reforestation.
While many coffee roasters make claims about their coffee being “Shade Grown”, the Bird Friendly certification is the only way consumers can be certain that the coffee was, in fact, grown in a way that provides habitat for birds and other wildlife – not to mention all the other benefits that flow from keeping forests intact. Many coffee companies will claim shade because some of the taller trees have not been cleared – or that the shade is from another crop such as bananas – neither of which provide any of the benefits of a diverse forest.
The Bird Friendly Certification was developed by scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and you can read more about it here.
We founded Birds & Beans almost 20 years ago because we were deeply concerned about the pace of deforestation in South and Central America and the impacts of that deforestation on the environment in general and in particular on the populations of our migratory songbirds. We are the only roaster in Canada to offer a 100% Bird Friendly certified range of coffees.
And since we are “all in” on the Bird Friendly thing, we offer a full range, whether you want drip or espresso, bold or mild, with caffeine or decaf – we have your coffee.