Bird Friendly™ Coffee

Birds and Beans offers a selection of organic Bird Friendly™ coffees. Rather than being grown on land that has been cleared of all other vegetation, Bird Friendly™ coffees are planted under a canopy of trees that provide habitat for birds. In addition to being shade grown, Bird Friendly™ coffees are also organic, meaning they're grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that poison the environment.

Bird Friendly™ coffees are certified as shade grown and organic by independent third-party inspectors using criteria established by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) of the National Zoo in Washington DC. These criteria are based on years of scientific research aimed at halting and reversing the alarming trend of altered and shrinking habitat in both North and Latin America for our migratory birds. This habitat destruction has been linked directly to "corporate" style coffee production.

Birds and Beans purchases only shade grown coffees. In addition, we strongly support the the SMBC certification program by:

• Licencing with the Simithsonian Migratory Bird Institute and hence subjecting our practices to their auditors,
• Paying a higher price for raw coffee,
• Clearly identifying which coffees are certified Bird Friendly™,
• Paying a royalty of 25 cents US per pound to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center on sales of certified Bird Friendly™ coffee,
• Seeking to raise awareness of the Bird Friendly™ logo and its meaning,
• Preferentially selecting Bird Friendly™ coffees from our importers where possible, and
• Purchasing shade grown coffees even where Bird Friendly™ certification is not yet in place.

Look for the Bird Friendly™ logo —only coffee displaying this logo is certified Bird Friendly™ and supports the research and programs of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.