[MASSBIRD] Bird-friendly coffee?

[Stuart Walker]

With the permission of the moderator, I would like to know if people can recommend good (decaf, preferably) bird-friendly coffee that I could find at relatively normal stores, like Whole Foods or Wegman’s, or even more mainstream outlets.  

I find that many of the brands I look at say “organic”, but few seem to say “shade grown”, which I associate with bird-friendly environments, or Arabica.  None specifically say “bird-friendly”.  

I would prefer not to order coffee by mail, but I will if necessary.  Thanks for any suggestions!

Stuart Walker

Jamaica Plain

stuart...@comcast.net 

[Shilo McDonald]

Stuart,

I've enjoyed Birds & Beans coffee before. They're organic, fair trade and solely Bird Friendly.

Here's a link to their website:

https://birdsandbeanscoffee.com

And I've purchased it (in person) from the fine folks over at Bird Watcher's Supply:

https://birdwatcherssupplyandgifts.com

Mr. Shilo McDonald, Lynn, Massachusetts

Bird Watcher and Freshly Ground Coffee Drinker

ShiloCM at Yahoo dot Com

[Cynthia Berkowitz]

As one who has been involved in selling organic, fair trade coffee, my understanding is that organic coffee and organic chocolate are shade grown by definition. 

Cynthia Berkowitz 

Newton

[mary phinney]

I get my coffee by mail from Bird & Beans. $18.25 every four weeks. Cheap when compared to daily purchases from Starbucks or even Dunkin. They alert you before shipping.you can skip a shipment if you need to. Great shad grown coffee.

[MFB]

Alas, no. Organic coffee is not the same as shade-grown bird-friendly coffee. 

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-choose-bird-friendly-coffee

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 2, 2019, at 6:59 PM, Cynthia Berkowitz <cynt...@gmail.com> wrote:



[Ray Brown]

Yes, MFB is correct. Shade-grown coffee is not just organic -- it's grown under the natural forest canopy that provides important shelter for birds (and other creatures, as well). This is not necessarily the case with all organically grown coffee.

--

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[Greg Keller]

Hi all,

My go-to coffee is decaf espresso – shade grown, fair trade, organic, and delicious.  It’s imported by the Roger’s Family importers in San Francisco, available at several sources, including Amazon.  They have other coffee types as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Hurricane-Espresso-Process-Decaffeinated/dp/B006BXUHZ8

Greg

 

__________________________________

 

Gregory S. Keller, Ph.D.

Professor of Conservation Biology

Chair, Department of Biology

Fulbright Scholar – NSF Arctic Initiative

 

310 KOSC 

Email: greg....@gordon.edu

http://www.gordon.edu/gregkeller

978-867-4852

 

255 Grapevine Rd.

Department of Biology

Gordon College

Wenham, MA 01984

__________________________________

 

 

From: massbird...@TheWorld.com [mailto:massbird...@TheWorld.com] On Behalf Of Ray Brown
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2019 7:38 PM
To: MFB <bad...@mac.com>
Cc: Cynthia Berkowitz <cynt...@gmail.com>; Stuart Walker <stuart...@comcast.net>; Mass...@theworld.com
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Bird-friendly coffee?

 

** CAUTION: External Email: Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize sender and know content is safe.**

[Bob Stymeist]

Massbirders

Birds and Beans is a Smithsonian Bird Friendly registered shade grown coffee, considered by many to be the gold standard in shade grown coffees. You can visit the Smithsonian website to learn more about these coffees (https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/bird-friendly-coffee). I believe that Birds and Beans is sold in 12 oz. packages in many Whole Foods stores and also in some specialty shops, such as natural food stores. Scott Weidensaul some years ago wrote a great article in Bird Observer about the reasons that the Smithsonian Bird Friendly coffees are a great choice for shade grown coffees. You can buy Birds and Beans online at their website in two pound bags, a better price than the 12 oz bags (https://birdsandbeanscoffee.com/). 

Bob Stymeist

Martha Steele, Arlington

--

Bob Stymeist
bobst...@gmail.com

[Eleanor Shavell]

Café solar is another option (cafesolar.com)

On Dec 2, 2019, at 8:40 PM, Bob Stymeist <bobst...@gmail.com> wrote:



[Andy Sanford]

It’s not decaf, but you can buy Early Bird Blend from Allegro Coffee at Whole Foods; it is smithsonian-certified bird-friendly.

Here is more info:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/bird-friendly-coffee-now-available-at-a-major-retailer/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/making-sense-of-coffee-labels-shade-grown-organic-fair-trade-bird-friendl/

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/where-buy-bird-friendly-coffee

Andy Sanford, Marblehead 

[Lynette Leka]

be careful about the term "shade grown" - the industrial coffee growers can strip out tropical forest, leaving just a few spindly trees spaced far apart, and still call it "shade grown"

the same caution for the term "sustainable" - with enough water, fertilizer, and pesticides applied, any cropping practice can be considered "sustainable"



------------------------------------
(by)..."not noticing birds in one's daily environment, one misses a whole segment of life on earth that can deliver joy every day." Bruce M. Beehler, 2019



Lynette Leka
Newbury, MA 01951
email: lynett...@yahoo.com

[John Andrews]

I buy my bird-friendly coffee from Dean's Beans, a roaster in Orange, Massachusetts.  They have one blend they call "Birdwatcher's Blend".  See https://deansbeans.com/our-products .

Deans Beans also supports economic justice for the communities that grow their beans.  According to their website:

"All of our fine whole bean specialty coffees are certified organic, fair trade, and kosher, and are roasted in small batches at our beanery in Orange, MA. We know that the planting, care, harvesting and processing of the beans is done in conformity with international standards for the health of the farmer and their environment, as well as the high quality of the bean. The vast use of pesticides in coffee production has serious impact on the ecology of the coffee-growing world and the health of farm communities. Our commitment to only purchase shade grown coffees supports healthy environments for coffee growers and protects critical migratory bird habitat. It is important to us that the quality of our coffees includes respect for the quality of life of our southern partners in the coffee world."

[Liz Pease]

Incidentally, Birds & Beans Coffee is headquartered out of Byfield, MA, according to their website.

Thanks for this great thread -- I'll be picking some bird-friendly coffee up for holiday gifts for sure!

--

Liz Pease

freelance writer, editor, and proofreader

lizpease.com ~ 978-457-2067

[Barbara Volkle]

Thanks to David Gibson for this announcement.

Barbara Volkle
Northborough, MA
bar...@theworld.com

*

From: David Gibson <20c...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2019 13:45:17 -0500
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Bird-friendly coffee?

Lynette, Great point. All these words can be thrown around rather loosely.
Think: the word 'natural,' for example. Certification is key, either
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center or Rainforest Alliance certified.
Dave Gibson
https://birdpartner.com/