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What Is Bird Friendly Coffee?

Bird Friendly Coffee is Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) certified and represents a gold standard in ethical and sustainable coffee business.

Bird Friendly Coffee is coffee that comes from family farms in Latin America that provide good, forest-like habitat for birds. Rather than being grown on farms that have been cleared of vegetation, Bird Friendly coffees are planted under a canopy of trees. These trees provide the shelter, food and homes migratory and local birds need to survive.

Ours is the only US company that solely sells triple-certified Smithsonian Bird Friendly, USDA Organic, and Fair Trade coffee from a B-Certified Roaster.

Bird friendly coffees are guaranteed to support bird habitat. Bird friendly coffees are also grown without pesticides, it also is shade grown under a canopy of trees that provides quality habitat for a variety of birds. Most coffee sold is sun-grown and sun makes coffee grown faster and produce more coffee. This makes loss of tropical biodiversity and harms resident birds.


Bird-Friendly coffee farming practices necessarily have lower yields because other plants, which are providing theshade for the coffee and habitat for songbirds, take up space.

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Buy the best coffee online from a bird-friendly coffee destination. Birds & Beans offers the best coffee in USA produced from 100% organic certified farms. Get to know more about the best bird-friendly coffee vendor in the US. 

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As people look for healthier options when out and about, coffee shops must keep up with the needs of customers. In addition to the popular muffins and croissants, coffee shops can offer more satisfying snacks and meals. Here are four healthy foods coffee shops can add to keep customers satisfied.

Fruit and Fruit Smoothies

Cups of mixed fruit are a coffee shop staple, but this can be taken to the next level. Fruit smoothies are becoming more popular, with healthy add-ins like protein powder or fiber. Avoid added sugar by using banana or other sweet fruits as a natural sweetener. Blending in spinach adds a healthy boost without affecting the taste.

Healthy Sandwiches and Bread

Sandwiches can be full of nutrients and lower in calories if done the right way. For breakfast, opt for egg white sandwiches with low-fat cheese and organic bread. Some companies, such as Klosterman Baking Company, realize that the benefits of organic bread are numerous. It has fewer preservatives and additives and is more nutrient dense than its non-organic counterparts. Organic bread comes in many varieties, like flaxseed, whole wheat, and sprouted wheat. These can complement any sandwich. It can also be served alone for a healthy snack. Offering customers organic breads will make them feel confident they are getting the healthiest parings with their coffee.

Salads

Visits to the coffee shop don’t always have to be for breakfast. Fresh salads can lure in the lunch crowd. The more greens and vegetables, the healthier the salad. For additional protein, add a hard-boiled egg or beans, depending on the flavor of the salad. Keep dressings lower fat. Vinaigrettes are always a healthier choice than creamy dressings like ranch or Caesar. A southwest salad with salsa instead of dressing is healthy yet flavorful. A Greek salad is another healthy, flavorful choice.

Yogurt

For a dairy choice, yogurt can be a healthy offering. Yogurt, especially Greek varieties, can make for a high protein, low-fat snack. As with the fruit smoothies, be careful about added sugars. To keep it low-sugar and natural, sweeten only with honey or stevia. Better yet, keep it plain and allow customers to add their own fruit, sweetener, or granola.

Gone are the days when muffins and croissants are the only food coffee shops are expected to serve. There are so many more options available now, and adding a variety of healthy options will bring customers in and encourage them to stay for a meal.

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Latin American Farmers Leaving Organic Coffee

Latin American countries account for 75% of the world's organic coffee production. But even as demand for organic coffee has increased, coffee farmers are being forced to return to conventional cultivation using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the article, "Organic coffee: Why Latin America's farmers are abandoning it," reporter Ezra Feiser talks with coffee farmers and researchers to uncover what's happening.coffee harvest The Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education in Costa Rica (CATIE) estimates that at least 10% of organic coffee farmers have gone back to conventional production. The article goes on to state that the high prices that had been associated with organic coffee are diminishing and many farmers are being forced to sell their organic beans in the conventional market.In Chiapas, Mexico, farmers associated with our partner ICSUR experienced this firsthand when a buyer canceled two large contracts and farmers were forced to sell their coffee in local markets. Many families sustained a heavy loss (Read more here).ICSUR Mushrooms According to the article, farmers using chemical fertilizers and pesticides harvest about 485 pounds of coffee out of one acre, versus 285 pounds per acre on an organic farm. If they cannot justify the cost, they are forced to return to conventional methods.The impact is heavy in many communities. Given a lack of education on proper usage, local water sources are frequently contaminated with chemicals, much of the land is rendered sterile from overuse, and families are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals.Families working with our partner ICSUR have incorporated edible mushroom production and chicken-raising efforts to diversify their income and lessen their dependence on income from coffee. With economic diversity, many of these families can continue their organic farming and weather the finicky markets.
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While consumers in the United States fret over gas prices, a food crisis threatens millions around the world. Coffee Kids staff visited with families in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico and learned about the effects of the international food crisis and how they are confronting the problem.According to women working with Coffee Kids partner organization FomCafé in Oaxaca, they have seen prices for basic products such as corn, oil and rice more than double since October of 2007. The price of many vegetables has increased 50% or more.“Before 2008, families spent about 60% of their income on food, but today families are spending almost all of their income on food. Salaries have not risen, money being sent home is lower, and work is scarce in many rural communities,” said José Luis Zárate, international program director at Coffee Kids. Families in the United States spend about 10% of income on food.Prices for common goods:Cooking Oil (liter), which cost US$1 in October, is now US$2Corn (kilogram), which cost US$0.28 in October, is now US$0.47Rice (kilogram), which cost US$0.70 in October, is now US$22624552545_6584788e45.jpg?v=0Coffee Kids partners, the Association for Research and Training of Southern Mexico (ICSUR) in Chiapas and FomCafé in Oaxaca are working in rural coffee-growing communities to build capacity and reduce reliance on the annual coffee crop, which does not provide enough income for families. Many of their efforts are also helping families deal with the food crisis.Women and men working with ICSUR in Chiapas are learning to raise and sell mushrooms and chickens to diversify their income and bolster family diets. Women working with FomCafé are learning about organic gardening, cultivating food for their families and selling the surplus locally.“Many of the women commented that thanks to these projects they have access to fresh, organic foods for their families, something they couldn’t afford otherwise,” Zárate said. “The same is happening with the women working with ICSUR in Chiapas. Without these productive projects, it would be difficult to afford meat or eggs.”While food security is the major issue families in Mexico are confronting, ICSUR and FomCafé also promote projects in health care, education and economic diversification.Check out photos from our latest visit on our Flickr page.
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