The Origins of “Bird Friendly®” Coffee
“Bird Friendly®” (BF) coffee is a registered trademark of the Smithsonian, associated with and placed on coffee that meets specific criteria established by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). The BF seal can only be applied to coffees that are certified organic.
Background
Since the early 1990s, researchers at the SMBC have been conducting scientific fieldwork in coffee-growing regions of the American tropics. Thousands of observations on the number and diversity of birds in different habitats, in which information on foraging behavior, vegetation type, inter- and intra-specific interactions, and sex ratios was gathered. When analyzed, the data revealed some intriguing connections related to certain agricultural lands.
The focus on coffee came about when, in studying avian communities in the biologically rich mid-elevations of southern Mexico, SMBC scientists documented the attraction that shaded coffee groves sometimes have for both resident and migratory birds.
As an agroforestry system based on the coffee shrubs and the taller, (mostly) native shade trees, a coffee farm (managed in certain ways) can provide excellent habitat for birds and other organisms—much the way a forest does. In fact, when a coffee farm has shade trees of a certain height, species mix, and foliage volume, the bird diversity there is very similar to that found in native forests in the same region.
For managed lands—lands resulting in commodity production, in this case of coffee—to have an economic dimension coupled with these environmentally beneficial features poses interesting possibilities for land managers, conservation policymakers, international lending/donor institutions, and marketers alike.
In order to take these findings to the coffee industry and the public at large, the SMBC staff organized and hosted a three-day conference (the First Sustainable Coffee Congress) in Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1996. Roasters, importers, and producers of coffee attended, as did academics, journalists, donor and lending organization representatives, and development people.
The entire board of directors of the Specialty Coffee Association of America also attended. In all, more than 260 people from 19 countries came together to discuss coffee's environmental and social dimensions. Out of this landmark event grew an intense and sustained specialty coffee industry interest in the concept of shade coffee. The connections between coffee and the environment—be they related to habitat and biodiversity, or to the rational management of resources—struck a chord throughout the industry.
More importantly, the concept attracted the attention of the growing contingent of U.S. birdwatchers, a group estimated at some 50 million members and whose activities currently enjoy the moniker of “America's fastest growing past-time.” Marketers with shade coffee and/or coffee good for birds were fast out of the blocks, eager to grab market shares by targeting the environmentally-concerned consumer base.
The Importance of Certification
While many coffees currently on the store shelf may indeed derive from farms with good shade, the public is at the mercy of those making such claims. Even though some of these early adopters have the farmers' and environment's interest at heart, this “trust-me-that-it's-shade-because-I-say-it-is” is not a good model. Those with a stake in selling a product are not the best ones to query about a product's verity. Rather, a certification system based on independent, third-party inspection is needed. It is the only way to foster and preserve consumer confidence around the concept of shade. And that is what the BF certification program does.
The Certification Process
With criteria drawn from years of fieldwork and thousands of observations, the SMBC has developed shade criteria and a process to verify the “shade-worthiness” of a coffee farm. In 2000 and 2001, SMBC staff trained more than 50 Latin American agronomists and organic inspectors in how to evaluate and inspect shade. Training workshops have continued since then, involving local coffee experts from Bolivia to Ethiopia.
The BF inspection and certification has been linked with the organic inspection and certification process, thus cutting down on time, energy and monetary expenses for farmers wanting inspection. And as shade does not change that much from year to year, the BF certification need be renewed every 3 years instead of annually.
The BF inspection occurs simultaneously with the organic inspection, and is carried out by a licensed organic inspector who has taken one of the training workshops about how to inspect shade taught by SMBC staff. Paperwork is channeled through any of the 14 organic certification agencies, which are accredited by the USDA's National Organic Program. A certification committee examines the forms and decides whether the coffee farm in question qualifies as a BF farm.
If so, a certificate is granted and copies are forwarded to the SMBC office. SMBC can also request any or all documents associated with a farm's inspection/certification. All trade of BF coffee from that farm must be preceded by a request and delivery of a certification of transaction related specifically to that sale. Coffee sold as BF can have the BF seal on it, applied to the packaging by the roaster/retailer. Records from the inspection process, exporters, importers, and roasters participating in the BF program are kept for five years.
Product Purity
The SMBC does not allow anything less than 100% certified product to appear with the BF seal. If a Bird Friendly® seal appears on burlap bags from a BF farm or on packaging developed by a roaster or retailer, the coffee inside must all be certified BF coffee. There are no allowances for percentages of certified BF product on the market, be they from farms or roasters. This assures the consumer that the Bird Friendly® coffee purchased is 100% certified.
CERTIFIED ORGANIC
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CERTIFIED SHADE
“BIRD FRIENDLY”®
