Our wonderful earth continually needs our support. In every way that we can, we should be a source of replenishment and rejuvenation.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Helping sporadically would be welcome but helping everyday would be more desirable.
How can we help every day?
How often do you drink coffee? Everyday? Good. Then you can help the earth every day by drinking shade grown coffee.
Shade-grown coffee is a form of the beverage produced from coffee plants grown under a canopy of trees.
Shade grown coffee is a positive alternative growing process that allows some native canopy to remain standing. This provides habitat for native species of wildlife, including the hundreds of bird species that take refuge there.
A canopy of assorted types of shade trees is created to cultivate shade-grown coffee.
Variety is preferable. It attracts different species.
Because it incorporates principles of natural ecology to promote natural ecological relationships, shade-grown coffee can be considered an offshoot of agricultural permaculture or agroforestry.
grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, Pixture2016-Own-work-Wikimedia
Permaculture is a set of design principles centered on whole systems thinking, simulating, or directly utilizing the patterns and resilient features observed in natural ecosystems.
Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry has varied benefits, including increased biodiversity and reduced erosion.
Agroforestry practices have been successful in sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of the United States.
The resulting coffee is usually sold as "shade-grown".
How is shade grown coffee beneficial to our earth?
Let’s turn to experts in the field.
The informative team at thecoffeebeanmenu.com opens, “Shade-grown coffee is a unique form of coffee plants grown under a canopy of trees. Coffee is a small undergrowth tree or shrub that grows on forest trees. The Best Shade Grown Coffee grows just this way provide Eco-friendly benefits and often are a higher quality product.
Coffee beans grown in shade tend to develop more complex flavors, as they take longer too ripe and are less exposed to pathogen infection.”
When we relax in San Francisco and people watch, while we sip our coffee, it will inspire us to appreciate the complex flavors even more.
grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, pexels.com-pixabay.com-photo-credit.
We would like to know more. They add:
“Coffee grows in the shade all around the world, and here are some interesting facts about its global footprint:
- Coffee in Latin America, Asia, and Africa comes from the high diversity of shade trees.
- Taller shade tends to have more birds and better uniform shade.
- In Mexico, around 40% to 56% of forest ants are found in farms growing coffee under shade.
- In Southern Mexico, you can find 180 species of birds in the coffee plantation.
- Coffee under shade systems often plants epiphytes like orchids and bromeliads. These enhance bird diversity and are home for thousands of insects as food for the birds.
- Farms with more shade increased 19% in the fertility.
- 42% less soil moisture in sun coffee farm as compared to shade coffee farms.”
Very valuable information.
There is another beneficial aspect to this that comes to mind and we travel to lake filled Minnesota to appreciate it.
As reported by presspubs.com, “Most of the coffee consumed in the U.S. comes from Brazil and Columbia, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many of the migratory bird species that pass through Minnesota each year, such as warblers and orioles, spend their winters in these same places.
Much of our coffee comes from plantations where large forest ecosystems have been eliminated in favor of a single coffee bean crop that receives full sun. This system has long been regarded to yield the highest output of coffee, but it also severely limits the rich native biodiversity of the region.”
Every time that we feel we have heard or read it all, we learn something very new. Didn’t really think much about where coffee was grown as long as it tasted good. This sheds some new light or shades some good light on the subject.
We are no longer in the dark about shaded coffee.
So where can we get shade grown coffee?
Many places and one of the easiest is to turn to one of the largest online sellers of product in the world, otherwise known as Amazon.
They sing the praises of a Tampa Bay company named Java Planet with a product descrition, “Java Planet - Organic Coffee Beans- Papua New Guinea Single Origin - a Gourmet Dark Roast of Arabica Whole Bean Coffee USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO and Shade Grown at High Altitudes.”
We like that. Now it’s time to visit this eco-friendly company. We love their philosophy and if you love our earth, we sense that you will too.
At jporganiccoffee.com they smile, “Java Planet Organic Coffee Roasters is a family owned business that has been providing 100% certified organic and Fair Trade Coffee to families and businesses throughout the Tampa Bay area since 2009. Java Planet is committed to providing the highest quality product that also supports a healthy body, a healthy community and a healthy planet, as well as ensuring the growers of the coffee are fairly compensated.”
Very well said and most important, very believable. Their credibility is verified in this way.
They continue, “To differentiate our business and innovative approach to coffee roasting, Java Planet has obtained certifications with the following organizations:
- Certified Organic by Americert International
- Fair Trade USA
- Rainforest Alliance
- Bird Friendly (Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center)”
That is very impressive and to be respected. It is not easy. It is so much easier to do it the traditional and non-ecofriendly commercial way.
Java Planet is the largest provider of USDA certified organic coffee in Tampa, importing the product from certified suppliers from all over the world.
They are committed to ongoing education about the importance of drinking coffee that is certified organic and Fair Trade.
Being certified organic requires that the beans are grown in a natural way, which means that they are not chemically forced to grow faster or larger.
The organization provides education through many events throughout Florida, including the Sustainable Buzz and Mayor’s Mac and Cheese Throwdown events in Tampa, as well as USF environmental events, including the Earth Day EcoFest Celebration for the past five years.
Their commitment to education has provided Java Planet with a steady growth of new customers.
This is important for those of you who have side effects from drinking coffee to think about.
Java Planet has seen a behavioral change as the result of their education, with returning customers expressing their exclusive commitment to organic coffee and other products. Customers share that the organic coffee, free of chemicals, does not give them an upset stomach, heart palpitations or the jitters, as they had experienced with traditionally produced coffee.
Coffee that is good to our bodies and helpful to our planet.
When it comes to delicious coffee, what more could we want?
Shade grown coffee is so good to be true.
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Opening photo grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, jporganiccoffee.com-photo-creidt-via-Amazon.com
https://jporganiccoffee.com/pages/our-mission
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade-grown_coffee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agroforestry
http://www.thecoffeebeanmenu.com/3-best-shade-grown-coffee-brands/
