A Coffee Primer for Birds & People

People may tell you “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” But when it comes to coffee, it is possible to have it both ways.

Superb coffee can be grown by using sustainable agricultural methods that provides a home for birds, free labour for farmers, and a delicious bird friendly product for coffee drinkers around the globe.

Our documentary team filmed at the CATIE Tropical Agricultural Research Centre where ornithologist Alejandra Martinez-Salinas showed us the benefits of pesticide-free shade grown coffee. The diversity of shade trees provide a natural habitat for migratory songbirds and the birds’ appetite for the destructive coffee berry borer, provides an alternative to agro-chemicals. This is truly a win-win situation for us all.

To learn more about “bird friendly” coffee we have created a short web exclusive video featuring Robert Rice from The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington DC.  Robert travels around the world certifying bird friendly coffee farms.  He explains why we should all consider bird friendly coffee as a wise consumer option.

Help us finish the film and save a songbird at the same time.

Want to try bird friendly coffee?  We have certified bird friendly coffee available as a perk for making a contribution to our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for our feature film THE MESSSENGER.

In Canada you can purchase bird friendly coffee from http://www.birdsandbeans.ca/

In the USA: http://www.birdsandbeans.com/

Here is a handy map to help you located coffee roasters around the world who roast certified bird Friendly coffee. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/coffee/map-of-roasters.cfm

CostaRica_Woodthrush_tongue

Special thanks to Ernesto Carmen and the Café Cristina farm in Costa Rica, where in one day we filmed more than a dozen different species of migratory songbirds including Golden-winged warbler, Wood Thrush, Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Wilson Warbler and many more.

Learn more about bird friendly coffee here.