Drink shade-grown coffee; save the birds

Posted 11/23/16

HONESDALE, PA — Try a cup of Honduran coffee for free at Black & Brass Coffee Roasting Co., 520 Main St. on Saturday, November 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event, sponsored by the …

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Drink shade-grown coffee; save the birds

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HONESDALE, PA — Try a cup of Honduran coffee for free at Black & Brass Coffee Roasting Co., 520 Main St. on Saturday, November 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event, sponsored by the Northeast PA Audubon Society (NEPA Audubon), showcases “shade-grown” coffee grown by a collective of Honduran farmers. That evening, starting at 7 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce on Commercial Street, NEPA Audubon will host a program, accompanied by photos, on how such shade-grown coffee helps provide habitat for threatened birds that summer in our area. You’ll learn all about where this special organic, shade-grown coffee comes from in Honduras and how it is grown.


The vast majority of coffee today is full-sun grown as it provides increased yields. Clear-cutting forests for full-sun coffee plantations increases soil erosion and contributes to deadly mudslides. Full-sun grown coffee requires large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, producing toxic run-off and acidifying the soil. In contrast, shade-grown coffee is grown beneath the forest canopy rather than in the full sun, preserving biodiversity and providing important habitat that benefits many bird species and other wildlife.


Sun-grown coffee comes not only at the expense of the environment, but also of the coffee’s flavor. “Shade-grown coffee is a win-win for coffee drinkers,” says local coffee connoisseur John Harvey. “On top of being good for the land and wildlife, it has a superior taste because of the way it is grown. Coffee grown in natural soil has a fuller fragrance and a richer flavor.”

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