Did you know there are two ways coffee is grown? There is sun-grown coffee and shade-grown coffee, and there is a big difference between the two.
Shade-grown coffee mimics the way wild coffee grows, under the shade of trees. Growing coffee this way has so many benefits for the environment. With coffee growing under a variety of trees, biodiversity increases. Biodiversity helps interconnect the various functions of an ecosystem, resulting in a healthier ecosystem. With the combination of trees and coffee growing together, the soil is replenished and becomes enriched with a variety of microbes that cycle nutrients back to the plants. Growing trees and coffee together also improves resistance to pests and diseases, which reduces the need for fertilizers, and more trees also mean more habitat for birds that become predators for coffee pests.
Sun-grown coffee was introduced in the 1970s to increase coffee production. While sun-grown coffee creates higher yields and brings more profit, it adversely affects nature. According to Dig Coffee, sun-grown coffee has led to the clearing of 2.5 million acres of forest in Central America. Losing these forests means losing homes for wildlife, reducing carbon storage, water filtration, providing us with less oxygen, and the cooling benefits of shade. Because sun-grown coffee lacks trees to help resist pests, it requires more pesticides. As a monoculture, sun-grown coffee also needs more fertilizers to enrich the soil. However, rain often washes away these fertilizers, which contain nitrogen and phosphate, causing chemicals to end up in rivers and lakes—leading to algae blooms that deplete oxygen and harm aquatic life.
You can find shade-grown coffee in the coffee aisle. I found my local grocery store carries shade-grown coffee brands. One of the brands I really like is Papa Nicholas, and it is oh so good!
I also learned that Starbucks is committed to its goal of using only shade-grown coffee. In 2021, Starbucks reported that 99% of its coffee is shade-grown. It will be interesting to visit some of my local coffee shops and inquire if their coffee is shade-grown.
Below are links for buying shade-grown coffee online:
https://coffeevogue.com/10-best-shade-grown-coffee-brands-for-eco-conscious-consumers/
Reference:
Chudnovsky, Abby. Sun-Grown vs. Shade-Grown Coffee: How It Impacts the Environment and the Farmers. DeLaGente. https://www.dlgcoffee.org/coffee-news/sun-grown-vs-shade-grown-coffee-how-it-impacts-the-environment-and-the-farmers. www.digcoffee.org
Photo courtesy of khthellman.blogspot.com
