Higher Grounds Trading Co.’s Commitment to Shade Grown Coffee:

By developing relationships with farmers who care deeply for their small parcels of land and all the life that inhabits it, we are committed to protecting (and encouraging the growth of) diversified forests of shade trees that provide life to a multitude of birds, animal and plant species.

Although most of our partner farmers have received shade-grown certifications through their organic certifier, at this time we’ve chosen not to participate in the available Bird Friendly certifications due to the lack of discourse about the benefits of certification vs. the very high cost for farmers and roasters.

We employ the old fashion method of ensuring shade in the fields by going to visit our partner growers!

Shade Grown Coffee = Darn Tasty!

When coffee cherries (the fruit on the tree) are allowed to mature naturally under a canopy of shade, the sugars in the coffee fruit that control flavor are allowed to come to full maturation. Although this means harvesting several times to ensure that each bean is at it’s peak ripeness when picked, we get a fuller-flavored, more consistent cup of coffee. When coffee is grown in a monoculture setting in full sun, the beans mature too rapidly and much of the flavor is comprised. And because some beans are too ripe and others not ripe enough, the coffee quality can be rather inconsistent.

What about the birds?

Where do our favorite migratory birds go when they head South for the winter? Phoenix? Fort Meyers? Nope. Many of them head to Southern Mexico, where in the Western Hemisphere forests in Chiapas are second only to the Amazon in their range of biodiversity – providing habitat to nearly 180 different species of birds. Forty percent of top-level canopy trees were clear-cut in the mid-1900s to make way for hectares upon hectares of sun-exposed coffee plantations. Organic coffee grown by small farmers is much more likely to be grown under a canopy of shade, providing biological corridors vital to migration for birds and other wild animals and insects.

The farmers we partner with, from Chiapas to Ethiopia, promote the growth of trees that provide varying levels of shade for many reasons. Some of the trees provide fruits that are critical to a healthy diet. The roots of trees prevent soil erosion - very important to any farmer – plus the leaves and branches fall and decompose into nutrient-rich soil. The coffee farmers we partner with are so closely intertwined with the land that they are well aware of the importance of the “web of life” that we all learned about in kindergarten. If the balance is thrown off, we will all suffer.