Coffee Coffee Coffee

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:13:29 -0400

Coffee and neotropical birds
Sunday, January 30, 2011
By Scott Shalaway
According to Ethiopian folklore, circa A.D. 500, a young goatherd named Kaldi tended his herd in the lush wooded highlands. When it came time to drive the goats home, they ignored his calls. He searched the wooded hillside frantically until he found his goats frolicking in sun dappled patches of forest. They were head butting each other and dancing wildly on their hind legs. He thought they had gone mad or been bewitched.
As Kaldi watched, he saw the goats eating the green leaves and red berries of an unfamiliar understory tree. It took the goats hours to calm down and finally follow Kaldi home.
The next morning Kaldi escorted the herd back to the hills, and they ran directly to the area where the strange trees grew. Immediately they began eating the leaves and red berries. The young goatherd tried some, too.
The leaves were bitter, but soon his body tingled. Then he chewed a few of the red berries. Soon he was dancing with the goats, singing and feeling indefatigable.
Kaldi had discovered coffee and the joy of caffeine. It probably took a few hundred years to domesticate the tree and cultivate plantations, but by the 10th century, coffee had been documented in print by an Arabian physician. The rest is history.
Today, coffee is second only to oil as a global commodity. According to several coffee-themed websites, humans drink 12,000 cups of Joe every second. This demand keeps 125 million coffee growers employed in tropical areas worldwide.
A few weeks ago at a trade show, I met some folks from Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters (www.goldenvalleyfarms.com) in West Chester, Pa. CEO John Sacharok explained his commitment to roasting and distributing organic, shade-grown coffee.
"We get our beans from small family farms in Latin America and Ethiopia that have been certified as bird-friendly by the Smithsonian Institution's Migratory Bird Center," Sachorak said. "Nature meant for coffee to be grown in the shade of taller trees. Shade-grown coffee is rich and flavorful, growers receive fair and stable prices, and the canopy provides habitat for neotropical birds, orchids and insects."
Scott Shalaway is a biologist and author. His other weekly Post-Gazette column, "Wildlife," runs Sundays on the outdoors page in Sports. He can be reached at sshalaway@aol.com or RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033.

First published on January 30, 2011 at 12:00 am

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11030/1121483-140.stm#ixzz1KUOH0RB2

Shade-grown coffee is bird-friendly

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:44:54 -0500

February 5, 2011
Shade-grown coffee is bird-friendly

By Scott Shalaway

If you're enjoying a cup of coffee while you read the morning newspaper, you're in good company. Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee every day. That's 146 billion cups per year. It gets us going in the morning and gets us through the day. We are the leading consumers of coffee, but coffee is second only to water as the most popular drink in the world.
Civilization's love affair with coffee dates back more than 1,500 years. According to Ethiopian folklore, circa 500 A.D., a young goatherd named Kaldi tended his flock in the lush wooded highlands of eastern Africa. When it came time to drive the goats home one day, they ignored his calls. He searched the wooded hillside frantically until he found his goats frolicking in sun-dappled patches of forest. They were head butting each other and dancing wildly on their hind legs. He thought they had gone mad or been bewitched.

As Kaldi watched, he saw the goats eating the green leaves and red berries of an unfamiliar understory tree. It took the goats hours to calm down and finally follow Kaldi home.

The next morning Kaldi escorted the herd back to the hills, and they ran directly to the area where the strange trees grew. Immediately they began eating the leaves and red berries. The young goatherd tried some, too.

The leaves were bitter, but soon his body tingled. Then he chewed a few of the red berries. Soon he was dancing with the goats, singing and feeling indefatigable.

Kaldi had discovered coffee and the joy of caffeine. It probably took a few hundred years to domesticate the tree and cultivate plantations, but by the 10th century coffee had been documented in print by an Arabian physician. The rest is history.

Today, coffee is second only to oil as a global commodity. According to several coffee-themed websites, humans drink 12,000 cups of Joe every second. This demand keeps 125 million coffee growers employed worldwide between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Most is grown in Central and South America.

In nature, coffee grows best as an understory tree. The best coffee, Arabica, grows only above an elevation of 2,000 feet. Robusta grows at lower elevations, but it has a more bitter flavor.

Though coffee grows best in the shade, varieties have been cultivated to grow in full sun. On these plantations canopy trees are cut down, and the crop grows faster thanks to the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. But because it grows faster, it has a harsher flavor.

The best coffee is shade-grown coffee. It grows and matures slower under the shade of a tall canopy. And in that canopy lives an entire community of birds, insects, mammals, and plants. Baltimore orioles, scarlet tanagers, and wood thrushes are just a few of our migratory birds that use bird-friendly coffee plantations as their winter grounds.

A few weeks ago at a trade show, I met some folks from Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters (www.goldenvalleyfarms.com) in West Chester, Pa. Golden Valley specializes in shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee. CEO John Sacharok explained his commitment to roasting and distributing organic, shade-grown coffee. "We get our beans from small family farms in Latin America and Ethiopia that have been certified as bird-friendly by the Smithsonian Institution's Migratory Bird Center," Sacharok said.

"Nature meant for coffee to be grown in the shade of taller trees," Sacharok added. "Shade-grown coffee is rich and flavorful, growers receive fair and stable prices, and the canopy provides habitat for neotropical birds, orchids, and insects."

According to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, shade-grown coffees are not only bird friendly, they are also organic. That means they are grown without chemical pesticides that poison the environment.

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center uses years of scientific research and independent third party inspectors to certify coffee as "bird-friendly." Farms that earn certification display a bird-friendly logo on their products. Look for it. These coffees cost a bit more, a few pennies per cup, but it's a small price to encourage small family coffee farmers to grow their crops in a way that benefits birds and the environment in general.

For a list of retailers that sell certified, bird-friendly coffee, visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/coffee.

Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033 or via my website, http://scottshalaway.googlepages.com.

Bird-friendly coffee has a rich, robust history

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:48:57 -0500

Bird-friendly coffee has a rich, robust history
by Scott Shalaway

If you’re enjoying a cup of coffee while you read the morning newspaper, you’re in good company. Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee every day. That’s 146 billion cups per year. It gets us going in the morning and gets us through the day. We are the leading consumers of coffee, but coffee is second only to water as the most popular drink in the world.

History. Civilization’s love affair with coffee dates back more than 1,500 years. According to Ethiopian folklore, circa A.D. 500, a young goatherder named Kaldi tended his flock in the lush wooded highlands of eastern Africa.

When it came time to drive the goats home one day, they ignored his calls. He searched the wooded hillside frantically until he found his goats frolicking in sun dappled patches of forest. They were head butting each other and dancing wildly on their hind legs. He thought they had gone mad or been bewitched.

As Kaldi watched, he saw the goats eating the green leaves and red berries of an unfamiliar understory tree. It took the goats hours to calm down and finally follow Kaldi home. The next morning Kaldi escorted the herd back to the hills, and they ran directly to the area where the strange trees grew.

Immediately they began eating the leaves and red berries. The young goatherder tried some, too. The leaves were bitter, but soon his body tingled. Then he chewed a few of the red berries. Soon he was dancing with the goats, singing and feeling indefatigable.

Kaldi had discovered coffee and the joy of caffeine. It probably took a few hundred years to domesticate the tree and cultivate plantations, but by the 10th century coffee had been documented in print by an Arabian physician. The rest is history.

Second only to oil. Today, coffee is second only to oil as a global commodity. According to several coffee-themed web sites, humans drink 12,000 cups of Joe every second. This demand keeps 125 million coffee growers employed worldwide between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Most is grown in Central and South America.

In nature, coffee grows best as an understory tree. The best quality coffee, Arabica, grows only above an elevation of 2,000 feet. Robusta grows at lower elevations, but it has a more bitter flavor. Though coffee grows best as a shade tree, varieties have been cultivated to grow in full sun.

Harsher flavor. On these plantations canopy trees are cut down, and the crop grows faster thanks to the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. But because it grows faster, it has a harsher flavor.

The best coffee is shade grown coffee. It grows and matures slower under the shade of a tall canopy. And in that canopy lives an entire community of birds, insects, mammals, and plants.

Baltimore orioles, scarlet tanagers, and wood thrushes are just a few of our migratory birds that use bird-friendly coffee plantations on their winter grounds.

Bird-friendly coffee. A few weeks ago at a trade show, I met some folks from Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters (www.goldenvalleyfarms.com) in West Chester, Pa.

Golden Valley specializes in shade grown, bird-friendly coffee. CEO John Sacharok explained his commitment to roasting and distributing organic, shade-grown coffee.

“We get our beans from small family farms in Latin America and Ethiopia that have been certified as bird-friendly by the Smithsonian Institution’s Migratory Bird Center,” Sacharok said.

“Nature meant for coffee to be grown in the shade of taller trees,” Sacharok added. “Shade-grown coffee is rich and flavorful, growers receive fair and stable prices, and the canopy provides habitat for neotropical birds, orchids, and insects.”

Organic. According to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, shade grown coffees are not only bird friendly, they are also organic. That means they are grown without chemical pesticides that poison the environment.

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center uses years of scientific research and independent third party inspectors to certify coffee as “bird-friendly.” Farms that earn certification display a bird-friendly logo on their products. Look for it.

These coffees cost a bit more, a few pennies per cup, but it’s a small price to encourage small family coffee farmers to grow their crops in a way that benefits birds and the environment in general. For a list of retailers that sell certified, bird friendly coffee, visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/coffee.

Coffee and neotropical birds

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 14:46:02 -0500

Cuppa Love: Golden Valley Farms' Coffee

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 12:38:08 -0500

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011 AT 11:19AM

goldenvalleyfarms.com
As we all know Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, and what better way to keep your loved one happy and warm during February than by giving them a warming cuppa joe?
Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters, a family-run coffee roaster in West Chester, is here to help you out. When you purchase two boxes of their organic, 100 percent shade-grown, Bird-Friendly coffee, you receive an easy-to-use, single-serve French press.
Your purchase of Bird-Friendly coffee also assists the Smithsonian Institution's conservation, preservation and humanitarian efforts around the world.
Don’t have a special someone this Valentine’s Day? Why not treat yourself?
The offer expires at the end of the month, so get yours now before the end of winter!
Details after the jump.
To purchase, visit http://bit.ly/fuBEG6 and follow these simple directions:
Click "Single-Serve French Press Pouches" to start shopping.
Select your 1st box of Single-Serve French Press Pouches.
Add the box to your shopping cart and then click "Continue Shopping."
Choose your 2nd box of Single-Serve French Press Pouches by selecting "French Press Pouches" on the left hand menu.
Select the 2nd item on the page: "Single-Serve French Press Pouches"
Add the box to your shopping cart and then click "Continue Shopping."
Select "Coffee Accessories" on the left hand menu and add Brazil Coffee Maker, Bodum French Press to the shopping cart.
At the bottom of your shopping cart page, type FREEFP in coupon code box and click "Submit."
Click "Checkout" to complete your order!
For more information, call: 610-719-0232
email: Sales@goldenvalleyfarms.com
www.goldenvalleyfarms.com