Home
Be Your Own Brand
Custom Coffee Programs
Private Label Coffee
Micro-Label Program
Custom Blending
Custom Packaging Options
Foil Gusseted Bags
Stand-Up Pouches
Metallized Rollstock
Foil Rollstock
Why Roast With CCC?
Really Great Coffees
- Specialty Coffee
- Fair Trade Coffees
- Rainforest Alliance Coffees
- Shade-Grown Coffee
- Bird-Friendly Coffees
- Organic Coffees
- Decaffeinated Coffees
Fundraising With CCC
Contact Us
About Us
Shade-Grown Coffee
It's Cooler in the Shade
"Shade-Grown" is a broad term that refers to coffee grown under a
canopy of trees.
Because it incorporates principles of natural ecology to promote
natural ecological relationships, shade-grown coffee is typically
promoted as beneficial to birds, the environment overall, and to
bidiversity. Some shade-growers sell their shade layers as
carbon-offset trees.There's not a single worldwide standard certification for Shade-Grown coffee, so we steer customers who are interested in Shade Grown coffee to coffees certified as Bird Friendly (incorporating shade and organic practices) or coffees grown using sustainable agriculture techiques (like shade and organic).
Bird Friendly coffees are certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. For more on Bird-Friendly coffee, click here.
Several organizations promote sustainable agriculture. We're supporters of the Rainforest Alliance, a non-governmental organization that promotes and certifies sustainable agricultural practices worldwide. To learn more on Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, click here.
Shade Grown Coffee vs Sun Grown Coffee
| Shade Grown Coffee | Sun Grown Coffee |
| Historical, traditional, sustainable method of farming preserves tree-canopy habitat for songbirds and other animals | Crop requires full sun, resulting in clearcutting of rainforest habitat causing soil erosion and depletion; unsustainable |
| Usually organically grown, free of chemical applications | Requires chemical fertilizers, pesticides and/or herbicides |
| Better taste - beans mature more slowly in shade allowing the natural sugars to fully develop, creating a rich, intense flavor | Sun-grown hybrid coffees produce higher yields, but do not taste nearly as good as shade-grown coffee |