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Bird-Friendly®, Rainforest Alliance™ and
Fair Trade™ Certifications
Java Planet Organic Coffee Roasters has a mission to provide the highest quality product that also supports a healthy body, a healthy planet, and ensures that the growers of the coffee are fairly compensated.
To that end, all of our coffees are Certified Organic and many are Fair Trade Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, or Bird-Friendly Certified. To check them out click here.
You may ask, what do these certifications mean, and why is it important?
Bird-Friendly® Certified Coffee
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center states that “shade-grown coffee production is the next best thing to a natural forest.” Coffee trees naturally grow best in the shade of other trees which act as protective sunscreen, keep the soil moist, and fertilized with mulch from their fallen leaves.
These trees are part of a complex habitat in which many bird species and other wildlife live.
Due to “conventional” farming methods over the last century thousands of acres of forest have been eliminated and the world's bird population is quickly dwindling. It is estimated we have lost 3 billion birds since 1970.
Several years ago the importance of bees in our ecosystem became mainstream. Birds also play an important role in our ecosystem. They pollinate plants, spread seeds, and control insects. Migratory birds are most affected by this deforestation, as when they leave to go south for the winter, they may not find a home there.
Some of the requirements for certification are on tree coverage – 40% per hectare of farmland, tree height, and variety of tree species to ensure quality habitats for birds and other wildlife.
So when you drink Bird-Friendly® certified coffee, you’re helping to support the environment for a more sustainable, biodiverse world.
Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Coffee
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit alliance of farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers committed to creating a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. It works to make responsible business the new normal to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them adapt to the climate crisis.
Coffee farms or groups of smallholder farmers that earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal protect biodiversity, deliver financial benefits to farmers, and foster a culture of respect for workers and local communities.
Rainforest Alliance Certified farms share similar requirements as Bird-Friendly; 40% shade coverage and tree variety.
This creates that biodiversity that is the habitat of amphibians such as frogs, birds like hummingbirds, and various mammals like the howler monkey.
The Rainforest Alliance also has human rights requirements protecting the farmers, and the workers they employ as well as preventing child labor abuses.
Fair TradeTMCertifiedCoffee
Fair Trade helps farmers in developing countries build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities. It ensures that farmers receive fair prices and credit by organizing farming groups into cooperatives that receive a guaranteed minimum floor price (or the market price if it’s higher). Fair Trade also provides for fair labor conditions and strictly prohibits forced child and slave labor.
Other benefits of Fair Trade are programs to help with community development such as schools for their children, healthcare, and business improvement training. Organic farming is promoted with training for farmers and by offering a higher price for organic products.
Fair Trade also prohibits harmful agrochemicals and GMOs in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve the valuable environment for future generations.
In the many years that we have been in business, and conscious consumers ourselves, we have seen the benefit certifications like these have.
When you purchase products with these certifications you are voting with your dollars, showing larger corporations that you value quality and sustainability over a cheap product, and you tell farmers that you appreciate and value their efforts to grow a great product that is healthy for you and protects the planet.
What people are saying...
"I will only purchase Rainforest Alliance certified coffee - it’s very important to me. This coffee tastes great - full-flavored and not bitter. And knowing I am doing my part to protect the rainforest allows me to enjoy my morning coffee."
Brenda
"This is the best coffee I've ever tasted! I switched to organic coffee a while ago to avoid pesticides. What I learned is that it was the pesticides with which regular coffee is drenched that caused slight headaches, dizziness, slight nausea, and a general unwell feeling when I drank coffee. When I switched to organic, all those symptoms went away. But I couldn't find a brand I really liked. My research convinced me to try shade-grown coffee from Central America, and especially a brand labeled "Bird Friendly." Finally, a coffee I find delicious and that makes me feel really well after drinking it. There's one drawback, however. I like it so much, I've been drinking a whole pot each day!"
Ismoralda
"I love this coffee! It's so smooth. It's hard to find a full-bodied coffee without the acidity. I drink my coffee black most of the time and it has to be quality. This coffee has a perfect balance. I used to buy Starbucks and now this is my go-to. Java Planet is so much better and I feel better about buying it knowing that it is organic and fair trade."
J.L.