Shade grown coffee is grown in the shade of canopy trees. The trees provide protection for the coffee from the (often) heavy rains, while providing soil moisture retention (very important in coffee growth) , helps maintain the correct nitrogen level in the soil, reduces erosion, and even reduces the need for weeding around the plants. This reduces the needs for fertilizers and it's why many of your organic coffees are also often shade grown - it's just easier and often cheaper! Chemicals required for growing coffee in full sun
The shade trees on coffee farms have proven to be an excellent habitat for migratory birds. In fact, there have been as many as 150 different species of migratory birds have found in one coffee farm. So, with so many pluses why would anyone choose to grow coffee in full sun?
Well, there are essentially three main reasons:
- Production - coffee production in sun filled fields is substantially higher than in forests. Recovery of the coffee can also be mechanized, which is not possible in shade farms.
- Politics - of course politics is going to be in here somewhere - in the late 1980's/early 1990's coffee prices plunged as a result of the collapse of an agreement by coffee producing countries. This drove some countries (like Columbia) to modernize their coffee production and drove smaller farms out of business.
- Cash Crops - this relates again to the price that coffee draws. As crop prices for other crops like wheat and corn that require full sun climbs, and as these become more profitable, forest is converted to fields in order to capitalize on this profit - this is particularly a danger as bio-fuel demand grows.
Shaded coffee plantations are often the last refuge for migratory birds, but birds are only one indicator of the role that coffee plays in protecting biological diversity. Shaded coffee plantations offer refuges for insect, tree, and other animal species as well. I'll be doing more due diligence to make sure that Rouge Roastery has shade grown coffees, and I'll post shortly which of our current offerings are shade grown.
