Let us tell you about the birds and the beans...

Shade Grown Matters. A serious decline in migratory songbird population and habitat destruction has been traced to new clear-cut growing techniques used on many plantations. Counter Cultures Sanctuary ™ works with carefully selected shade coffee farms along the migratory flight path from North America to Central and South America to preserve habitat and help save fast disappearing ecosystems. These traditional shade plantations provide a safe haven for songbirds and a home for a wide spectrum of biodiversity. And because coffee beans mature more slowly under shade, they produce the finest coffees in the world.

Experience Matters. Sanctuary™ is proud to have been the world's first family of shade grown coffees. Over the years we have worked closely with environmentalists, ornithologists and agronomists to carefully choose each Sanctuary™ farm. Selection criteria include shade tree varieties, canopy structure, potential chemical usage, forest fragmentation and many other complex issues.

Commitment Matters. The Sanctuary™ program pays farmers more for their work in preserving the environment. In addition, a portion of the proceeds supports organizations such as National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Partners in Flight, and The Rainforest Alliance. These donations help educate both consumers and producers about this important issue, while funding research efforts of scientists working in Latin America.

Quality Matters. In a recent blind cupping of America's top environmental roasters, Sanctuary™ Coffees were ranked first and second overall in cup quality:

"This deeply dimensional coffee hints at the heady quality of the old-time Colombias, before the growers started cutting down trees and planting hybrids. Also suggests why quality freaks who may not know the difference between a white-crowned sparrow and a crow still get behind shade coffees: Because they typically come from traditional varieties of coffee arabica that taste better."